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Is machine interpreting interpreting?

ORCiD logo with link | University of Vienna
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Open Access publication of this article was funded through a Transformative Agreement with the University of Vienna.

Published online: 21 May 2024
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https://doi.org/10.1075/ts.23028.poc
Abstract
This article first considers the question whether machine translation is translation and moves on to address the analogous issue for interpreting. After a review of the development and state of the art in machine interpreting, more commonly referred to as ‘spoken language translation’ or ‘speech translation’, the question of whether machine interpreting is interpreting is discussed – first with regard to terminology and conceptual distinctions and then in broader translation-theoretical frameworks. Using Otto Kade’s early definitional proposal as a point of departure, a reconceptualization is proposed in the form of a three-dimensional model designed to go beyond rigid taxonomies. The dimensions of agency, embodiment and immediacy are used to characterize translation as a graded concept in which these features may be more or less prominent.
Article outline
  • The basic question
    • Core meaning(s)
    • Conceptual maps
    • ‘Yes!’
  • Machine interpreting to date
    • Bibliography (and terminology)
    • Research to date
  • Interpreting – or not
    • Term
    • Concept
    • A three-dimensional model
  • Conclusion
  • References
References (63)
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