LEARN TO USE DEEPL MACHINE TRANSLATION

Posted on by Claudia "BrauerTraining"

PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP BY CLAUDIA BRAUER

On the occasion of my upcoming workshop on DeepL and Machine Translation during the 2022 ITD, I was looking at an old blog I wrote in 2018, the same year DeepL was incorporated. At the time, I was already saying that translators should look into the field of post-editing as one of the options to remain competitive. Less than four years later, post-Covid pandemic the world has fewer language barriers as people anywhere and everywhere use Machine Translation THOUSANDS OF MILLIONS of times a day.

What then of the translator?

You tell me…

Are you able to make a living on traditional “human-only” translations?

Good for you! You have found a niche that is hiding from most of us.

Just as an example, the term “human-in-the-loop” is now common in LSPs and other intermediaries of the language services industry and in large corporations that provide their own translation services. This term reflects the fact that they have an automated process where a human will “edit” or “improve” or take the machine translation output and make it “akin to human translation”. The process is automated and takes into account the need for human intervention. Not the other way around.

I am not advocating for this. I did not invent this. I have no skin in the game of machine translation engines. I receive no compensation other than the one I earn by telling you that this trend is here to stay and to grow and become mainstream. I am here to tell you that you need to adapt. It is time for you to think outside the box and realize that reality has changed dramatically in the field and that, for most translators, it will become the norm. I am referring to post-editing machine translation.

Maybe this is not for you. Great, thanks for stopping by. We can all agree to disagree. No problem.

But if you are struggling to find work (and will struggle even more in the coming years), why don’t you start to think of the “upskills” you need to meet the new challenges brought about by neural machine translation and artificial intelligence in the world of translation (and interpreting).

I take you through the first steps…. so you can test the waters and see if they are warm enough for you… The workshop will be offered April 28, 2022 and recordings will be made available for those who registered on time.

https://www.proz.com/tv/ITD2022


✓ Learn about the versatility of the free MT version
✓ Have a rough draft translation in seconds
✓ Find and use alternate translation terms in seconds
✓ Create a light post-edited document very fast
✓ Learn about the paid MT version for professionals
✓ Understand how DeepL ensures confidentiality
✓ Understand how to can create a professional translation
using full post-editing to save time
✓ Understand how to create and use electronic glossaries
✓ See how you can incorporate MT into your CAT tools

Who is this course for?

✓ Any translator in any language pair anywhere in the world (with access to the internet)
✓ Any interpreter who would like to incursion into the world of translation
✓ Any person who needs to acquire basic information about a document (lower quality translation without post-editing)
✓ Only requirement: sufficient command of English to understand the session

https://www.proz.com/tv/ITD2022

Image credit: https://fananymi.wordpress.com/category/computer-vision/

In the meantime, let me share part of that 2018 blog I was mentioning earlier in here .

Hope to see you in cyberspace!

Claudia Brauer

Human Parity

Excerpts from “DeepL MT: A Game Changer for professional translators”

(*)https://claudiabrauer.com/2018/09/20/deepl-mt-a-game-changer-for-professional-translators/

As part of the study materials I distribute, I share my Quality Guidelines for Human-Quality PEMT (Post Editing of Machine Translation Output).

This is what I believe a Human-Parit PEMT should achieve:

Purpose:

·      Accurate (preserve intended meaning of the original)

·      Correct grammar, syntax, style

·      Correct informal aspects of written language

·      Sensitive to regional variations (dialects and target language use)

·      Written (mostly) in plain language

·      Culturally and Linguistically appropriate (terms and expressions must be understood appropriately and consistently by most people reading text in TL)

·      Follow glossaries when provided

·      Follow style guides when provided

·      Avoid literal translation (too formal, complicated, awkward texts, though semantically equivalent)

·      Aim for “comparable constructs”

Information:

  • Complete (no omissions, additions, or changes)
  • Loyal (the same message is conveyed)
  • Accurate (same information transferred)
  • Reliable
  • Consistent
  • Technical equivalence (technically and conceptually)
  • Conceptual equivalence (content) (Does it accurately reflect original meaning?)
  • Intent (Have connotations and denotations been transferred)

