Alnuri Mohammed Fadhel
Department of Arabic, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Naji Alyami
Department of English, College of Languages and Translation, Najran University, Najran 66271, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Zakaryia Almahasees
Department of English Language and Translation, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Applied Science Private University, Amman 00962, Jordan
This research examines the inclusion of AI ethics and sociolinguistic consciousness in Saudi Arabian and Jordanian translation programs at the university level. As the use of AI technology in translation activities increases, the necessity for the inclusion of ethical considerations and sociocultural knowledge in academic programs is of critical concern. A mixed-method model of data collection and analysis using quantitative data from structured questionnaires and qualitative data from semi-structured interviews and open-ended feedback from faculty members, curriculum designers, and professional translators has been utilized. The outcome of the research indicates a wide gap for inclusion of AI-related considerations and sociolinguistic skills in the existing translation programs. Although the participants showed broad agreement with the relevance and necessity of AI-related considerations and sociolinguistic skills, they also noted multiple barriers to implementation, including the lack of instructors' knowledge in the area, the unavailability of updated training resources, and resistance from institutions to make changes to the curriculum. The strongest approaches for bridging the gaps indicated through the study include the provision of exclusive courses in AI ethics for the translation program, fostering interdisciplinary integration with the departments of computer science and ethics, and training teachers professionally. The study advocates for a full-scale revision of the translation curricula to equip students with the knowledge for linguistic capabilities as well as the cultural and moral competencies to tackle the changing environment of AI-based translation. The study provides timely and immediate recommendations for the strengthening of the curricula for the training of translators against the backdrop of rapid technological advances.
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Copyright © 2025 Alnuri Mohammed Fadhel, Naji Alyami, Zakaryia Almahasees
This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.
