SAKAMOTO,Akiko - Faculty of Foreign Language Studies Department of Foreign Language Studies

Faculty, Department/Institute

Faculty of Foreign Language Studies Department of Foreign Language Studies

Academic status (qualification)

Professor Apr. 1,2022

Undergraduate Degrees・University

Osaka University of Foreign Studies Faculty of Foreign LanguageGerman Studies 1991 Graduated

Graduate Degrees・University

Other Doctor's Degree Program Translation Studies 2014 Completed
Other Master's Degree Program MA Theory and Practice of Translation 2010 Completed

Homepage Address, E-mail Address

E-mail Address：akiko-s@kansai-u.ac.jp

Academic Associations

所属学会・団体名	役職名 (役職在任期間)
The Japan Association for Interpreting and Translation Studies (JAITS)

Joint Projects/Commissioned Projects

Impacts of technology use on translators' work-related quality of life
2022 - 2024 International Joint Research

Research Publications

No.	Type of publication	Date of publication (Date of presentation)	Title	Type of research result	Jointly authored or single authored	Publisher and journal name	Volume number
1	Lecture19	2022/10/20～2022,10,20,,,	How is technology shaping translators' work behaviour and motivation? A case of machine translation post-editing (MTPE)
2	Papers1	2022/6/17～2022,06,17,,,	Managing Clients’ Expectations for MTPE Services Through a Metalanguage of Translation Specifications: MPPQN Method	Monograph	International coauthorship	Metalanguages for Dissecting Translation Processes: Theoretical Development and Practical Applications	,,191-199
3	Chapter or Section5	2022/3/17～2022,03,17,,,	Translation and Technology	Monograph	Co-authored chapter	The Cambridge Handbook of Translation	,,55-74
4	Papers1	2021/1～2021,01,00,,,	The Value of Translation in the Era of Automation: An Examination of Threats	Monograph	Single-Author	When Translation Goes Digital	,,231-255
5	Lecture19	2020/10～2020/102020,10,00,2020,10,00	How machine translation is shaping translators’ work practices
6	Papers1	2020/8/17～2020,08,17,,,	Social groups in machine translation post-editing: a SCOT analysis	Academic Journal	International coauthorship	Translation Spaces	9,1,78-97
7	Survey report22	2020/6/5～2020,06,05,,,	The current situation of and challenges faced by MT use in Japan’s translation industry Akiko	Other	Co-authored chapter	AAMT Journal Machine Translation	72,,29-33
8	Survey report22	2019/11/12～2019,11,12,,,	Translation in the AI era	Other	Co-authored chapter	JTF Journal	304,,8-19
9	Survey report22	2019/11/1～2019,11,01,,,	The current state of technology use in the translation industry in Japan: Project Managers’ views - Focus Group Report	Other	Co-author	University of Portsmouth
10	Survey report22	2019/11/1～2019,11,01,,,	The current state of technology use in the translation industry in Japan: project managers’ views	Other	International coauthorship	University of Portsmouth
11	Papers1	2019/1/31～2019,01,31,,,	Why do many translators resist post-editing? A sociological analysis using Bourdieu’s concepts	Academic Journal	Single-Author
12	Papers1	2019/1/2～2019,01,02,,,	Unintended consequences of translation technologies: from project managers’ perspectives	Academic Journal	Single-Author	Perspectives: Studies in Translation Theory and Practice	27,1,58-73
13	Papers1	2018/12/20～2018,12,20,,,	Disruption in translator-client matching: paid crowdsourcing platforms vs human project managers	Academic Journal	Single-Author	Revista Tradumàtica: traducció tecnologies de la informació i la comunicació	16,,85-94
14	Chapter or Section5	2018/12/3～2018,12,03,,,	Introduction to the special dossier section “Translation and Disruption”	Academic Journal	International coauthorship	Tradumàtica: tecnologies de la traducció	16,,52-58
15	Edited book3	2018/12/3～2018,12,03,,,	Translation and Disruption	Academic Journal	Co-editor
16	Keynote address20	2017/7～2017/72017,07,00,2017,07,00	Non-universals' of translation? Exploring translator' discourses where East meets West

LectureHow is technology shaping translators' work behaviour and motivation? A case of machine translation post-editing (MTPE)Akiko Sakamoto2022/10/20～University of East Anglia (UEA)University of East Anglia (UEA, online)English

PapersManaging Clients’ Expectations for MTPE Services Through a Metalanguage of Translation Specifications: MPPQN MethodIn refereedMonographInternational coauthorshipAkiko Sakamoto;Masaru YamadaTranslation Studies;Translation Project Management;Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE)Metalanguages for Dissecting Translation Processes: Theoretical Development and Practical Applications,,191-1992022/6/17～English10.4324/9781003250852-17

