A triple bottom line for translation technology

In light of predictions of job displacement in translation (and beyond) due to generative AI, and the urgency of sustainability in a world on course for temperature rises above three degrees, some colleagues and I proposed an adaptation of Elkington’s (1997) triple-bottom line from business ethics to be utilised for technology evaluation. This talk introduces our proposal, some related previous research, and what it might mean to evaluate while giving equal weight to people, planet, and performance, along with some criticism that points towards what we might do better for similar proposals.

Biography

Joss Moorkens is an Associate Professor at the School of Applied Language and Intercultural Studies in Dublin City University (DCU), Science Lead at the ADAPT Centre, a member of DCU’s Institute of Ethics and Centre for Translation and Textual Studies, and board of the European Masters in Translation Network. He has published over 60 articles, chapters and papers on the topics of translation technology interaction and evaluation, translator precarity, and translation ethics. He is the General co-editor of the journal Translation Spaces, co-editor of several books and journal special issues, and coauthor of the textbooks Translation Tools and Technologies (Routledge 2023) and Automating Translation (Routledge 2025).