@article{ART003351180},
author={Yanfei Zhao and Huijuan Ma},
title={From Canon to Code: Rethinking the Translation Policy of the BDK Buddhist Canon Project in the Age of AI},
journal={T&I REVIEW},
issn={2233-9221},
year={2026},
volume={16},
number={1},
pages={121-148},
doi={10.22962/tnirvw.2026.16.1.005}
TY - JOUR
AU - Yanfei Zhao
AU - Huijuan Ma
TI - From Canon to Code: Rethinking the Translation Policy of the BDK Buddhist Canon Project in the Age of AI
JO - T&I REVIEW
PY - 2026
VL - 16
IS - 1
PB - Ewha Research Institute for Translation Studies
SP - 121
EP - 148
SN - 2233-9221
AB - In recent years, AI technologies have increasingly been applied to the translation of sacred texts, a field often regarded as one of the last bastions of human translation. Drawing on González Núñez’s framework of translation policy, this paper examines the translation management, practice, and beliefs of the BDK Buddhist Canon Project, one of the most ambitious modern efforts to translate the Chinese Buddhist canon into English. The findings demonstrate that BDK has developed a scholar-led, dissemination-oriented model that seeks to balance translation accuracy with reader accessibility. Compared with AI translation, this model retains clear strengths in interpretive depth, philological accuracy, and ethical accountability. At the same time, AI translation continues to intensify some of its own limitations, including the absence of a clear AI-use policy, insufficient collaboration, and a minimalist annotation policy that may obscure interpretive complexity. The paper suggests that BDK could move toward a human–AI collaborative model in which machines support drafting and technical organization, while the interpretive and editorial authority remains with human experts.
KW - Buddhist translation;the BDK project;translation policy;AI-assisted translation;institutional translation
DO - 10.22962/tnirvw.2026.16.1.005
ER -
Yanfei Zhao and Huijuan Ma. (2026). From Canon to Code: Rethinking the Translation Policy of the BDK Buddhist Canon Project in the Age of AI. T&I REVIEW, 16(1), 121-148.
Yanfei Zhao and Huijuan Ma. 2026, "From Canon to Code: Rethinking the Translation Policy of the BDK Buddhist Canon Project in the Age of AI", T&I REVIEW, vol.16, no.1 pp.121-148. Available from: doi:10.22962/tnirvw.2026.16.1.005
Yanfei Zhao, Huijuan Ma "From Canon to Code: Rethinking the Translation Policy of the BDK Buddhist Canon Project in the Age of AI" T&I REVIEW 16.1 pp.121-148 (2026) : 121.
Yanfei Zhao, Huijuan Ma. From Canon to Code: Rethinking the Translation Policy of the BDK Buddhist Canon Project in the Age of AI. 2026; 16(1), 121-148. Available from: doi:10.22962/tnirvw.2026.16.1.005
Yanfei Zhao and Huijuan Ma. "From Canon to Code: Rethinking the Translation Policy of the BDK Buddhist Canon Project in the Age of AI" T&I REVIEW 16, no.1 (2026) : 121-148.doi: 10.22962/tnirvw.2026.16.1.005
Yanfei Zhao; Huijuan Ma. From Canon to Code: Rethinking the Translation Policy of the BDK Buddhist Canon Project in the Age of AI. T&I REVIEW, 16(1), 121-148. doi: 10.22962/tnirvw.2026.16.1.005
Yanfei Zhao; Huijuan Ma. From Canon to Code: Rethinking the Translation Policy of the BDK Buddhist Canon Project in the Age of AI. T&I REVIEW. 2026; 16(1) 121-148. doi: 10.22962/tnirvw.2026.16.1.005
Yanfei Zhao, Huijuan Ma. From Canon to Code: Rethinking the Translation Policy of the BDK Buddhist Canon Project in the Age of AI. 2026; 16(1), 121-148. Available from: doi:10.22962/tnirvw.2026.16.1.005
Yanfei Zhao and Huijuan Ma. "From Canon to Code: Rethinking the Translation Policy of the BDK Buddhist Canon Project in the Age of AI" T&I REVIEW 16, no.1 (2026) : 121-148.doi: 10.22962/tnirvw.2026.16.1.005
