From Corpus-based translation studies to AI: why researchers’ agency still matters

Title: From Corpus-based translation studies to AI: why researchers’ agency still matters

Presenter: Dr Vincent X. Wang

Abstract:

Corpora have served as essential resources for translation scholars, linguistics, lexicographers and language teaching professionals for decades. The recent emergence of Large Language Model (LLM)-powered AI has transformed this landscape, prompting a reevaluation of the role of conventional corpus tools. In this talk, we identify areas in which corpora continue to offer unique value while also showcasing the remarkable contributions AI brings to translation studies. At this critical juncture, we argue that translation researchers maintain a crucial role by exercising their agency to effectively utilise both corpora and AI as complementary resources in the evolving discipline of translation studies.

Bio:

Vincent X. Wang, associate professor of the University of Macau, PhD supervisor and former coordinator of the MA in TS program, received his MA and PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Queensland. His research interests are in interlanguage pragmatics, corpus-based language studies, discourse and pragmatics in translation, and AI reasoning and applications. He published journal articles in Humanities & Social Sciences Communications, Sage Open, Target, Journal of Language, Literature and Culture, Healthcare, edited books with Routledge, and a monograph titled Making Requests by Chinese EFL Learners with John Benjamins.