Would auto-translation of metadata enhance discovery and impact of research data?

It’s widely accepted that good quality metadata is a significant factor in discovery and reuse of digital objects. Because of the way data standards and infrastructure has evolved, much of the metadata currently in circulation is either in English and/or based upon standards formulated in English. This reduces discovery, impact (and potentially reuse) in areas of the world where English is not widely spoken. The converse is also true when it comes to the impact of non-English digital objects and metadata on the English-speaking world. There are many auto-translation tools available that lend themselves fairly well to the translation of words and short passages of text… such as keywords/phrases and abstracts. This presentation explores the potential (and difficulties associated with) the incorporation of such tools in deposit and preservation workflows.