Essentials

  • Grammar (system and structure of language)
  • Style (word choice, point of view, tone, + syntax)
  • Syntax (rules governing sentence structure, including word order, to achieve particular effects)
  • Semantics (sense, reference, implication, logical form, word relations, cognitive structure)
  • Register (level of formality)
  • Readability Level (easier or more difficult to read)
  • Format and Layout (including document setup, arrangement, charts, graphics, illustrations)
  • Spelling
  • Punctuation
  • Capitalization

Correct and optimal use of language:

  • Language conventions
  • Dates
  • Numbers
  • Addresses
  • Acronyms (transfer)
  • Abbreviations
  • Names of people
  • Names of countries and places
  • Brand names

Other issues to ensure:

  • Fluency
  • Phrasing
  • Nuances
  • Absence of False cognates
  • Cultural Sensitivity (will it make sense to the target audience or will it create confusion or concern)

Other recommendations:

CONSTANTLY COMPARE MACHINE TRANSLATION PLATFORMS

  • Select three or four to compare
  • Obtain translations
  • Review each individually
  • Compare changes
  • Select preferred
  • Repeat every three or four months (new or improved versions)

Rating

5         Excellent

4         Correct

3         Enhance

2         Doubtful

1         Incomprehensible

or

5         Top human translation quality equivalence

4         Normal HT equivalence

3         Beginner HT equivalency

2         Misinterpretations

1         Gross Errors

==============================================================

CHALLENGE: Help us build our next micro-learning experience!

Posted on by Claudia "BrauerTraining"

Visit our website and let us know two topics that could be of interest to you. When we receive your answer, we will send you a link to download (for free) five of our proprietary tools for translators and interpreters.

WEBSITE TO VISIT: https://brauertraining.com

 

 

 

Screen Shot 2020-01-13 at 4.53.03 PM

BrauerTraining helps aspiring and working translators and interpreters develop the skills needed to meet the demands of the 21st-century language services industry. We offer online content plus six different skills “gyms”

 

Transinterpreters for 2020

Posted on by Claudia "BrauerTraining"

On March 21, 2019, I will have the honor of speaking at the TAUS Global Content Summit in New York. I believe translators and interpreters need a new identity. Translators must be capable of interpreting and interpreters must be qualified in translation. Transinterpreters embrace new tools, are savvy in today’s technology, are digital and mobile. They acquire soft skills to adapt to fast change and solve problems in original ways. I suggest these future Transinterpreters will be recruited from new pools of bilingual individuals worldwide. 

Sidenote: I believe “old guard” translators and interpreters might be able to hold on to some niche markets as the “experts” in their fields. But if they continue to remain ignorant in the technologies of our world (electronic, virtual, digital, mobile, and similar), maybe that time will not last much either. For example, literary translators and conference interpreters might have a longer “shelf-life” than other old-school translators and interpreters, but maybe just for one decade or two.

As the world changes, every profession and craft must adapt to the changes in their world. Even artists such as painters and writers have learned to use the technologies of our time and the changes in the social conditions and communication channels. So too, the specific needs for translators and interpreters have changed.  What we are expected to do, how, where, and even why and whom with, all has changed in the past two or three decades.

biotechnology bright chemical chemistry
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

To give you an example, in 2011 I started some of the first webinars on remote interpreting, using phone and video. I received some comments from “experts” who had a strong position against the concept of remote interpreting. Today, it is a tried and true means of delivering interpreting, to the point that even conference interpreters are entering the world of working from remote locations.

In the field of translation, in 2013 I predicted that in a few years we would be starting most of our translations with a draft pre-translated by a machine. Post-editing is now widely used commercially and the pace is growing exponentially, to the point that even post-editing of machine translation may already be replaced by just the tasks of revision. And yes, I know that a huge amount of companies and individuals still don’t use machine translation, but they soon will, as the technology becomes cheaper and easier to use.

