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Paper short abstract

This paper examines AI and IT content in European Japanese Studies curricula and analyzes attitudes toward AI, MT, and CAI among Polish students and alumni. Focusing on Japanese translation and interpreting, as affected industries, it highlights concerns over AI’s role in academic curricula.

Paper long abstract

The growing prominence of information technologies (IT), accelerated by the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence (AI) based on large language models (LLMs), is reshaping higher education worldwide. Universities are increasingly challenged to navigate this shifting landscape and to adapt curricula in response to technological change and its potential impact on graduate employability. This paper examines the presence of IT- and AI-related content in Japanese Studies university curricula in Europe and explores attitudes toward AI and the use of digital tools among students and alumni of Japanese Studies programs in Poland, with particular attention to translation and interpreting (TI).

The TI industry has been highly affected by the development of generative AI. Tools based on AI are increasingly used both as support for translators and interpreters—such as computer-assisted interpreting (CAI) and machine translation (MT)—and, in some contexts, as substitutes for human professionals. Against this background, the study employs a mixed-methods approach. First, selected curricula of Japanese Studies programs in Europe are analyzed to identify the scope and positioning of IT-related and digital-competence components. Second, empirical data were collected through an online survey of 150 students and alumni of Japanese Studies programs in Poland, complemented by 15 in-depth semi-structured interviews with participants form the same population.

The research investigates respondents’ experiences with digital tools in their studies, their perceptions of the inclusion of such tools in Japanese Studies programs, and their views on the future role of technology in Japanese-language TI. Findings indicate a limited and uneven representation of IT- and AI-related content in formal academic curricula. While survey participants expressed some support for the inclusion of such elements, interviewees frequently articulated concerns about AI’s impact on the Japanese translation industry, alongside a prevailing belief that human translators cannot be fully replaced.

The study contributes to broader discussions on curriculum development, digital literacy, and the future of Japanese Studies within an increasingly technology-driven academic landscape.