Interpreting and New Technologies

With the advent of big data, AIGC, and other information technologies, technology plays a very important role in interpreting. This chapter summarizes the evolution of interpreting technology in four distinct phases: the preparatory phase (late nineteenth century–1920s), the embryonic phase (1920s–1950s), the growing phase (1950s–2010), and the explosive phase (2010–present). The authors examine the practical technologies utilized by interpreters, including computer applications, information retrieval, terminology management, Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools, interpreting devices, corpora, interpreting corpora, and other related technologies, and explore their applications. They also demonstrate how social development and technological changes have propelled interpreting technology toward future development trends, including customization, intelligence, ubiquity, platformization, and standardization of interpreting solutions. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of interpreting technology for learners, educators, and interpreters, serving as a reference for the application of technology in their respective fields.