I will now admit that translators and interpreters will not be replaced (in the short-term) by technology, but insist they will be replaced by other translators and interpreters USING technology. This is already proving to be correct. Many have seen dramatic drops in their workloads.  I am guessing they are the non-tech-savvy.  Others, on the contrary, have seen dramatic increases in their workloads. They are, I believe, the tech-savvy ones.

Nokia Lumia 1020, Stephen Elop, Andy Inahtko

Additionally, there is something else brewing in the air.  The need for translators to be able to interpret and interpreters to be able to translate (or post-edit machine translation outputs). Why? Because in our interconnected world, voice and text are becoming interchangeable.  Today we can listen to Siri or voice GPS and can dictate the texts to be sent by our phones. Likewise, in a world of remote interconnections, your clients may hire you for an interpreting session but might very well ask you to translate some texts. Or if you are working on a client’s translation, you might be asked to interpret the conversations around the modifications to the original or the translated texts.

Finally, talking about soft skills, two decades ago, translation and interpreting were “alone” professions.  If you were a translator, you worked alone. If you were an interpreter, very seldom would you work in a team environment. All this has changed. Translation is now just a piece of a big group puzzle called language services, and interpreting is becoming a team effort. Soft skills are now essential as business is done at an increasingly fast pace. You must now also be agile, adaptable, flexible, and creative at solving problems; you are expected to act as a team player, have the ability to accept and learn from criticism, display a positive can-do attitude, demonstrate self-confidence, and work well under pressure.

Yes, Transinterpreters are individually a super-man or a super-woman. We have always known translators and interpreters were that, but now it is a requirement of the job! (Smile, please).

 

blue and red superman print tank top shirt
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Screen Shot 2019-02-24 at 4.48.59 PM

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DeepL MT, a game-changer for professional translators

Posted on by Claudia "BrauerTraining"
On September 25, as part of the Proz.com celebration of International Translation Day 2018, I will present “Learn DeepL MT for beginners” (go to https://hubs.ly/H0dP7wp0). All sessions sponsored by ProZ.com on the 25th and the 26th are FREE to all participants.

I believe that at present, DeepL is one of the best tools available for translators. My presentation therefore centers on the mechanics of the platform and I shows you how easy it is to use. As with any tool translators may use, confidentiality of client’s information should always be a priority.

This platform uses Deep-Learning Neural Machine Translation. NMT uses a “large artificial neural network to predict the likelihood of a sequence of words, typically modeling entire sentences in a single integrated model.”  Deep learning NMT “processes multiple neural network layers instead of just one. It is a a completely new generation of artificial neural networks that … learn to grasp the subtle meanings of sentences,and conveys them in the target language in a way not seen before.”

I am recommending the use of this platform and API integration because I have found it to produce quality draft translations that are more fluent than other MTs while productivity may be doubled, tripled or more. It is very intuitive and extremely easy to use. Additionally, it relies on EU-level privacy protocols. At present it only services English, Spanish, German, French, Dutch, Italian and Polish, but they are expanding languages.

Come join us on the 25th and learn the mechanics of DeepL and other interesting tricks related to MT, plus enjoy all the other sessions offered for FREE by ProZ.com.

==============================================================

As part of the study materials I will be distributing, I will share some of my Quality Guidelines for Human-Quality PEMT (Post Editing of Machine Translation Output).

This is what I believe a Human-Quality PEMT should achieve:

Purpose:

·      Accurate (preserve intended meaning of the original)

·      Correct grammar, syntax, style

·      Correct in formal aspects of written language

·      Sensitive to regional variations (dialects and target language use)

·      Written (mostly) in plainlanguage

·      Culturally and Linguistically appropriate (terms and expressions must be understood appropriately and consistently by most people reading text in TL)

·      Follow glossaries when provided

·      Follow style guides when provided

·      Avoid literal translation (too formal, complicated, awkward texts, though semantically equivalent)

·      Aim for “comparable constructs”

Information:

  • Complete (no omissions, additions or changes)
  • Loyal (same message is conveyed)
  • Accurate (same information transferred)
  • Reliable
  • Consistent
  • Technical equivalence (technically and conceptually)
  • Conceptual equivalence (content) (Does it accurately reflect original meaning?)
  • Intent (Have connotations and denotations been transferred)