Chapter or SectionTranslation and TechnologyUnrefereedMonographCo-authored chapterAkiko SakamotoThe Cambridge Handbook of Translation,,55-742022/3/17～10.1017/9781108616119.004

PapersThe Value of Translation in the Era of Automation: An Examination of ThreatsIn refereedMonographSingle-AuthorAkiko SakamotoWhen Translation Goes Digital,,231-2552021/1～10.1007/978-3-030-51761-8_10

LectureHow machine translation is shaping translators’ work practicesAkiko Sakamoto2020/10～2020/10Centre for Translation Studies (CenTraS), UCL, UKCentre for Translation Studies (CenTraS), UCL, UK (online)English

PapersSocial groups in machine translation post-editing: a SCOT analysisIn refereedAcademic JournalInternational coauthorshipAkiko Sakamoto;Masaru YamadaTranslation Spaces9,1,78-972020/8/17～10.1075/ts.00022.sakWe analysed focus group interview data collected from 22 project managers (PMs) working in Japan, covering their experiences of machine translation post-editing (MTPE). A Social Construction of Technology analysis of how PMs describe different social groups in translation enabled us to examine the meanings those groups attach to MTPE, the intricate and complex power structures which exist between them, and the negotiations that take place in their day-to-day operations. The examination discovered that MTPE is still in a fluid and controversial state due to the difficulty of meeting all groups’ interests, which may lead to MTPE’s disappearance as a business model and the eventual dominance of conventional human translation and raw MT. We conclude that establishing ethical and sustainable translation workflows for all social groups will be vital for MTPE’s survival, which will require careful consideration of the complexity of these social groups and negotiations between them.

Survey reportThe current situation of and challenges faced by MT use in Japan’s translation industry AkikoUnrefereedOtherCo-authored chapterAkiko SakamotoAAMT Journal Machine Translation72,,29-332020/6/5～

Survey reportTranslation in the AI eraUnrefereedOtherCo-authored chapterAkiko SakamotoJTF Journal304,,8-192019/11/12～

Survey reportThe current state of technology use in the translation industry in Japan: Project Managers’ views - Focus Group ReportUnrefereedOtherCo-authorAkiko Sakamoto;Masaru YamadaUniversity of Portsmouth2019/11/1～978 1 86137 674 9 British

Survey reportThe current state of technology use in the translation industry in Japan: project managers’ viewsUnrefereedOtherInternational coauthorshipAkiko Sakamoto;Masaru Yamada;Alison BurnicleUniversity of Portsmouth2019/11/1～978 1 86137 673 2 BritishTechnology is becoming increasingly pervasive and ubiquitous in our daily lives. While we enjoy the convenience it provides, we cannot ignore its potential negative impact. We asked translation project managers (PMs) working in Japan what challenges they are facing in their workplaces with regard to technology use and how they are dealing with them. Their answers encompassed all aspects of their day-to-day operations, including work tasks, career development, work conditions and human relationships. Circumstances concerning other actors involved in these operations, such as translators and clients, were also discussed. PMs were chosen as our study participants due to their intermediary position, which places them in continuous contact with both upstream and downstream players in the translation production process. The aim of the study is to provide useful information for the shaping of a successful and sustainable translation industry in Japan, and worldwide.

PapersWhy do many translators resist post-editing? A sociological analysis using Bourdieu’s conceptsIn refereedAcademic JournalSingle-AuthorAkiko Sakamoto2019/1/31～More and more language service providers (LSPs) are now using a post-edited machine translation (PEMT) production model in addition to, or instead of, the traditional Translation-Editing-Proofreading (TEP) model in order to cope with the growing demand for translation. As a result, translators are increasingly expected to work as post-editors in the PEMT process, but the resistance or reluctance of translators to this expectation is evident as they feel their professional skills and identities are sidelined by technology (Kelly 2014; Cadwell, O’Brien & Teixeira 2017). This article attempts to provide a theoretical description of the translators’ resistance to post-editing work using Bourdieu's concepts: capital, field and habitus. Bourdieu’s sociological framework allows us to examine the positions of translators and post-editors in the field of translation and its mechanism of emotional impacts. For this purpose, I draw on qualitative and quantitative data collected in a focus group study with 16 UK translation project managers, a survey of 155 company websites and two training manuals for post-editors. The study will provide industry stakeholders, as well as translation educators, useful conceptualisation tools to understand the current situation surrounding social agency of translators and post-editors.

