‘I am not a number’: on quantification and algorithmic norms in translation

ABSTRACT

Numbers and measurements enable transactions and communication in translation in ways that are helpful and indisputably necessary. However, as deployment of quantification and mathematisation has become more complex and opaque, it is important to interrogate the validity of measures and predictions, especially if they are to be used as a basis for action. This article takes a critical look at the various types of quantification and mathematisation used in translation and considers the effects of these on translators working in highly technologized workflows. It introduces the concept of algorithmic norms, whereby translators feel pressured to reverse engineer and conform to the demands of algorithmic management.

KEYWORDS:

• Translation technology
• translation norms
• algorithms
• mathematisation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was conducted with the financial support of Science Foundation Ireland at ADAPT, the SFI Research Centre for AI-Driven Digital Content Technology at Dublin City University [grant number 13/RC/2106_P2].

Notes on contributors

Joss Moorkens

Joss Moorkens is an Associate Professor at the School of Applied Language and Intercultural Studies in Dublin City University (DCU), Challenge Leader at the ADAPT Centre, and member of DCU’s Institute of Ethics and Centre for Translation and Textual Studies. He has written on the topics of translation technology, machine translation, translation quality evaluation, translator precarity, and translation ethics. He is General Coeditor of Translation Spaces with Prof. Dorothy Kenny and coeditor of a number of books and journal special issues. He is also a coauthor of the textbook Translation Tools and Technologies (Routledge 2023) and a forthcoming textbook on Machine Translation and Automation.