As my workload had eased off a bit at the end of August, I jumped at the chance to finally have a go at creating another video log (or vlog) and release it. It’s about 3 common misconceptions about what a translator is or what a translator does. You can find it on YouTube or watch it here on my blog.
The inspiration for this vlog came from a brief conversation which I overheard while checking into my accommodation ahead of the ITI Conference in Edinburgh a few months ago. Another translator, who was also checking in, mentioned her profession to the friendly receptionist, who then immediately asked: “How many languages?”
It’s a question I, too, am frequently asked whenever my job as a translator comes up in small talk. It’s a vlog-worthy topic in my opinion as people usually are surprised (or disappointed) to learn that I do NOT speak 5 or 10 languages.
A translator is not an interpreter
I’m a translator (not an interpreter), I work with two foreign languages, and I don’t have to speak much as part of my job. Translators work with the written word, whereas interpreters handle the spoken word.
If you’ve received this blog post via email, you can watch the video here.
“New world, new work” was the theme of the ITI Conference 2024, held at the John McIntyre Conference Centre in Edinburgh (and online) on 4 and 5 June. The event featured engaging speakers, thought-provoking keynotes, and useful sessions,many of which explored the challenges in the new world of work where artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly encroaches upon the territory of translators and interpreters.
What does the future hold for translators and interpreters in an AI-dominated world?
Mingling with like-minded professionals is always a delight, and I felt warmly welcomed by everyone I encountered. ITI conferences are renowned for being vibrant events where practical knowledge is shared, generous advice is given, and inspiring ideas are conveyed in an open, convivial and friendly atmosphere.
The urgent need to adapt to AI
My motivation for attending was twofold: meeting or reconnecting with fellow professionals and friends within ITI as well as comparing notes with them; and seeking guidance on how to brace myself for the new AI world. I translate patents and so far have not yet had to “post-edit” a machine translation myself. I can’t help wondering for how much longer I’ll actually be able to carry on working in my bubble.
A key message conveyed at the conference was the urgent need to adapt our skills to the far reaching challenges posed by AI. AI is already demonstrating remarkable capabilities, and I have no doubt it will continue to improve at mind-boggling speed. What does the future hold for me and other translators as well as interpreters?
As Sara Robertson, ITI’s new Chief Executive, pointed out in her keynote speech, we need to increase our ability and willingness to be resilient, adaptable, entrepreneurial, our own marketing team, the solution to our clients’ problems, and professionals. She proposed that if the theme of the conference is “New world, new work”, then perhaps there also needs to be a new you!
To compete with AI, we will need to be resilient, adaptable, entrepreneurial, our own marketing team, the solution to our clients’ problems, and professionals
A tool for generating ideas and first drafts
It was suggested in several sessions that AI is just a tool. It can therefore, for example, act as an idea generator in SEO translation, as mentioned by Tess Whitty MITI in her talk “Adding SEO expertise to compete with AI”. According to Bex Elder MITI in her talk “Raging against the machine: Is translation really dying?”, AI could serve as a helpful starting point in translation. Terence Lewis MITI, in his conversation with Cate Avery FITI on the topic “AI: Will there be a place for me?”, pointed out that AI output can be considered a first draft and could be useful for brainstorming.
Terence predicted that the first stage of the translation process will eventually be taken over by AI, but he also stressed that AI can easily get the wrong end of the stick. After all, AI cannot understand people, languages, and cultures; it just understands numbers. AI cannot read between the lines, which is so important in translation and interpreting. While we must absolutely acknowledge the benefits of AI, we should also make clients aware of the risks involved in using it.
The ITI Conference 2024 was held in Edinburgh on 4 and 5 June 2024
Your accent defines who you are
The conference programme was varied and so vast that reporting in detail on individual talks would go beyond the scope of this blog article. I’m therefore sharing just a few of my own impressions and gleanings. Note that the points mentioned here were not necessarily the key points in the relevant session, but stood out for me personally.
Do interpreters’ accents matter? I’m not an interpreter, but the title of Katherine Dagleish’s session appealed to me instantly. Since I’ve become (perhaps excessively) self-conscious about my accent, it was interesting to learn that even native speakers can feel insecure because of their native accents. Katherine reported that, according to a poll, 10% of adults felt teased because they didn’t have “the right accent”, while 17% felt they had missed out on jobs because of it. It is important to realise – to quote from one of Katherine’s slides – that your accent defines who you are and can also locate you economically and socially.
My most enjoyable ITI conference ever
I would like to extend huge thanks to the organisers for putting on this wonderful and beneficial event and also for the lovely bamboo coaster! By the way, it spoke to my minimalist heart that on registration, in addition to my name badge, I wasn’t handed the usual bag full of leaflets and freebies this time. The only real niggle I can think of was the use of cheap plastic plates, glasses and cups in the cafeteria during lunch, which seemed slightly out of place in the otherwise sophisticated environment of the conference centre.
The John McIntyre Conference Centre was a perfect venue
The John McIntyre Conference Centre, with its stunning backdrop of
Holyrood Park and Arthur’s Seat in the charming city of Edinburgh, was,
in my opinion, a perfect location. Many of us stayed in the student
accommodation a very short distance from the venue. It was the most
convenient room I’d ever booked for a conference as I could see the
venue entrance from my bedroom window, perfect for quick breathers
during this fast-paced and intense event!
For me, this felt like the most enjoyable ITI conference ever, although I can’t quite put my finger on why. Perhaps it’s because the “less grand” venue of the John McIntyre Conference Centre felt more comfortable. Or perhaps it’s simply because I have finally learnt how to manage my energy a bit better during a large-scale event such as this one.