Essentials

  • Grammar (system and structure of language)
  • Style (word choice, point of view, tone, + syntax)
  • Syntax (rules governing sentence structure, including word order, to achieve particular effects)
  • Semantics (sense, reference, implication, logical form, word relations, cognitive structure)
  • Register (level of formality)
  • Readability Level (easier or more difficult to read)
  • Format and Layout (including document setup, arrangement, charts, graphics, illustrations)
  • Spelling
  • Punctuation
  • Capitalization

Correct and optimal use of language:

  • Language conventions
  • Dates
  • Numbers
  • Addresses
  • Acronyms (transfer)
  • Abbreviations
  • Names of people
  • Names of countries and places
  • Brand names

Others issues to ensure:

  • Fluency
  • Phrasing
  • Nuances
  • Absence of False cognates
  • Cultural Sensitivity (will it make sense to target audience or will it create confusion or concern)

Other recommendations:

CONSTANTLY COMPARE MACHINE TRANSLATION PLATFORMS

  • Select three or four to compare
  • Obtain translations
  • Review each individually
  • Compare changes
  • Select preferred
  • Repeat every three or four months (new or improved versions)

Rating

5         Excellent

4         Correct

3         Enhance

2         Doubtful

1         Incomprehensible

or

5         Top human translation quality equivalence

4         Normal HT equivalence

3         Beginner HT equivalency

2         Misinterpretations

1         Gross Errors

==============================================================

Screen Shot 2018-09-19 at 7.53.00 PM

Join my free session on DeepL Machine Translation on Sept 25 to celebrate Int’l Translation Day sponsored by ProZ.com @prozcom livestream #ProZTV  https://proz.com/tv/ITD2018 

Scrum Master? What the heck is that?!

Posted on by Claudia "BrauerTraining"

[Image credit: Varunm.com]

I was looking at my LinkedIn feed and happened to see a paid advertisement from a job site looking for a “Scrum Master.”  It caught my attention because I had absolutely no idea what a Scrum Master was! In a “previous life” (several decades ago) I was a project manager, so my surprise was double when I found out they defined it as NOT being a Project Manager. Well, I would have not even thought that PM had any relationship with SM.  Scrum Master sounded like something in the Healthcare Industry…… well, it is not. From the website TechTarget, I have learned that

“… a scrum master is a facilitator for an agile development team. Scrum is a methodology that allows a team to self-organize and make changes quickly, in accordance with agile principles.”

So, you might say:
–Why would translators and interpreters care?
I would respond:
–Really? Do you need to ask?

First, we need to be aware of what is going on in the world, and in the world of business in particular. Terminology is part of our lifeline.

Second, “Scrum Master” talks to the dramatic changes occurring in the business world itself. The concept of “agile development teams” is central to this new profession.  I guess Project Managers are so 20th century! Think about that. The term agile development  has very specific connotations related to the shift of power to the “product owner.” Think about that. The “product owner” has the say.

Additionally, the Scrub Master “is not held accountable for outcomes. The team as a whole is responsible for outcomes.”  What a concept, eh? No more “leaders” solely responsible for outcomes but the team as a whole.  Sports kind of got that notion from the get-go.

There is an entire methodology around “agile development.”  Because agility has come to the forefront of how we do things in the 21st century. That is why the entire business model of translation and interpreting needs to be re-thought.  Because, as it stands, it is anything BUT agile. I see some companies struggling to understand how to best render services in an interconnected digital world. That is a good start, but we need to move fast.

One thing is clear: we must become “Agile Organizations” (full disclosure: my company is NOT!… yet).  Those of us who are not AGILE enough to “sprint” (yes, a term with a new connotation too) have a larger chance of falling behind. As we look at the business models we have been using for the past 50 years and try to make them AGILER, we must also accept that certain processes will no longer be needed, new strengths have to be developed, and new delivery mechanisms are urgently required.

Parenthesis: Freelance translators and interpreters: we are micro-enterprises. We, too, need to change our business model to adapt to the times. I don’t have the answers.  I have no idea what is best and what is not, except to know that we MUST BECOME TECH-SAVVY A.S.AP.! That should be our priority right now as freelancers. This becoming tech-savvy translators and interpreters is just a basic step to be able to “participate” in the language industry of the future (the very near future, by the way).

