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Article published In: Digital Translation
Vol. 10:1 (2023) ► pp.16–36

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The many guises of machine translation

A postphenomenology perspective

ORCiD logo with link | University of Bristol
Published online: 24 July 2023
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/dt.00002.nun
Abstract
Machine translation (MT) tools are widely available. They may be present in different spaces in ways that consumers of the content do not necessarily control or realise, and research to date has paid little attention to these human-MT encounters. This article draws on the philosophy of technology literature to consider implications of MT’s permeating presence in online environments as well as in face-to-face interactions. The focus of the article is on two situations where humans can come across MT: while browsing websites and when speaking with figures of authority. The article highlights ways in which humans’ relationship with MT transcends conscious decisions to operate an MT tool directly. It argues that the human-MT relationship can also be one of immersion where MT blends with the environment in ways that, on the one hand, break language barriers but, on the other, influence, persuade, and on occasion misinform.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Research on machine translation and society
  • 3.Machine translation and human-technology relations
  • 4.Website translation
  • 5.Figures of authority and machine-translated interactions
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
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