Abstract
Although numerous studies exist globally in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), limited research has been done with regard to the use or non-use of translation technology by language practitioners in South Africa. Thus, in line with this ongoing discourse, this study investigated the current role and use of language technologies by the language practitioner in the financial service industry in South Africa. Additionally, the study also aimed to determine how institutions of higher education are preparing language practitioners for their roles in a workplace such as a financial services provider (FSP). A qualitative research method was used for this study. The sample comprised FSP participants for Phase One and higher education institution (HEI) participants for Phase Two of the study. Data was collected through interviews with all participants. Information emanating from the data was analysed qualitatively using thematic analysis, generating codes and identifying patterns that emerged from the data. The findings suggest that currently language practitioners in FSPs are mostly tasked with text editing and plain language revision, with increasingly less need for them to engage in translation. This shift correlates with the use or non-use of translation technologies such as computer-assisted tools (CAT) and machine translation (MT) within these companies. Based on these findings, recommendations for HEIs on how to better prepare language practitioners – who might find themselves working in FSPs – were presented.