I  believe we have an expiration date if we don’t change soon.

What think you?

 

Machine Translation 101 – Translators & Interpreters talk a lot (good and bad) about Machine Translation. Few really know what it is.

Posted on by Claudia "BrauerTraining"

Image

19th Century Image: “Tsunami” by Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾北斎)

BrauerTraining Newsletter # 1

June 2013

(Subscribe to our newsletter! goo.gl/AAX5K)

 

The world’s first pocket calculator.

The Abacus was developed around 2000 BC. It took humans some four thousand years to create electronic calculators, which appeared in the 60’s (see above). It then took just 10 years to develop and popularize a pocket-size device. Today, calculators are integrated as part of computers, PDAs and smartphones.

Machine Translation 101

by

Claudia Brauer

I will open our first newsletter with a quote from Carl Sagan, a scientist and author who has deeply influenced my vision of the world:

“I do not think it irresponsible to portray even the direst futures. If we are to avoid them we must understand that they are possible. Where are the alternatives? Where are the dreams that motivate and inspire? We long for realistic maps of a world we can be proud to give to our children. Where are the cartographers of human purpose? Where are the visions of hopeful futures of technology as a tool for human betterment and not a gun on hair trigger pointed at our heads?”

― Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space

I have also decided that our first topic needs to be one of the most controversial subjects in the translation and interpreting industry today: Machine Translation. Shying away from the discussion will not resolve the issue of our survival as a viable profession in a future progressively driven into technology. I believe we have to stop seeing technology as our enemy and rather start embracing it, working with it, influencing its development, becoming co-creators of the tools we will be using in the next decades.
If we want to avoid a dire future as professional translators and interpreters, we must understand that such future death by inaction is possible and then set out to create the alternatives.
We must become the new cartographers of our future purpose in the industry. We have to make sure we remain relevant. That we are seen as useful and essential. There are segments of the industry that clearly think we are replaceable. What are we doing to show them otherwise? Staying in our comfort zones will not solve the dilemma.
We cannot continue hiding in the sand and think that just because we do not want it, it will not happen. Rather, we must face the scary challenge posed by progress and run to catch up for the decades we have been complacent while the rest of the industry became digital, mobile and instant.

A pale blue dot

(Above) Earth: A pale blue dot in the immensity of space

In 1990, at the request of Carl Sagan, NASA commanded the Voyager 1 spacecraft to take a photograph of Earth from a record distance of about 3,700,000,000 miles. The resulting photograph was titled the “Pale Blue Dot” because earth is shown as a tiny little dot against the immensity of space.

We, professional translators and interpreters, are but a pale blue dot in the sea of information that needs to be communicated in multiple languages worldwide. We can only control our own response to the sea of change.

It still is the survival of the fittest.

Kaijo no Fuji (Tsunami, or The Big Wave) by Japanese painter Katsushika Hokusai

Language & Translation Automation Conference (LTAC) – Proceedings

Recommendation # 1:

Download these proceedings for free at http://goo.gl/zlDFf and read them!

This is an eBook in pdf format that collects the 2011 discussion by “some of the most prominent experts from academia and the language industry worldwide [who] met in the Great Hall of the LUSPIO University in Rome, under the auspices of the Faculty of Interpreting and Translation and the Directorate-General… ” for the European Master’s in Translation (EMT).
This Language and Translation Automation Conference (LTAC) “was convened with the goal of gathering the most innovative ideas and initiatives on language automation, translation technology and terminology, with an emphasis on controlled languages and controlled authoring in academia and in the language industry.”
I have not finished reading the document yet, but still I recommend you all start reading it too. It is a very good window into the present of the translation industry. It collects some important thoughts and visions for what I call our potential future (if we survive as a professional species). It also explains in layman’s terms some of the obscure aspects of Machine Translation.
Ignorantia legis neminem excusat (ignorance of the law excuses no one). Ignorance of MT is no excuse for you (to ignore the developments happening in the Language Services world).
Step # 1 in your learning curve, therefore, is to learn about the tools you will need to remain relevant in the professional world of tomorrow!

