Le futur du métier de traducteur face à la révolution numérique : préoccupations et perspectives pour les bilingues

Abstract

The Future of The Translation Profession in The Age of Digital Revolution: Concerns and perspectives for bilingual professionals

The digital revolution has caused a significant shift in labour market policies across all sectors. The rapid advancement and widespread adoption of software and IT tools have led to an increased risk of job displacement for skilled professionals, as these tools enable even non-experts to perform tasks traditionally handled by specialists. This study explores the potential threat to employment faced by professional translators due to these technological advancements. The rise of artificial intelligence and machine translation (MT) has encouraged many bilingual individuals to enter the translation field, a trend that has raised concerns among linguistic researchers. These technological developments have also cast doubt on the value of language experts. This research addresses key questions: To what extent is the future of professional translators at risk? Do professional translators face significant competition in the Information Age? To answer these questions, this study employed both quantitative and qualitative research methods, including field data collection from bilinguals and professional translators. Questionnaires were administered first to bilinguals to gauge their motivations and then to professional translators to understand their concerns and perspectives. The data analysis provided clear insights that supported the study's hypotheses. The research suggests that professional translators may face substantial unemployment risks in the future. This is largely attributed to the increasing involvement of bilinguals in the field, driven by the proliferation of machine translation tools. The study highlights the relevance of connectivism and job prospection theories in understanding the challenges faced by professional translators and in addressing the rise of bilinguals in the workforce.