AI, an Opportunity to Reappraise Translation Theories?

Absztrakt

The paper problematises the use of AI tools in translation practices but their apparent absence from translation theory. The main argument of the paper is that we should explore how AI can be applied in validating new and old translation theories. AI is seen as an opportunity to reappraise concepts and statements about translation, to determine which ones should not be forgotten, and which ones might need to be modified or discarded due to inconsistencies or insufficient empirical evidence. To this end, the paper focuses on the work of two prestigious authors, Jakobson (1959) and Holmes (1988), while also referring to others, such as Vermeer (1978) and Toury (1995). Presented as an example of what the author is calling for, this study includes a critical review of Jakobson’s claim that there are three types of translation: intralingual,
interlingual and intersemiotic. The implications are more far-reaching than might be expected, showing how different approaches to Jakobson’s typology depend on different notions of what translation is. The paper proposes updating or finding alternatives to Jakobson’s three types. Finally, the author revisits his own theoretical model from several decades ago, to compare his original idea of a model based on priorities
and restrictions with the present-day notion of prompting for AI.