KENNY, DOROTHY (ED.). MACHINE TRANSLATION FOR EVERYONE:

98554-045-7

The emergence of machine translation (MT) as an increasingly relevant

subject in Translation Studies has been driven by its substantial and profound

implications for the language services industry. Dorothy Kenny’s Machine

literacy is crucial for informed MT usage, as it empowers people to critically

engage with MT systems, understanding their strengths, limitations, and

ethical implications. Reading and understanding Machine Translation for

which is very much required today, equipping readers with the tools and

The book provides a structured journey through the landscape of MT,

starting with its societal and multilingual implications and moving toward more

technical and applied dimensions. Early chapters (1-6) contextualize MT in

multilingualism, offering insights into what MT is, its potential uses, and the

considerations surrounding quality, ethics, and effective interaction with MT

output. More specifically, Chapter 1 focuses on the foundational role of

misconceptions about the nature of translation and MT, and it provides

editing strategies for improving MT input, particularly for global audiences,

highlighting methods such as simplifying syntax, avoiding ambiguous

expressions, and ensuring cultural neutrality to optimize MT outcomes.

Chapter 5 delves into the practice of post-editing, emphasizing its importance

in refining machine-generated outputs by correcting errors, improving fluency,

and ensuring the translation meets the intended quality standards, which is

particularly critical for professional and high-stakes use cases. Finally,

privacy, bias, and environmental concerns, urging readers to adopt a reflective

and responsible approach to technology use. In the latter part of the book,

customisation and self-training of NMT systems, offering a detailed, step-by-

strategies for using MT tools to enhance reading comprehension, foster critical

Personally, what I consider the standout feature of the book is its

accompanying materials: First, a collection of self-paced activities, including

systems, the process of engaging with the creation, cleaning, training, and

evaluation of a personal MT system provides invaluable hands-on experience.

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in the way it spans theoretical, practical, and ethical dimensions of MT, making

in some parts, the book remains accessible, employing clear explanations and

understanding technical descriptions of NMT will always require making an

reviewer can understand that the book originated from an Erasmus+ project

funded by the European Union, and that may be the reason for exclusively

focusing on Europe). Lastly, integrating a more diverse array of real-world

case studies from various industries could significantly enhance the book’s

practical utility. Such additions would provide readers with concrete examples

of MT’s implementation across varied professional environments,

book’s emphasis on fostering MT literacy resonates with current trends toward

hybrid translator profiles, such as “language engineers” (Briva-Iglesias &

O’Brien, 2022) and “MT literacy consultants” (Ehrensberger-Dow et al., 2023).

As the industry evolves, this book provides a vital foundation for navigating

the challenges and opportunities presented by MT and current AI-powered

translation systems. As a final note, it is worth stressing that, although the title

Moorkens, J., Castilho, S., Gaspari, F., & Doherty, S. (Eds.). (2018).