The mirror and the scaffold: cognitive shifts and identity reconstruction in AI-Assisted translation education

Purpose This paper investigates the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into classical Chinese-English translation education, focusing on its role in fostering cognitive and identity transformation among learners. It addresses a gap in empirical research on how structured AI mediation shapes translation pedagogy in culturally demanding domains.Design/methodology/approach A six-week pedagogical intervention was conducted with second-year English majors at a public university in East China. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and reflective journals, and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis within a sociocultural and dialogic theoretical framework.Findings The analysis reveals three interrelated processes. First, learners’ cognitive paradigm shifted from literal decoding to cultural translation – a transition riddled with uncertainty and sustained by reasoned decision-making. Second, AI served dual functions as mirror and scaffold, yet these were often in tension, requiring epistemic vigilance. Third, learners’ professional identity was reconstructed from language converters to cultural mediators – an emerging identity consolidated through ongoing negotiation.Originality This study provides empirical evidence of how structured AI integration mediates cognitive and identity transformation in classical Chinese-English translation. It advances theoretical understanding of AI’s mirror and scaffold functions within a dialogic space and offers pedagogical implications for cultivating translators as critical curators in the AI era.