TRANSLATION IN LITERATURE IN THE PAST AND THE PRESENT: AN EAGLE-EYE VIEW OF THE FUTURE OF TRANSLATION IN THE ERA OF AI

Translation has always been the heartbeat of literary and cultural exchange. It carries the voices of poets, philosophers, and novelists across linguistic borders, preserving the essence of human creativity through time. From the early renderings of sacred texts and epics to modern global publishing, translation has functioned as both bridge and mirror—transferring meaning while reflecting cultural nuance. In the twenty-first century, however, a new player has entered the field: artificial intelligence (AI). Machine translation (MT) and large language models (LLMs) have begun to reshape the translation landscape, raising questions about creativity, authenticity, and human agency. This paper surveys the evolution of translation in literature, comparing past and present practices, and explores the prospects of AI-assisted translation in the future. It evaluates the challenges and opportunities emerging from this human-machine collaboration and reflects on how translators might retain their artistic and ethical centrality.