A Phenomenological Study of AI Anxiety Among Professional Translators: Sources and Solutions

Abstract

The growing integration of technology, especially generative AI into translation has often been met with skepticism rather than seen as a positive development. This has resulted in AI-related anxiety in translators. As a non-clinical and multifaceted concept, AI anxiety refers to the concerns, unease and feelings of vulnerability and uncertainty that individuals (e.g., translators) may experience in response to the impact of AI on their personal and professional lives (Kim et al., 2025). Despite its growing relevance, AI anxiety remains an underexplored concept in translation studies. Therefore, this exploratory case study examines AI-induced anxiety through an investigation of the lived experiences of a select group of translators, focusing on its sources and potential solutions. Five professional translators with 5–15 years of experience and from diverse specializations were invited to take part in written semi-structured interviews. The analysis identified several sources of AI-related anxiety among translators, including fears of job loss and reduced professional relevance, the devaluation of translators’ expertise, the dominance of post-editing, the loss of creative satisfaction and the constant pressure to keep up with evolving technologies. These anxieties were, however, more or less mitigated through strategies like developing skills and confidence through regular use of AI tools, viewing AI as a supportive rather than replacing technology, focusing on creative and culturally nuanced translation tasks where human expertise is essential and exploring new AI-related opportunities.