How will AI reshape translation, and how might it reshape the way we think about translation itself?
The rise of machine translation and generative AI is transforming not only how translations are produced, but also some of the concepts and assumptions through which we understand translation.
Join us for Rethinking Translation Theory in the Age of AI, an online roundtable with Dr. Omri Asscher, author of Machine Translation and Translation Theory. Moderated by Prof. Dr. Işın Öner, the roundtable will bring together Dr. Asscher and PhD candidates from Istanbul 29 Mayıs University, Dilara Nihal Aslaner, Yunus Biçer, Kadir İlbey Çakıroğlu, Mehmet Ferit Doğan, and Seçil Erciyes Töre, for a discussion on some of the questions emerging at the intersection of translation theory and AI.
What do we mean by machine translation when conventional NMT and generative AI operate in fundamentally different ways? Can prompting be understood in terms of purpose and Skopos? What happens to ethical agency when a translation brief becomes a prompt? How might AI-mediated translation reproduce or challenge cultural asymmetries? And could the widespread everyday use of generative AI ultimately change what we understand “translation” itself to mean?
The roundtable will take place online on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, at 18:00 (GMT+3).
We look forward to an engaging conversation on translation, technology, ethics, culture, and the changing role of translation in the age of AI.
You can register for the Roundtable at https://tre.29mayis.edu.tr/event-registration-1
