Exploring the Intersection of Applied Linguistics, Digital Translation, and Global Communication in Multilingual and Multicultural Contexts
Keywords:
Applied Linguistics, Cultural Relevance, Digital Technology, Machine Translation, Multilingual CommunicationAbstract
This study examines the integration of applied linguistics and digital technology in the context of multilingual communication. With the rise of machine translation technologies, the research focuses on understanding how applied linguistic theories can enhance digital communication tools, particularly in addressing the challenges of cross-cultural communication. The study aims to explore the positive effects of integrating applied linguistics with digital technologies and assess the improvements in translation accuracy and cultural relevance in global exchanges. Using a systematic review and case study approach, the research investigates current machine translation systems and their ability to bridge linguistic and cultural gaps. The findings show that while digital translation tools have improved communication across languages, challenges remain in low-resource languages and the accurate translation of culturally nuanced expressions. The study suggests the importance of developing inclusive language policies and multilingual-friendly digital tools to ensure equitable communication. In conclusion, the integration of applied linguistics with digital technologies significantly enhances multilingual communication, but continued research and development are necessary to overcome existing limitations, particularly in addressing low-resource languages and cultural sensitivity in translations.
References
A. Allaithy, "Translation Studies in a Rapidly Changing World," Dragoman, vol. 18, pp. iii-vii, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.63132/ati.2025.forewo.00116590.
A. Allaithy, "Translation Studies in a Rapidly Changing World," Dragoman, vol. 18, pp. iii-vii, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.63132/ati.2025.forewo.00116590.
A. Al-Tarawneh, "Navigating Global Leadership: The Role of Translation Studies in Cross-Cultural Management," in Studies in Systems, Decision and Control, vol. 226, pp. 939-950, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-73545-5_83.
A. Bocanegra-Valle, Applied Linguistics and Knowledge Transfer: Employability, Internationalisation and Social Challenges, Peter Lang, 2020, pp. 1-323. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.3726/b16992.
A. Bocanegra-Valle, Applied Linguistics and Knowledge Transfer: Employability, Internationalisation and Social Challenges, Peter Lang, 2020, pp. 1-323. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.3726/b16992.
A. Siddiqui, S. Sartaj, and A. K. Keerio, "Understanding the Critical Role of Applied Linguistics with Other Disciplines of the 21st Century," Theory and Practice in Language Studies, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 620-624, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0906.03.
C. Schäffner, "Language, Interpreting, and Translation in the News Media," in The Routledge Handbook of Translation Studies and Linguistics, 2017, pp. 327-341. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315692845.
C. Tagg, "Digital Language and Communication," in The Routledge Handbook of Applied Linguistics: Volume Two, 2nd ed., 2023, pp. 68-80. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003082637_7.
D. Folaron, "Of Places, Spaces, and Faces: Asymmetrical Power Flows in Contemporary Economies of Translation and Technologies," in Benjamins Translation Library, vol. 157, 2021, pp. 169-196. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.157.08fol.
E. Bielsa, "Globalisation and Translation: A Theoretical Approach," Language and Intercultural Communication, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 131-144, 2005. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1080/14708470508668889.
F. Saina, "Technology-Augmented Multilingual Communication Models: New Interaction Paradigms, Shifts in the Language Services Industry, and Implications for Training Programs," 1st Workshop on Automatic Spoken Language Translation in Real-World Settings, ASLTRW 2021, pp. 49-59, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/7556009.
H.-G. Wolf, "Language and culture in intercultural communication," in The Routledge Handbook of Language and Culture, 2014, pp. 445-459. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315793993-42.
L. Bedeker and I. Feinauer, "The Translator as Cultural Mediator," Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 133-141, 2006. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.2989/16073610609486412.
L. Hamaidia, S. Methven, and J. Woodin, "Translation spaces: Parallel shifts in translation and intercultural communication studies and their significance for the international development field," Translation Spaces, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 119-142, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1075/ts.00007.ham.
L. I. Omar and A. A. Salih, "Enhancing Translation Students' Intercultural Competence: Affordances of Online Transnational Collaboration," World Journal of English Language, vol. 13, no. 8, pp. 626-637, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v13n8p626.
L. Wei, Z. Hua, and J. Simpson, "Introduction," in The Routledge Handbook of Applied Linguistics, 2023, pp. 1-4. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003082644-1.
L. Wei, Z. Hua, and J. Simpson, "Introduction," in The Routledge Handbook of Applied Linguistics, 2023, pp. 1-4. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003082644-1.
M. Alkhatnai, "The Role of Artificial Intelligence Tools in Mediating Sino-Arab Cultural Exchanges through Intercultural Translation," Babel, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.25101.alk.
M. Baker and L. Pérez-González, "Translation and Interpreting," in The Routledge Handbook of Applied Linguistics, 2011, pp. 39-52. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203835654.
M. Belda-Torrijos and L. Palfreeman, "Acquisition of second languages: Spanish as a foreign language," Onomazein, vol. 67, pp. 153-186, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.7764/onomazein.67.08.
M. Pikhart and B. Klímová, "Managerial Computer Communication: Implementation of Applied Linguistics Approaches in Managing Electronic Communication," in Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol. 1158, pp. 153-160, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4409-5_14.
P. A. Duff, "Transnationalism, multilingualism, and identity," Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, vol. 35, pp. 57-80, 2015. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1017/S026719051400018X.
P. Lacour, A. Bénel, F. Eyraud, A. Freitas, and D. Zambon, "Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Collaboration, and Translation: Towards New Digital Laboratories of Cultural Translocalization," Meta, vol. 55, no. 4, pp. 674-692, 2010. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.7202/045685ar.
P. R. Velmurugan, S. Catherine, R. Vettriselvan, E. P. John, and D. Rajesh, "Innovative intercultural communication training in translator education: Cultivating cultural competence," in Cutting-Edge Approaches in Translator Education and Pedagogy, pp. 217-244, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-6463-5.ch008.
R. Shadiev, A. Sun, and Y.-M. Huang, "A Study of the Facilitation of Cross-Cultural Understanding and Intercultural Sensitivity Using Speech-Enabled Language Translation Technology," British Journal of Educational Technology, vol. 50, no. 3, pp. 1415-1433, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12648.
S. Doherty, "The impact of translation technologies on the process and product of translation," International Journal of Communication, vol. 10, pp. 947-969, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/7556009.
S. Waisbord, "Communication studies without frontiers? Translation and cosmopolitanism across academic cultures," International Journal of Communication, vol. 10, pp. 868-886, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1007/S026719051400018X.
V. Kučiš, "Translation tools as contributors to translation quality," Informatologia, vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 19-33, 2010. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-73545-5_83.
Y. Holovatska, T. Tsepeniuk, T. Protsyshyn, I. Senkiv, and M. Zabolotna, "Adapting Translator Education to Technological Advances: A Study on Localization-focused Training," Dragoman, vol. 2025, no. 18 (Special-Issue), pp. 362-381. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.63132/ati.2025.adapti.88073245.
Y. Xin, "A Systematic Study on the Application of Information Technology in Teaching Japanese Translation Courses," Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing, 2022, art. no. 7556009. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/7556009.
