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Article In: Translation and Interpreting Studies: Online-First Articles

Freelance translators’ techno-ambivalence in the face of GenAI’s impact on translation in the gig economy

ORCiD logo with link | Hong Kong Baptist University
ORCiD logo with link | The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
ORCiD logo with link | The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
Like other forms of gig work, freelance translation is being affected by GenAI. Drawing on discourse-analytic-informed thematic analysis of twelve in-depth interviews, this article explores freelance translators’ feelings about the rise of GenAI tools and discusses the strategies they adopt to survive the changes that GenAI is bringing to the translation industry. We find that freelance translators’ feelings about GenAI transcend the techno-utopian/dystopian binary often represented in popular discourse and instead reflect ambivalence toward the technology and its applications in the field. Through the notion of techno-ambivalence, we highlight the nuanced perspectives and agentic strategies that freelance translators adopt toward GenAI. Our findings underscore freelance translators’ resilience and offer an important counterpoint to assumptions that doom and gloom predominate among freelance translators in the gig economy.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Translation under the gig economy
    • Gig economy
    • Translation and the gig economy
    • Translation and automation
    • AI and freelance translation
  • Methodology
    • Participants and materials
    • Interview coding
    • Analytic lens: Techno-utopianism vs techno-dystopianism
  • Findings
    • Techno-dystopia: “[T]here should be a shitstorm everyday” — Melissa
    • The impact on working conditions and productivity
    • Techno-ambivalence: Yet another technology
  • Discussion and conclusion
  • References
References (80)
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