The past, present and future of machine translation in China

Abstract

Language is the main tool for information exchange since we are in the era of global information. How to effectively use modern methods to break through the language barriers between us has become an important problem for all mankind, and machine translation has become one of the powerful means of automatic translation between different languages. However, due to the extreme complexity of any natural language, machine translation has also become one of the problems of the present-day science and technology. Translation activity in the digital age is a complex system of heterogeneous interactions within the “man — smart machine (AI)” tandem [Garbovsky, Kostikova, 2019: 3]. This article mainly introduces the history and current situation of Chinese machine translation, discusses the difference between machine translation and human translation, and explains how practicing translators and learners should deal with the arrival of the era of artificial intelligence translation and sort out the relationship between the two. Facing the strong competition of artificial intelligence translation, many people are worried about the development and prospects of translation majors in universities and even foreign language majors. Through the research and exploration of the current state of affairs in the field of translation studies in China, this article points out the shortcomings of translation teaching in China. It also predicts the employment field of “future translators” (graduates).

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