Interactions of Institutional Translators with Digital Translation Tools

Öz

Digitalisation manifests itself in various ways in different business sectors, and translation sector experiences it through its (semi-)automated translation processes due to digital technologies that include computer-aided translation (CAT) tools as well as machine translation (MT) and artificial intelligence (AI) software. It could be argued that the translators are the most affected social actors in this environment although it should be underlined that there are other social actors such as colleagues or employers. Domination of digital translation technologies, as the technical actors, has a powerful effect on shaping the network within which translators operate. Depending on this hypothesis, this paper aims to illuminate and explore perceptions of institutional translators in Türkiye about digital translation tools as well as interactions between these human and non-human actors in light of actor-network theory (ANT) proposed by Callon, Latour and Law. The effects of digital technologies on institutional translators have been investigated via an online questionnaire (N=29) and online interviews with three institutional translators. Although the number of questionnaire participants is limited, it was aimed to increase validity with qualitative data from interviews. It is found that digital translation tools are predominantly perceived indispensable for institutional translators, the alliances forged with these tools are generally well-accepted and valued, and intermediaries such as budget, skills, competencies, teamwork and digital tools contribute to the self-positioning of translators within a heterogeneous network. While obligatory passage points and intermediaries change based on conditions, digital translation tools are generally evaluated positively in individual occupational networks; however, the translators tend to perceive the effects more negatively when broader networks involving other social actors are in question.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• digital translation tools
• actor-network theory
• human and non-human actors
• sociology of translators
• institutional translators

Kurum Çevirmenlerinin Dijital Çeviri Araçları ile Etkileşimleri

Öz

Dijitalleşme farklı iş sektörlerinde çeşitli şekillerde karşımıza çıkmaktadır ve çeviri sektörü de dijitalleşmeyi bilgisayar destekli çeviri (BDÇ) araçlarının yanı sıra makine çevirisi (MÇ) ve yapay zekâ (YZ) yazılımlarını da içeren dijital teknolojiler aracılığıyla (yarı) otomatikleşmiş çeviri süreçleri ile deneyimlemektedir. Bu ortamda en çok etkilenenlerin sosyal aktörler olarak çevirmenler olduğu ileri sürülebilirken meslektaşlar veya işverenler gibi başka sosyal aktörlerin de bulunduğunun altı çizilmelidir. Teknik aktörler olarak dijital çeviri teknolojilerinin baskın olması çevirmenlerin faaliyet gösterdiği ağı şekillendirme konusunda güçlü bir etkiye sahiptir. Bu varsayımdan yola çıkarak bu çalışmada, Türkiye’deki kurum çevirmenlerinin dijital çeviri araçları konusundaki algılarının ve bu insan ve insan dışı aktörler arasındaki etkileşimlerin Callon, Latour ve Law tarafından ileri sürülen aktör-ağ kuramı (AAK) ışığında aydınlatılması ve incelenmesi amaçlanmaktadır. Dijital teknolojilerin kurum çevirmenleri üzerindeki etkileri çevrim içi bir anket (N=29) ve üç kurum çevirmeni ile yapılan çevrim içi görüşmeler aracılığıyla araştırılmıştır. Anket katılımcı sayısı sınırlı olsa da görüşmelerden elde edilen nitel veriler ile geçerliliğin artırılması amaçlanmıştır. Dijital çeviri araçlarının kurum çevirmenleri tarafından büyük oranda vazgeçilmez olarak algılandığı, bu araçlarla kurulan ittifakların genellikle kabul gördüğü ve bunlara değer verildiği ve bütçe, beceriler, yetkinlikler, ekip çalışması ve dijital araçlar gibi aracıların çevirmenlerin heterojen ağda kendilerini konumlandırmalarına katkıda bulunduğu tespit edilmiştir. Zorunlu geçiş noktaları ve aracılar koşullar doğrultusunda değişiklik gösterirken dijital çeviri araçları bireysel mesleki ağlarda genellikle olumlu olarak değerlendirilmekte fakat başka sosyal aktörleri içeren daha geniş ağlar söz konusu olduğunda çevirmenlerin etkileri daha olumsuz yönde algılama eğiliminde olduğu görülmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• dijital çeviri araçları
• aktör-ağ kuramı
• insan ve insan dışı aktörler
• çevirmen sosyolojisi
• kurum çevirmenleri

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