Editorial published In: Digital Translation
Vol. 13:1 (2026) ► pp.1–7
Editorial
The iron triangle in the age of AI?
Some (not so) hidden costs of AI slop in the language professions
Published online: 23 January 2026
https://doi.org/10.1075/dt.00016.bow
https://doi.org/10.1075/dt.00016.bow
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Higher quality?
- 3.Faster?
- 4.Cheaper?
- 5.Beyond the iron triangle?
- 6.Contributions in the present issue
- Note
References
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