Author: Dr. Segun Afolabi
University of Regina, Canada
Date: 01/11/2025
This paper interrogates the trajectory of translation in the digital era under the guiding question: Quo vadis? (―Where are we heading?‖). Translation is here conceived in a broad sense, encompassing both the written (translation) and oral (interpretation) modes, and specifically interlingual transfer. The study underscores the indispensability of translation as the language of globalization, given the multiplicity of the world’s languages—about 7,000 globally, over 500 in Nigeria alone, and six designated as official languages of the United Nations. Drawing from empirical studies and illustrations across diplomacy, economics, religion, media, and technology, the paper highlights translation’s centrality to knowledge dissemination and intercultural communication. However, the advent of digital tools, Generative Artificial Intelligence Translation (GenAIT), and Neural Machine Translation (NMT) compels a rethinking of translation practice, pedagogy, and profession. The paper thus poses the question of direction—Quo vadis?—to critically assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) inherent in the ongoing digital turn. By situating translation within historical, theoretical, and contemporary frameworks, it charts possible pathways for sustaining relevance, quality, and human agency in an increasingly automated translation ecosystem.
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