From responsibilities to responsibility: a study of the effects of translation workflow automation

This article studies the effects of automating a job allocation system, in a translation company of approximately 130 employees. Perceptions of the effects of automation on roles and responsibilities were collected through a short survey, answered by 38 project managers and translators. This evolved...

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Main Authors: Sarah Herbert, Félix do Carmo, Joanna Gough, Anu Carnegie-Brown
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: ZHAW 2023-07-01
Series:JoSTrans: The Journal of Specialised Translation
Online Access:https://www.jostrans.org/article/view/7093
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author Sarah Herbert
Félix do Carmo
Joanna Gough
Anu Carnegie-Brown
author_facet Sarah Herbert
Félix do Carmo
Joanna Gough
Anu Carnegie-Brown
author_sort Sarah Herbert
collection DOAJ
description This article studies the effects of automating a job allocation system, in a translation company of approximately 130 employees. Perceptions of the effects of automation on roles and responsibilities were collected through a short survey, answered by 38 project managers and translators. This evolved to an analysis of effects on the deeper notion of professional responsibility, related to accountability, control, engagement and understanding of a translation workflow. The results first reflect on positive and negative effects of automation, notably indicating that automation can both restrict and enhance professional roles and autonomy. The focus then turns to perceptions of workers’ main responsibilities, when impacted by a new automated process. One key result suggests increased difficulty in prioritising these duties. Furthermore, translators prefer not being restricted by their specialisations and favour the development of new skills. Another relevant finding of the study shows in-house translators as being the group who alludes more frequently to concepts related to responsibility. The article contributes to the study of socio-technical changes in the translation industry, suggesting that responsibility plays an important part in highlighting the effects of technology, not only on professional and organisational practices, but also on individual perceptions of accountability and job satisfaction.
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issn 1740-357X
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publishDate 2023-07-01
publisher ZHAW
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series JoSTrans: The Journal of Specialised Translation
spelling doaj-art-3231222fcc0c4ad6a41a8e998dbac8d82025-08-20T03:16:14ZdeuZHAWJoSTrans: The Journal of Specialised Translation1740-357X2023-07-014010.26034/cm.jostrans.2023.523From responsibilities to responsibility: a study of the effects of translation workflow automationSarah HerbertFélix do CarmoJoanna GoughAnu Carnegie-BrownThis article studies the effects of automating a job allocation system, in a translation company of approximately 130 employees. Perceptions of the effects of automation on roles and responsibilities were collected through a short survey, answered by 38 project managers and translators. This evolved to an analysis of effects on the deeper notion of professional responsibility, related to accountability, control, engagement and understanding of a translation workflow. The results first reflect on positive and negative effects of automation, notably indicating that automation can both restrict and enhance professional roles and autonomy. The focus then turns to perceptions of workers’ main responsibilities, when impacted by a new automated process. One key result suggests increased difficulty in prioritising these duties. Furthermore, translators prefer not being restricted by their specialisations and favour the development of new skills. Another relevant finding of the study shows in-house translators as being the group who alludes more frequently to concepts related to responsibility. The article contributes to the study of socio-technical changes in the translation industry, suggesting that responsibility plays an important part in highlighting the effects of technology, not only on professional and organisational practices, but also on individual perceptions of accountability and job satisfaction.https://www.jostrans.org/article/view/7093
spellingShingle Sarah Herbert
Félix do Carmo
Joanna Gough
Anu Carnegie-Brown
From responsibilities to responsibility: a study of the effects of translation workflow automation
JoSTrans: The Journal of Specialised Translation
title From responsibilities to responsibility: a study of the effects of translation workflow automation
title_full From responsibilities to responsibility: a study of the effects of translation workflow automation
title_fullStr From responsibilities to responsibility: a study of the effects of translation workflow automation
title_full_unstemmed From responsibilities to responsibility: a study of the effects of translation workflow automation
title_short From responsibilities to responsibility: a study of the effects of translation workflow automation
title_sort from responsibilities to responsibility a study of the effects of translation workflow automation
url https://www.jostrans.org/article/view/7093
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AT anucarnegiebrown fromresponsibilitiestoresponsibilityastudyoftheeffectsoftranslationworkflowautomation