Der smarte Übersetzer – Mensch vs. Maschine

This essay aims to show how important it is that translational her­me­neutics, which places the an­thro­po­logical dimension at the centre, deals more closely with specialized trans­la­tion and does not leave machine trans­la­tion to computational linguis­tics or computer science. Such a shift in focus, I argue, is important since the mech­a­nisation endpoint of the translation au­to­mation continuum is getting closer and closer, especially in specialized trans­lation. Moreover, the pro­found changes that have affected the pro­fes­sion of specialized translators in re­cent decades have been accompanied by trans- and post-human ten­den­cies, and these tendencies have numerous ethical implications. In this re­spect, my es­say is intended as a plea in favour of the human being in the trans­lation pro­cess.