(The picture selected by the authors for the cover, “…describes the modern conflict between the forces of nature and the fragility of man. For us it meant the desire to ride exceptional forces, to win the awe they bring, and draw energy and strength.”
Valeria Cannavina & Anna Fellet)

So…. is Google Translate

“THAT” bad?

“Of course!” cry the Translators and Interpreters.

“Actually it is pretty good,” says my american friend working in China, who uses it to get “the gist” of many documents of possible interest to her, written either in Mandarin or any of a couple of dozen dialects. “I use it at least 10 times a day….and it really helps me out to understand what the general content is about.”

“I use it all the time,” says my relative, a top executive at an international logistics company in the port of Miami, one of the busiest in the USA. “We all use Google Translate all day, to know if we are dealing with invoices or purchase orders, to see if it is a request for us to make a shipment or to receive a shipment… I just need to know more-or-less what the words say… I do not need full-text, perfect translations… I understand many terms are wrong, but I really do not care… I do not have the time or the money to pay for a translator… when I really need something important translated, then I send it out, and accept the wait and pay the price. But that is not very often.”

Welcome to the 21st Century. The “gist” and “understand more-or-less what it says” are the rule for the masses. We are increasing quality control in industries such as healthcare and legal. We are having the fight of our lives to at least hold these two industries to a high standard. We are dealing here with lives of people “on the spot”. Quality is of the essence here.

But for most people in the masses, a “kind-of” translation is good enough.

So, another suggestion, if you want to get the “gist” of what Machine Translation is, head on to the vilified Wikipedia (I actually use when I need to get the “gist” of a topic… sounds familiar?)

http://goo.gl/63LSp – Why not dedicate a little time to educate yourself?

(Above) Josh Estelle a Google Translate engineering leader

A recent article published in CNET News by Stepehen Shankland (http://goo.gl/d8zZh) conveys the reality of Google Translate (vs. what some translators would like it to be):

“Google Translate provides a billion translations a day for 200 million users…”

One thousand million translations a day!

That surely is mainstream.

Two hundred million users!

That surely is mainstream.

“The amount of text Google translates daily is more than what’s in a million books, and surpasses what professional translators handle in a full year,” stated Josh Estelle, a Google Translate engineering leader.

He also noted that 92% of usage is outside the United States (that may explain why translators and interpreters in the USA have such a limited view of how extensive its use is in other parts of the world).

The internet is “expanding gradually to other languages, helped in part by technological change … [since] 2008, Google launched the ability to translate any language to any other language,” stated Estelle.

Google Translate is currently working on better quality for Machine Translation as well as ubiquity: “No matter where you are, you should have access to a translation.”

They are also working on real-time multi language communication:

“We want you to be able to translate things instantly,” from and into any language, said Shankland.

So, translators and interpreters….how are WE adapting to this change in the marketplace?

What do we offer today that is a value-added to what people get with Google translate?

How are we marketing such value-added?

How are we differentiating ourselves from Machine Translation and the likes of it?

In a market where everyone (including you, dear reader) likes to save a buck or two,

think about how you are going to face the ever-expanding competition of the likes of Google Translate (yes, there are many), in the next five years.

I believe that just as a potential Fourth Wave of democratization is brewing worldwide, so too there is a Huge Wave of changes related to the democratization of translation and interpreting.


Those in the profession who fail to see this wave may very well perish under its weigh.
Others will learn to ride it.
Others will harness its power.

Claudia Brauer

How are other professionals confronting the Age of Automation? (Open Forum)

Posted on by Claudia "BrauerTraining"

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“How are other professionals confronting the Age of Automation?”

June 25 @ 11 am EST (USA): Open Forum #2 In Pursuit of One Voice

Participation is free by invitation to the GoTo meeting platform.

If you are interested,

send us an email at Claudia@brauertraining.com

or register for our Free Newsletter at http://www.brauertraining.com

The Proposed topic for our BrauerTrainig Forum # 2 is one set by Diana Rhudick in a Linkedin discussion thread of ATA.

