This article addresses the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) through the lens of pivot template subtitling, a practice deemed logistically efficient... Show moreThis article addresses the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) through the lens of pivot template subtitling, a practice deemed logistically efficient by some and ethically suspicious by others. Drawing on (i) a critical review of 29 European codes of ethics promoted by professional translation associations and (ii) the answers to our online questionnaire on pivot subtitling (completed by 376 subtitlers based in Europe), we analyse the main concerns raised about pivot subtitling from the standpoint of access to decent work and economic growth in the AVT industry. Findings suggest that, from the professional subtitlers’ point of view, current practices in pivottemplate-centredworkflows may slow down the progress on SDG8, worsen working conditions and clash with professional codes of ethics. We end by suggesting ways to improve the use of indirect translation, so it does not hinder progress on SDG8 in the AVT industry. Show less
Machine Translation (MT), the process by which a computer engine such as Google Translate or Bing automatically translates a text from one language into another without any human involvement, is... Show moreMachine Translation (MT), the process by which a computer engine such as Google Translate or Bing automatically translates a text from one language into another without any human involvement, is increasingly used in professional, institutional and everyday contexts for a wide range of purposes.While a growing number of studies has looked at professional translators and translation students, there is currently a lack of research on nontranslator users and uses in multilingual contexts.This paper presents a survey examining how, when and why students at Leiden University’s Faculty of Humanities use MT. A questionnaire was used to determine which MT engines students use and for what purposes, and gauge their awareness of issues concerning privacy, academic integrity and plagiarism. The findings reveal a widespread adoption of Google Translate and indicate that students use MT predominantly to look up single words, as an alternative to a dictionary. Many seemed sceptical about thevalue of MT for educational purposes, and many assumed that the use of MT is not permitted by lecturers for graded assignments, especially in courses focusing on language skills.The results demonstrate a clear need for more MT literacy. Students may not need practical training in how to use MT, but there is much room for improvement in terms of when and why they use it. Show less
