The profession of literary translator in the age of artificial intelligence

New negotiations between the sense of purpose and the systemic vulnarability

Bibliographic Data

ID8132372
AuthorsJitka Zehnalová (0000-0002-5453-1398, Palacký University Olomouc, corresponding author), Helena Kubátová (0000-0002-6928-8490, Palacký University Olomouc)
Year2026
Pages1-19
Publication date2026-03-11
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Cultural Policy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1028-6632 • E-ISSN: 1477-2833
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10286632.2026.2642325
OpenAlexW7134953243
LanguageEN
References cited28

The article examines the evolving landscape of literary translation in an era in which artificial intelligence has been developing rapidly. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with literary translators from English into Czech, we demonstrate how their professional identity is reshaped by the tension between three interconnected dimensions: the pursuit of the sense of purpose and recognition, the systemic vulnerability of the profession, and everyday negotiations. We introduce the concept of negotiation between the sense of purpose and the system of cultural work and develop an analytical sense-system-negotiation model to examine how GTs amplify the already-existing pressures on literary translation. Considering it a model example of cultural work, we seek to contribute to a broader debate on how creative workers negotiate the value, identity, and future of their professions in the context of the ever-widening application of GTs.

Field (mathematics · Narrative · Negotiation · Digital Humanities and Scholarship · Digital Media and Philosophy · Translation Studies and Practices

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