Quebec Translators in the Age of AI: Perceptions on the Evolution and Sustainability of the Translation Profession

Lynne Bowker, Monyka L. Rodrigues


Abstract
AI-based technologies have disrupted the translation profession. While surveys such as the annual European Language Industry Survey have provided regular reports on the situation in Europe, less is known about the effects of AI-based translation tools on professional translators working elsewhere. This study reports on a survey that was conducted with support from the professional translators association of Quebec in Canada (Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec). One hundred and seventy-five completed surveys, along with additional partial responses, were analyzed. This article reports on questions relating to two broad categories: general perceptions about AI’s influence on the translation profession, and the evolution and sustainability of the profession. Where relevant, the results of this survey are compared to those from other parts of the world. Findings show that while Quebec translators face many issues that are similar to those faced by translators in regions such as the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Europe more generally, there are subtle differences also, such as the tendency of many Quebec translators to work as generalists, the comparatively low number of Quebec translators working in the Entertainment, Arts and Culture domains (which are showing signs of growth elsewhere), and the large number who seem hesitant to supervise interns moving forward.
Anthology ID:
2026.eamt-1.54
Volume:
Proceedings of the 26th Annual Conference of the European Association for Machine Translation (Volume 1)
Month:
June
Year:
2026
Address:
Tilburg, The Netherlands
Editors:
Dimitar Shterionov, Eva Vanmassenhove, Mirella De Sisto, Fred Blain, Javad Pourmostafa Roshan Sharami, Lisa Lepp, Chiara Manna, Argentina Anna Rescigno, Alina Karakanta, Ayla Rigouts Terryn, Manuel Lardelli, Natalia Resende, Elena Murgolo, Janiça Hackenbuchner, Anna Zaretskaya, Miquel Esplà-Gomis, Thierry Etchegoyhen, Dagmar Gromann, Rachel Bawden, Barry Haddow, Sara Szoc, Mikel Forcada, Helena Moniz
Venue:
EAMT
SIG:
Publisher:
European Association for Machine Translation
Note:
Pages:
839–853
Language:
URL:
https://aclanthology.org/2026.eamt-1.54/
DOI:
Bibkey:
Cite (ACL):
Lynne Bowker and Monyka L. Rodrigues. 2026. Quebec Translators in the Age of AI: Perceptions on the Evolution and Sustainability of the Translation Profession. In Proceedings of the 26th Annual Conference of the European Association for Machine Translation (Volume 1), pages 839–853, Tilburg, The Netherlands. European Association for Machine Translation.
Cite (Informal):
Quebec Translators in the Age of AI: Perceptions on the Evolution and Sustainability of the Translation Profession (Bowker & Rodrigues, EAMT 2026)
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PDF:
https://aclanthology.org/2026.eamt-1.54.pdf