Presented by Renée Desjardins, PhD, Associate Professor at the Université de Saint-Boniface’s School of Translation and Adjunct Professor at McGill University’s School of Continuing Studies (pronouns she/her)

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Webinar Description:

Technology has generally been the translator’s ally, but artificial intelligence (AI) is arguably disrupting this perception. Unlike other iterations of machine translation, AI raises fundamentally different ethical, environmental and professional considerations.

The implementation of AI by federal decision-makers has had different ripple effects on Canada’s various linguistic communities. In some cases, AI can hinder equitable access to resources and services for minority-language speakers. Using examples from recent crises, including the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2025 wildfire crisis in Manitoba, Renée Desjardins will show why AI stands to fail in unpredictable, high-stakes contexts, and why human intervention will continue to be necessary in a country facing a radically different world order, an evolving demolinguistic profile, and a volatile marketplace.

Dr. Desjardins argues that language professionals will play a vital role in meeting the communicative and intercultural challenges of the current moment. She does not seek to vilify technology, nor to uncritically hype it. Rather, she will share evidence-based arguments for why human expertise continues to matter, and why it’s crucial to push back on technological determinism.

This presentation will appeal to a wide-ranging audience, from language professionals and policymakers to anyone with an interest in equitable language practices.

Presenter Bio:

Renée Desjardins is an associate professor at the School of Translation (École de traduction) at the Université de Saint-Boniface, in Winnipeg (Treaty 1), Manitoba. She is also an adjunct professor at the School of Continuing Studies at McGill University, where she has recently taught a course on emergent language practices and current digital trends (CMDC622 Current Trends in Multilingual Digital Communication). Her nationally and institutionally funded research work examines translation and the social internet as well as translation and multilingual digital communication in Manitoba. She is also a member of the Laboratoire d’intégration du numérique en enseignement de la traduction (LINET).

Colliding Crises and Translation: Lessons from Manitoba

Colliding Crises and Translation: Lessons from Manitoba

Event Info

Hosted By:

ATIM

ATIM

Colliding Crises and Translation: Lessons from Manitoba

Colliding Crises and Translation: Lessons from Manitoba

Event Info

Hosted By:

ATIM

ATIM