Conference summary

Automated translation services such as Google Translate have become widely available at no cost. Due to their ease of access and improving quality, they have become a tool that enables access to expression of ideas that may otherwise remain closed to readers who are not conversant in the language they are written in. Given the technology’s capacity, to some it may be a shortcut to circumvent language acquisition, while to others it may be a facilitator to learning.

For universities, in particular with growing internationalisation, one important question is what role translation technology may play in Higher Education, for instance in research activities or in the production of assessed work. Equally, for secondary education it could play a role in the interaction between pupils whose first language is not English and teachers or in the engagement of students with the learning materials.