Optimism, Anxiety, and Ethics: Translation Students’ Attitudes and Stances on AI-Assisted Workflows and Professional Identity

The advancement of AI in translation has generated enthusiasm and worry among students. This study investigates translation students’ attitudes and ethical perspectives on AI-assisted workflows and how these attitudes and perspectives influence their professional identity. Through qualitative interviews, it examines levels of excitement, concern, and ambivalence towards AI tools, ethical worries about job displacement, loss of human creativity, accountability for AI errors, and self-conception as future translators. Findings reveal emotional responses: 60% of participants expressed optimism about AI’s efficiency and creative potential; 50% reported anxiety over deskilling and job loss; and 40% felt ambivalent about balancing technology with human agency. Ethically, 70% worried about job displacement, 55% about creativity loss, and 45% about responsibility for AI errors. These issues reshape professional identity: 65% see their roles evolving into roles as AI trainers or post-editors, while 60% emphasize the importance of preserving human-centric skills, such as cultural mediation. This study sheds light on how translation students navigate ethical and emotional challenges in an AI-driven industry.