Uneasiness about AI and a sense of positivity
All in all, the ITI Conference has once again provided me with the opportunity to learn, network and evolve a bit more as a professional translator. I am still feeling uneasy about our new world of work in which AI is becoming ubiquitous, but I have come away with a renewed sense of positivity and confidence about what I do and what might lie ahead.
Mingling with like-minded professionals at ITI conferences is always a delight (image courtesy of ITI)
In this
video, I suggest 5 practical ways to reduce the time we spend on screens. Focusing
too much of our attention on technology, computers and social media isn’t good
for our eyes, negatively impacts our posture, and can ruin our sleep.
In my job
as a translator, I spend a lot of time in front of computers. While I can’t (and
don’t want to) reduce the time I spend working on translations, I can
reduce the time I spend on other screen activities.
These 5
hacks have been absolute game changers for me! Watch the video here:
Translation
is a complex activity, and often complex terms are used to describe the job of
human translators, as I wrote in my blog post on 30 April 2019.
I have
turned the blog post into a video, in which I’m using simple words to explain
why human translators are still high in demand. Watch it here:
Is ChatGPT good at translation? What can it do – and not do – for professional translators, and how should effective ChatGPT prompts be written?
In the blog article below I will explain how to get started with
ChatGPT and provide tips for effective ChatGPT prompt engineering, including examples of how it could be used by translators in their work.
First, though, I will share a few personal thoughts about ChatGPT in a video. Watch it here:
If you're receiving this blog post via email, you can watch the video on my blog here or on YouTube here.
Getting started with ChatGPT is easy. Visit https://chat.openai.com/chat, click "Sign up," create an account, and use the "Send a message" field to interact with ChatGPT. (For $20 a month, you can upgrade to ChatGPT Plus, which offers access to GPT-4, larger data sets, priority access, and faster response times.)
Effective ChatGPT prompt engineering for translators
- Place instructions at the beginning of the prompt and use ### or """ to separate the instructions and context, as recommended by OpenAI.
Prompt example:
Fix all OCR errors in the following text and list any words you have corrected.
- Create simple and clear prompts, and avoid jargon. Keep in mind that ChatGPT tends to ignore anything it doesn’t understand.
- Set the context by starting your prompt with a brief statement that clearly outlines what you’re doing or aiming to achieve.
Prompt example:
I'm a technical translator. I'm translating a text from English into German in the context of artificial intelligence and machine learning for the first time. Can you provide a list of 20 frequent German technical terms in this field and a definition for each term?
- Start a new chat as often as necessary. The model will retain information within a single chat and will not propagate your input across different chats.
- Add one or more examples if ChatGPT doesn’t understand the instruction (but avoid overloading the engine with too many examples).
Prompt example:
Change all numbers in UK format to numbers in German format based on the following example, but do not list the numbers in UK format. 0.2291 = 0,2291
- Break down complicated instructions into multiple parts so as not to weigh down the engine with too many instructions all at once.
- Use the "Regenerate response" button, where appropriate, for more options, a differently worded response, etc.
- Whenever possible, avoid negative instructions. It is often more effective to instruct ChatGPT on what to do (rather than what not to do).
What ChatGPT is NOT
ChatGPT is not a search engine, knowledge base or encyclopedia. Keep in mind that ChatGPT will confidently provide responses, even when they are blatantly wrong, and it cannot distinguish between “facts” and made-up information. While ChatGPT typically produces coherent text, its output can be nonsensical, inconsistent, or inaccurate upon closer examination.
ChatGPT is also not a translation engine. Many texts are not suitable for machine translation; however, for any texts that are clearly suitable for machine translation, it is advisable to stick to traditional MT tools, such as DeepL, as they are generally more reliable and faster.
However, ChatGPT excels at carrying out certain administrative tasks on your behalf.
ChatGPT as your virtual assistant
Remember the 80/20 rule which I discussed in a previous blog post? ChatGPT can sometimes complete 80 per cent of a task, leaving just 20 per cent for you to do. Often you just need to customise its output. For example, you can seek quick answers to general IT-related queries from ChatGPT or instruct it to draft (possibly awkward) emails for you.
Prompt example:
Please write a 500-word email to a client, in which you point out that the text which I've been sent for revision will need to be retranslated as it appears that it's been machine-translated and is therefore unusable. Use a polite and formal tone. Point out that while machine translation has improved in recent years, it is still unable to match the level of precision and nuance achieved by humans translators.
ChatGPT also excels at extracting data or terminology from sources that have been chosen for use in translations. This feature can save you from the tedious task of sifting through lengthy documents and manually compiling glossaries yourself. Here the "Act as..." ChatGPT hack can prove useful.
Prompt example:
I want you to act as a text-based Excel sheet. Please extract 10 keywords from the English text below and list them in table format, with a column with the English terminology on the left and a column with the corresponding in-context German translations of those keywords on the right.
The quality of the ChatGPT output varies: sometimes it's good, sometimes it’s not. Therefore any ChatGPT response should always be carefully reviewed before it is used. It is therefore advisable to rely on conventional approaches for terminology
research in translation, such as consulting specialised dictionaries,
blogs or other online resources, using Google search operators, or
discussing terminology with humans.
This blog article provides an introduction to ChatGPT for translators and includes tips for effective ChatGPT prompt engineering, along with a short video in which I share personal thoughts about ChatGPT.
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