An Integrated Human and Digital Communication Model for AI-Empowered Translation Education

Abstract

This study proposes an Integrated Human and Digital Communication (IHDC) model that conceptualizes translation learning as a communicative and cognitive process shaped by dynamic interactions between human agents and AI systems. Drawing on the Transactional Model of Human Communication, the Community of Inquiry framework, digital literacy, Bloom’s revised taxonomy, and critical thinking pedagogy, the model integrates pedagogical, social, and cognitive dimensions into a unified framework. It advances a three-mechanism structure, namely cognitive inquiry, communicative interaction, and pedagogical guidance. Translation competence is developed via structured human–AI engagement under teacher guidance. Critical thinking is operationalized through a question-based engine derived from Bloom’s taxonomy. A preliminary expert evaluation with five domain specialists assessed the model across five dimensions, yielding initial support for its conceptual coherence, with particularly strong ratings for utility, understandability, and acceptability. By extending communication theory to include AI as an active participant, the IHDC model offers a theoretically grounded and operational framework for integrating human and digital communication in translation education. Further empirical research is needed to examine its effectiveness in classroom contexts.