Chapter 11. Where is it all going? Technology, economic pressures and the future of interpreting

Abstract

Not since the advent of simultaneous interpreting last century has interpreting faced such seismic technological shifts. From the growth of remote interpreting to the seemingly miraculous development of automated speech translation, high-quality human interpreters seem to be threatened with being further separated from the people they serve or even being rendered entirely redundant. Yet those are not the only futures on offer and, with the US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicting a 20% growth in demand for human interpreting between 2019 and 2029, the outlook for human interpreters is much rosier than expected. This chapter therefore combines recent market research on the need for interpreters and the economic factors that determine their availability with a more realistic appraisal of the capabilities of automated speech translation and new understandings of how organisations can get the best results from interpreting. Taken together, these three strands of research point to a real possibility for synergy between human interpreting and automated speech translation, as well as a more coherent integration of technological and human expertise throughout the process of commissioning, delivering, and evaluating excellent interpreting that enables truly equitable language access. Yet the road to such synergy will involve humility and sacrifice on all sides. It will involve a focus on real client needs over pyrrhic public relations triumphs, a commitment to partnership over replacement and an unprecedented openness with data. The alternative to such co-operation is frustration on all sides, not least from those who rely on interpreting to achieve their goals.