PapersUnintended consequences of translation technologies: from project managers’ perspectivesIn refereedAcademic JournalSingle-AuthorAkiko SakamotoPerspectives: Studies in Translation Theory and Practice27,1,58-732019/1/2～10.1080/0907676X.2018.1473452Recent years have seen the advance of increasingly efficient translation and translation-related technologies such as neural machine translation and crowdsourcing-style translator procurement platforms. These AI, big-data and algorithm-driven online systems are hailed as successes in the media- and technology-vendor-led public discourse. However, in light of the notion of ‘solutionism’ (Morozov, 2013), there may be a risk that unintended adverse consequences of these technologies on users remain obscured. As a result, a correct assessment of the influence of technologies on human actors may become difficult. In order to identify such unintended consequences of translation technologies, the present article explores technology users’ perceptions about how the technology is affecting their business practice. The discussion draws on data collected in a focus group study with 16 translation project managers. The study reveals that project managers are feeling a high level of uncertainty and unease about the effects of technology when they talk about business practices, particularly in the following areas: translators’ use of MT, pricing for post-editing, post-editors’ profiles and skills and technology-induced new power struggles in the industry.

PapersDisruption in translator-client matching: paid crowdsourcing platforms vs human project managersIn refereedAcademic JournalSingle-AuthorAkiko SakamotoRevista Tradumàtica: traducció tecnologies de la informació i la comunicació16,,85-942018/12/20～10.5565/rev/tradumatica.218The paid crowdsourcing business model has brought a disruptive change to the translator procurement environment, offering clients algorithm-based automated systems as an alternative to conventional human-mediated project management services. This article analyses the conceptual/epistemological differences between the two from the viewpoint of knowledge management and considers the implications for future development of the industry.

Chapter or SectionIntroduction to the special dossier section “Translation and Disruption”UnrefereedAcademic JournalInternational coauthorshipAkiko Sakamoto;Jonathan Evans;Olga Torres HostenchTradumàtica: tecnologies de la traducció16,,52-582018/12/3～10.5565/rev/tradumatica.223

Edited bookTranslation and DisruptionIn refereedAcademic JournalCo-editorAkiko Sakamoto;Jonathan Evans;Olga Torres Hostench2018/12/3～

Papers2018/3/5～

Papers2017/12/4～10.1075/ts.6.2.08sak

Papers2017/10/20～

Papers2017/9/11～10.7202/1041024ar

Papers2017/7/3～10.1080/1750399X.2017.1339980

Keynote addressNon-universals' of translation? Exploring translator' discourses where East meets WestAkiko Sakamoto2017/7～2017/7Lancaster University Conference: Translating Practices: Languages and Translation in Higher Education from a Cross-cultural PerspectiveLancaster University, UKEnglish

Papers2015/9/30～

Papers2015/8～

Papers2015～

Papers2013/4/14～

Papers2013～

Papers2011～

Community Activities

Editorial Board Member, Cambridge Elements for Translation and Interpreting, Cambridge University Press
Peer-reviewer, Routledge, Cambridge University Press
Peer-reviewer: Translation Spaces, The Journal of Internationalization and Localization, The Journal of Specialised Translation, The Translator, Translation Spaces, Perspectives: Studies in Translation Theory and Practice, Translation Studies, Target: International Journal of Translation Studies, Perspectives: Studies in Translation Theory and Practice, Revue Hybrid, Cultus: The Journal of Intercultural Mediation and Communication, Altre Modernità
CPD trainer, Institute of Translation and Interpreting, UK 2020～2022
Japanese Network, translation competition, judge 2020～2021

Participation in International Conferences

EAJS 2021: 16th International Conference of the European Association for Japanese Studies Aug.2021-Aug. 2021
STS (Science and Technology Studies) Conference, University of Graz May2021-May 2021
MT Summit 2019, Dublin City University, Ireland Aug.2019-Aug. 2021
APTIS (Association of Programmes in Translation and Interpreting Studies, UK and Ireland) Annual Conference, Aston University, UK Nov.2018-Nov. 2018
5th Cardiff Symposium of Applied Linguistics and Japanese Language Pedagogy, Cardiff University, UK Sep.2018-Sep. 2018

Foreign Languages

Foreign language presenting research result at international conference:英語
Foreign language preparing written thesis for presentation at international conference:英語

Courses Taught

English IIIa
English IIIb
Introduction to Interpreting and Translation Studies
Topics in Cultural Translation
Preparation for Graduation Project
Graduation Project 1
Graduation Project 2
Interpreting and Translation Pedagogy 2
Special Topics in Interpreting and Translation (1)
Supervised M.A. Research
Supervised M.A. Research
Supervised M.A. Research

SAKAMOTO, Akiko