Société, technologie et traduction : perspectives et impacts

Abstract

The 2008 financial crisis has prompted specialists to speak about the end of globalisation and the beginning of globality, very much as WWII is said to have catapulted the world from modernisation into modernity. On the economic front, it is resulting in a relative recalibration and even levelling of forces as no single country can boast to be the dominant power anymore. International trade has reached historic levels. As all countries in the world require that companies exporting goods and services to them do so in their national language(s), trade can be carried out only in the language(s) of the target countries. Hence a sharp rise in translation demand. On the social front, we are also seeing some equalisation between cultures and languages. A good example is the first BRIC Summit (Brazil, Russia, India, China) held in 2009, where discussions and deliberations took place through translation and interpretation. In the globalised world, multiculturalism and multilingualism are ever more prevalent. Here again, translation plays a pivotal role: making communications in this multicultural and multilingual world possible. Society's expectations about translation have never been so high. However, major professional and ethical challenges have arisen, especially in view of innovations in the field of information and communication technologies.