She states:

“Someone else posted an article by Jaron Lanier about our economic future in light of many professions being taken over by computers (journalism, music, translation). Apart from Lanier’s suggested solution, I’m wondering whether journalists, musicians, publishers, etc. have any lessons to teach us about how to meet the future. Does anyone know people in these areas? Have you read articles about workers retooling their skills, or educating clients about man vs. machine? I know the argument that we should specialize in specific areas and work with direct clients, but I’m thinking about the shorter term and more feasible suggestions.”

Join us in this Forum # 2 in Pursuit of One Voice and let us hear your opinion, input, comments, links!

==================================================================

Participation is free by invitation to the GoTo meeting platform.

If you are interested,

send us an email at Claudia@brauertraining.com

or register for our Free Newsletter at http://www.brauertraining.com ==================================================================

Additional references: 

http://goo.gl/4hO8h

http://goo.gl/LYiIE

http://youtu.be/A5j8mx5Vh2w

BrauerTraining Open Forum #1 In Pursuit of One Voice

Posted on by Claudia "BrauerTraining"

Image

Text of the PowerPoint presentation posted in YouTube and SlideShare on June 1st to summarize the talking points discussed during the BrauerTraining Forum # 1 held on May 25, 2013.

On May 25, 2013 BrauerTraining hosted its first open monthly virtual forum for translators & interpreters to talk about the future of the profession in the 21st Century.

  • The purpose of these informal forums is the exchange of opinions, in the hopes of eventually having “action-able” ideas to participate in the design our own future.
  • Background to the forum:
    Claudia Brauer believes the profession of translation and interpreting could become extinct in the next decades if translators and interpreters don’t wake up to the reality of the world today.
    BrauerTraining premises

Productivity is replacing Quality
(#s above content)

Utility is replacing Eloquence
(usefulness above expression)

  • There is a “food chain” with an ecosystem in itself, this means there are people at the bottom of the food chain and others at the top
  • Translators and interpreters are almost at the bottom
  • Current translation process sample: Slideshare screenshot excerpt chart from www.smartling.com/agile_translation_agile_world

#1 Process Content via APIs – Automatic

#2 Leverage Previous Translation Work, aka Translation Memory – Automatic

#3 Implement Customizable, Structured Workflows – Automatic

#4 Translate with Context Using Best Practices – Human

#5 Automatically Deploy Multilingual Content – Automatic

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  • What makes us – translators and interpreters – relevant in the 21st Century (i.e. what makes us unique)?
  • What new skills do we need in order to adapt to the new roles of translators and interpreters?
  • How do we create a power broker for the profession to speak with one voice?
  • In-house translators vs. freelancers – different needs, different perspectives
  • How can we help? (ask in-house T&I)
  • T&I really want to know what is going on in the industry, understand it
  • Clients do not understand what translation entails – impossible to price it right
  • Also, the market has changed dramatically in the last decade
  • We are loosing clients to other markets
  • Quality is not the target for many users – they just want the gist
  • Google translate and Bing translate used by people AND companies – if they can get the gist, even not congruent, it is OK for them
  • Clients think first of all of bottom line, they will go for the lower cost
  • Price competition drives the market
  • Clients want agility, fast response, immediate product delivery, low cost
  • Younger generations want Tweeter, Facebook, social media translated fast – they accept things as they come, no grammar, no spelling – “sort of” a translation suits the needs of the new user
  • The role of interpreting is also changing because of text-to-voice-to-text. The user does not mind that it is “kind-of” incorrect as long as they “kind-of” understand the content
  • Users speak to their phone, the phone converts to text, the text is google-translated, the phone returns the sentences spoken in another language.
  • The user is OK with the “gist”

