Editorial

David Orrego-Carmona, University of Warwick and University of the Free State

We are delighted to publish this special issue of JoSTrans, which embodies changes and sustainability on multiple fronts.

The theme of the issue Translation Automation and Sustainability takes centre stage in a position paper by the guest editors, Joss Moorkens, Sheila Castilho, Federico Gaspari, Antonio Toral and Maja Popović. This paper defines the nature and impact of automation, emphasising the urgent need to develop sustainable approaches, not only in translation and interpreting but in society at large. In an enlightening video accompanying this issue, the guest editors delve into these discussions and provide timely insights into the broader context of automation and generative AI implementation.

Before introducing the articles, I would like to share some news about sustainability at JoSTrans. As evident from our refreshed appearance, JoSTrans will now be published on the Shared Open Access Publishing Platform (https://www.soap2.ch) as part of the SOAP2 project, with the support of the ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences. This change enhances our journal management efficiency, updates our aesthetic, and ensures alignment with advancements in publishing technology. We welcome onboard ZHAW representatives: Caroline Lehr in the capacity of deputy editor, Andrea Hunziker Heeb in the capacity of German language editor and Romina Schaub-Torsello in charge of technical design and implementation.

The research articles in this issue offer a comprehensive exploration of the intersection between translation and technologies. Post-editing is highly prevalent, ranging from the refinement of the post-editing decision-making model (Nitzke et al.), to the revision of post-editing guidelines (Rico Pérez) and the correlation between source-text readability and post-editing effort (Dai and Liu). Post-editing’s impact on creativity when used by master’s students (Guerberof-Arenas, Valdez and Dorst) and on reception when used for subtitling (Guerberof-Arenas, Moorkens and Orrego-Carmona) is also explored. The issue also covers the advancement in speech recognition for subtitling in Basque (Tamayo and Ros Abaurrea) and explores the use and perceptions of MT among the Basque-speaking community (Aranberri and Iñurrieta). Connections to the profession are evident in the exploration of the benefits of MT fine-tuning (Doğru and Moorkens) and a revision of the Multidimensional Quality Metric (MQM) evaluation framework (Silva et al.).

Finally, the issue features five book reviews covering the topics of translation and technology, subtitling of offensive language, institutional translation training and translation and politics.

As we actively engage in discussions about automation, sustainability, and AI, we trust that this collection of articles will be both engaging and inspiring for you.