The Challenge of Machine Translation Post-editing: An Academic Perspective

Abstract

The emergence of machine translation (mt) in professional translation practice has evolved from a topic of conversation among practitioners to promote a tangible change in the translation industry. The aim of this chapter is, then, to shed light on mt in professional and academic contexts by promoting a fresh approach to teaching using translation technology, and dealing with the needs and expectations of translators. Our work stems from considering the following key question: if the translation industry already considers post-editing as a viable service for almost any translation area, how should the academic world respond to this challenge? This question is addressed from three perspectives: (a) the evolution of translation technology and how post-editing has had an impact on the industry; (b) academic research paths in post-editing; and (c) training post-editors in a higher education context.