Tag: artificial-intelligence
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Spotting Ethical-Washing in the Translation Industry: Lessons from Greenwashing
By Fardous Bahbouh, Researcher & Consultant on Labour Rights, Public Policy, and the Political Economy of the Translation Industry Greenwashing is a well-established concept in environmental and corporate debates. It describes situations in which companies market themselves as ethically or environmentally responsible while their actual practices fall short. Classic examples include Volkswagen’s “clean diesel” scandal…
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Good Translation Jobs Require Good Translation Companies: Why This Simple Logic Is Often Obscured — and Why Universities Must Remain Independent
By Fardous Bahbouh, Researcher & Consultant on Labour Rights, Public Policy, and the Political Economy of the Translation Industry Seriously, what comes to your mind when you hear the phrase “Better Together”? No, not the love song by Jack Johnson.Not the campaign for keeping Scotland in the UK.Not the UK’s debates to stay in the…
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We Need a Fair Translation Industry — Not Complicit Collaboration nor “Adaptability” to Exploitation
By Fardous Bahbouh, Researcher & Consultant on Labour Rights, Public Policy, and the Political Economy of the Translation Industry The translation and interpreting industry, and some academics, keep talking about adaptability, flexibility, and collaboration. But these buzzwords often mask a deeper problem: exploitation. What we need is fairness, not compliance to algorithms or precarious systems.…
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Confronting Critical Blind Spots in Sustainability Discourse in Translation Studies: Advancing Ethical Labour Practices and Critiquing Profit-Driven Models
By Fardous Bahbouh, Researcher & Consultant on Labour Rights, Public Policy, and the Political Economy of the Translation Industry Introduction: Sustainability has become a widely endorsed and positively charged concept across translation industry studies, professional discourse, and policy debates. Yet closer examination reveals a paradox: while sustainability is frequently invoked, it is often operationalised through…
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Ethical Tensions and Power Asymmetries in Industry–Academic Collaboration: A Reflexive Account
By Fardous Bahbouh, Researcher & Consultant on Labour Rights, Public Policy, and the Political Economy of the Translation Industry Industry–academic collaboration is often framed as mutually beneficial, offering impact, stakeholder engagement, and practical relevance. Yet such collaborations are rarely neutral exchanges of expertise. Drawing on my experience as a publicly funded doctoral researcher, awarded by…
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On the Ethical Risks of Translation Academics “Collaborating” with the Industry Without Adequate Critical Engagement and Objective Analysis
By Fardous Bahbouh, Researcher & Consultant on Labour Rights, Public Policy, and the Political Economy of the Translation Industry This critique reflects the author’s independent analysis and should not be understood as representing any institutional position. It is not connected to, commissioned by, or endorsed by the University at which the author is currently completing…
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Talent Pipelines or Precarity Pipelines? Setting the Narrative Straight on the UK Language Industry
By Fardous Bahbouh, Researcher & Consultant on Labour Rights, Public Policy, and the Political Economy of the Translation Industry Like many, I was saddened to read about the closure of the Modern Languages department at Cardiff University. This represents a lost opportunity for global understanding, cross-cultural communication, economic development, and the continuous progress of humanity.…
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Professionalism vs Indentured Labour
By Fardous Bahbouh, Researcher & Consultant on Labour Rights, Public Policy, and the Political Economy of the Translation Industry I just had a difficult conversation with the gentleman who cleans our windows. He was quite unreasonable, but I managed to stay firm and calm. Usually, he cleans windows for several buildings on our street in…
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4 Ethical Reasons Why the UK Should Not ‘Import’ Court Interpreters from Abroad
By Fardous Bahbouh, Researcher & Consultant on Labour Rights, Public Policy, and the Political Economy of the Translation Industry In a recent session of the House of Lords inquiry into court interpreting, the Association of Translation Companies (ATC) lamented their inability to “import” interpreters from abroad when local professionals refused to accept shockingly low pay…
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