Role of Machine Translation in Promoting the Tourism Sector in Support of Saudi Vision 2030

Abstract

The current demand for translation is growing so rapidly that human translators are insufficient for such demand. Thus, the adoption of machine translation (MT) can be a valuable tool to assist translators in various contexts, particularly in the tourism sector. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of MT in promoting the Saudi tourism sector in support of Saudi Vision 2030. To accomplish this, the study seeks to identify the challenges tourists experience when utilizing MT. The study employs a questionnaire distributed to 267 male and female undergraduates in their third or fourth year of study in the Bachelor of English and Translation program at Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. The findings revealed that students hold a positive perception of MT’s capability to address tourists’ needs and, specifically, view MT as a valuable tool for enhancing knowledge and information accessibility in tourism. Moreover, the results indicated that students believe that tourists benefit financially from the use of MT. In addition to these advantages, however, the study also showed that linguistic and technical challenges impede the effective use of MT in tourism contexts. The study findings emphasize the importance of considering user demographics when developing MT. Incorporating cultural references into MT and ensuring that its applications are accessible and user-friendly for all age groups will improve tourists’ user experiences with MT. The findings demonstrate the need to continue expanding real-time MT capabilities to enhance communications in tourism contexts.