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  • Only way to market yourself to compete with CAT and MT is becoming a specialist
  • T&I now have to understand and pursue filling “specific” needs of the clients
  • Market your experience and capability to adjust the final version – Localization is the new  role of the translator
  • Market your “being human” and being able to differentiate content, culture, audience, nuances Our uniqueness is in being human, that is what makes us special.
  • How can we market that capability  to a “bottom-line” (price-based) client base?
  • Many clients like to “know” humans are the translators, but do not want to pay the price
  • How do we reach a market that does not know what to expect from us
  • How do we compete with the “bottom line”
  • How do we keep our part of the market share when immediacy is vital in today’s business world
  • The client wants to have results now and here, within the hour, or “same day” service
  • Will CAT replace humans?
    • Not in the immediate future
    • Yes for basic translation within the next decade
    • Probably for basic interpreting too (voice-to-text-to-voice)
    • We have an attitude of denial
    • Many people have been saying “that will not happen”…
    • It has already happened
    • We must stop the denial to move forward as a profession (as a group)
    • CAT was expected to grow pursuant to storage capabilities – now computers can store more in smaller spaces
    • CAT and MTs have gone mobile
    • MTs have been uploaded with good CAT info that was once translated by Humans, so many are starting to have good levels of quality
    • Today humans can TRAIN machines, that is why CAT and MT are becoming more sophisticated, exponentially
    • There is no stopping technology
    • Machines are replacing humans in many parts of the world
    • This is a worldwide trend even with professions established for centuries.
    • Why can’t we make translation and interpreting a reputable profession again?
    • How do we become important for the LSP an the end client?
    • For example, nurses do not perform surgeries:
      Why are bilinguals performing translation and interpreting?
      How do we adapt to the changes in our competition?

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  • Our client is no longer found on a person-to-person relationship but rather on a person-to email or freelance-to-corporation for assignments anywhere in the world
  • Many colleagues worldwide are highly trained translators and interpreters who live in countries where GDP is much lower and therefore their rates are sustainably lower than ours
  • Other untrained and un-experienced newcomers to the field are competing with low quality but high rate of market penetration
  • They are using the “business” aspect of the profession
  • All in all, our largest competitors are not our peers but the software and technology industries that have entered the T&I industry with technology and huge negotiating (leverage) power
  • Looking for a relationship human-to-human is now time consuming and client/LSP do not want to be “dragged” into it – they prefer their own anonymity to be able to have you or discard you at will
  • The sharing of information is at every level of the human experience today. Skype, Facebook, create video, etc., gadgets
  • Crowdsourcing is going viral
  • “In your language of preference”
  • What do we need, then?
    • Train the end user about what T&I entails
    • How do we do that?

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  • What do we need, then?
    • Train ourselves to respond to the new millennium
    • Training is vital to our survival, but, what do we need to learn
    • Translators and interpreters need  to train in code of ethics and standards of practice to have a unified minimum quality and requirements
    • Newcomers need to be forced to acquire training – how?
    • Translators an interpreters need to learn about the technology of our day, about communication tools (the new mobile devices), networking (social media), cloud computing and virtual world “stuff”
    • We have to become proficient using the tools of our trade today (which include devices everyone uses!)
    • For example, smartphones are now networking devices, not just “communication” tools
    • T&I also need to learn who to trust in the cyber world: how to contract, how to ensure payment, how to protect identity
    • T&I need to understand underlying factors of jurisdiction in the virtual world – What is the jurisdiction of the cloud? It affects legal and privacy issues
    • Confidentiality is key – books that have not been published for example cannot be translated with on the cloud tools
    • Privacy issues in most realms of translation and interpreting
    • Legal possession of data is a great concern – Public vs. nonpublic issues must be fully understood
  • But # 1: We need representation in the big scenario of the decision makers
    Some T&I associations do not prioritize needs of translators and interpreters (they are also catering to the LSP)
  • End of discussion in Forum #1 at the top of the hour.
    Notes taken on power point will be made public via YouTube and Slideshare
    Attending Forum # 1 – May 25, 2013: EGS, FN, PC, AB, CB – Excused DR, LD, SA
  • Monthly meetings: On the 25th at 11 a.m. EST USA (check your local time)
  • Want to participate?
  • Register for our newsletter at http://www.Brauertraining.com and you will be automatically invited, or send us an email to claudia@brauertraining.com
  • Forum # 2 June 25, 2013  at 11 a.m. EST USA (check your local time) – See you there…

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