The labour market associated with most careers has evolved rapidly in the recent years, requiring a workforce with extensive digital skills. The same applies to the current landscape of the translation profession, which is also being reshaped by the forces of Artificial Intelligence (AI), digitisation and the applications of Natural Language Processing (NLP).

Furthermore, recently, the most frequent discussion among academics and industry revolves around the danger of AI encroaching on the profession of translators, terminologists and interpreters, putting their job positions at risk, or even causing the eventual disappearance of translation careers. Some universities warn of the risk of terminating translation career paths due to the sharp decline in the number of students or the demise of translation careers as an independent field of study. Additionally, the hypothesis that technology is more efficient than humans in performing translation and interpreting tasks is becoming a threat itself, leading to a sharp decline in the number of students enrolled in translation and foreign languages careers worldwide. In most universities, this panorama is the case in most translation careers, and Spanish universities are no exception.

One of the solutions to this problem is machine translation literacy, GenAI literacy and reducing the gap between technological developments and the technological competencies of translation and interpreting teachers.

This event aims at offering solutions and training translation and interpreting teachers in this direction, in a way that they know how to follow the pace of technology and acquire basic technological notions, so that they keep up with the high quality teaching, required to keep a good ranking for their universities, provide excellent teaching to their students, and be part of the solution to protect translation careers from a humanistic point of view.

Rationale and Objectives

The current landscape of translation education faces a critical juncture. While the profession is being reshaped by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies, the velocity of technological advancement has outpaced the capacity of educators to integrate these tools effectively into their teaching. This gap manifests in three interconnected problems.

First: Digital literacy deficit

Research on university students' perceptions of GenAI-assisted translation reveals concerns about declining translation creativity, independent thinking, and a notable deficiency in digital literacy among both educators and learners. Many translation educators lack training in how these tools function, their limitations, and appropriate pedagogical approaches for teaching with them. The European Association for Machine Translation's 2024 Translation Education Week emphasized that transversal skills, particularly AI literacy, data quality assessment, and communication abilities, are now more crucial than ever in translator education.

Second: Disconnection between academic training and labour market realities

While general content translation is increasingly automated, specialized domains requiring nuanced language skills, cultural adaptation, and subject-matter expertise remain essential human territories. The translation industry has transitioned to a hybrid model where Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE) offers 30-50% cost reductions while maintaining accuracy, yet many graduates lack training in these workflows. Studies demonstrate that solid grammatical proficiency combined with MT literacy produces significantly higher quality translations than either factor alone, highlighting the need for integrated training approaches.

Third: Insufficient understanding of quality distinctions and ethical responsibilities

The widespread adoption of tools like Google Translate and DeepL by professionals and students often occurs with relatively little reflection, leading to potential risks in high-stakes contexts such as legal documents, medical translations, or patient forms where errors can have severe consequences. Educators must develop "MT literacy consultant" capabilities, the ability to assess when and how MT can be appropriately deployed, and to advise others on its responsible use.

Objectives

This event addresses these challenges through three core objectives:

1. Bridging the Technological Gap

We will provide practical training in basic MT and GenAI literacies, equipping educators with foundational understanding of how neural machine translation, large language models, and generative AI tools function. This includes hands-on experience with current technologies, understanding their capabilities and limitations, and learning pedagogical strategies for integrating them into curricula.

2. Aligning Education with Labour Market Demands

We will present current industry trends and expectations, helping educators understand the evolution from traditional translation to AI-augmented workflows. This includes exploring post-editing skills, quality assessment frameworks, and specialized domain knowledge that differentiate human expertise from automated output. By understanding what employers seek, professionals who can work effectively alongside AI while maintaining quality standards, educators can better prepare graduates for meaningful careers.

3. Promoting Ethical and Quality-Conscious Practice

We will emphasize the critical importance of understanding translation quality gradations and the responsibilities associated with different contexts. This includes teaching students to assess risk levels (high-stakes vs. low-stakes scenarios), recognize when human expertise is non-negotiable, and communicate the value of professional translation to clients and the public. We will also address environmental and social implications of translation choices, fostering responsible professional citizenship.

Added Value

The added value of this event lies in its practical, forward-looking approach. Rather than resisting technological change or uncritically embracing it, we advocate for informed integration, recognizing AI as a powerful tool that augments rather than replaces human expertise. By equipping educators with confidence and competence in these areas, we strengthen the entire educational ecosystem: better-prepared teachers lead to better-trained students, who in turn become the skilled professionals needed in today's translation market.

Furthermore, this initiative contributes to the broader mission of protecting and promoting translation studies as a vital humanistic discipline. By demonstrating how translation professionals can thrive in an AI-enhanced landscape, we empower educators to attract and retain students with realistic, compelling visions of rewarding careers.

We welcome any contributions related to this timely topic.

Presentation format: Talk (20 mins), non-archival.
Selection for places will be made by the conference scientific committee (blind peer review).

Deadline for Abstracts: 15 April 2026 

Notification of Outcome: 30 April 2026

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Registration form:

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