Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-powered machine translation bring opportunities and challenges for L2 educators and students. Most recently, the emergence of AI-based chatbots, such as ChatGPT, has led to calls for a revision of traditional teaching methods to prioritize reflective reasoning and critical thinking. This article studies the potentialities of Applied Translation (AT) to promote essential critical thinking skills needed to engage effectively with AI-based tools in the L2 classroom. We present the IMI+ framework (Integration, Multimodality, and Interaction) for integrating AT in language education, which helps support the development of digital literacy and critical thinking in L2 classrooms. Furthermore, given the challenges related to privacy and ethics inherent in these new technologies, we propose applying a Critical Ecological Approach (CEA) to AT to help learners navigate those challenges by identifying power imbalances and societal inequities. Finally, we explain how the seven articles in this special issue showcase the potential applications of AT in Spanish language education.