ITI Conference 2024

“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.

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)

5 Tips for minimising screen time (VLOG)

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:

 

Why human translators are high in demand (VLOG)

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:

 

 

Getting started with AutoHotkey

Getting started with AutoHotkey is easy. Simply follow the 6 steps below. Once you’ve defined your first hotstring, you won’t want to live without AutoHotkey afterwards!

 

(Note: AutoHotkey only runs on Windows, so your computer has to be a Windows computer.)


Step 1:
Download AutoHotkey from https://www.autohotkey.com onto your computer and install it.

Step 2:
Right-click on your desktop, select “New”, then select “AutoHotkey Script”. You can change the name of your AutoHotkey file if you like.

Step 3:
Right-click your AutoHotkey file on your desktop and open it in Notepad or any plain text editor.

Step 4:
Ignore the first few lines of text that already are in your AutoHotkey file. Type your first script underneath. To begin with, you could use this script, for example (or use your own name!):

::dd::Donald Duck

 

Note: there must be no spaces between the colons, your abbreviation and Donald Duck!

Step 5:
Save your AutoHotkey file.

Step 6:
Activate your script by double-clicking the AutoHotkey file on your desktop.
(Remember to carry out this step every time you add a new script to your AutoHotkey file.)

 

And that’s it! You’ve just defined your first hotstring in AutoHotkey. The script is now running on your computer. The next time you type “dd”, it will automatically be expanded to “Donald Duck”.

 

You may add as many hotstrings underneath in your AutoHotkey file as you like. Find abbreviations that will be easy for you to remember, for example:

::dd::Donald Duck
::tte::Thomas the Tank Engine
::lrrh::Little Red Riding Hood
::ppl::Pippilotta Rollgardinia Victualia Peppermint Longstocking

Note: when you double-click your AutoHotkey file the next time, the following message will appear: “An older instance of this script is already running. Replace it with this instance?” Click “Yes”.

Once you’ve defined your first hotstring,
you won’t want to live without AutoHotkey afterwards

(Image by Tommmy_ on Pixabay)

 

Do check out my other blog posts about AutoHotkey, in which I share many more useful scripts for translators and writers. They will help you save precious time on routine computer tasks!

 

Working more efficiently with AutoHotkey (part 1)

Working more efficiently with AutoHotkey (part 2)

Working more efficiently with AutoHotkey (part 3)

Book recommendation: “Deep Work” by Cal Newport

Are you frustrated because your work often seeps into your evenings or weekends? Are you on the lookout for new ways to get more done?

If so, I warmly recommend “Deep Work” by Cal Newport. It is a book that will help you create a productive and serene work environment. It is brimming with actionable ideas for working with great(er) intensity and is, ultimately, all about protecting your time.

 

What is deep work?

Deep work, as defined by Cal Newport, is a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and work with the concentration required for serious and cognitively demanding work. The opposite of deep work is shallow work.

Shallow work consists of non-cognitively demanding, logistical-style tasks, which are easy to replicate, such as spending too much time on unimportant emails, social media posturing etc. Such activities should be steered clear of or at least minimised, as they have little impact on your bottom line or your well-being.

 

Deep work: good for your bottom line, good for your well-being

According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, we feel most fulfilled after we have stretched our minds and abilities, for which he coined the term “flow state”. It explains why deep work feels so immensely satisfying:

“The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”

But deep work doesn’t just feel satisfying; it is also the antidote to the frantic blur of shallow tasks and frazzled attention spans that characterise our modern, computerised world. Deep work is valuable, and it is meaningful.

Downtime facilitates insights and solutions to job-related problems 

By embracing deep work and thereby countering distractions, you’ll even be able to wrap up your day’s work earlier and enjoy more downtime. What’s more, Cal Newport argues that if you allow your conscious brain to rest, you empower your unconscious mind to begin sorting through your most complex professional problems.

For me as a translator, complex professional problems typically are tricky-to-translate terms or difficult-to-phrase sections in a text. Carving out downtime accordingly increases the likelihood that while I’m enjoying time away from work, the solution to a professional problem might suddenly pop into my head.

Working creatively with intelligent machines

Cal Newport interestingly makes reference to intelligent machines, which is also why I recommend “Deep Work” to knowledge workers as food for thought! Artificial intelligence is a hotly debated topic in the translation industry, where intelligent machines are disapproved of by some and welcomed by others.

Deep work equates to being ruthless

So how do you go deep in our chronically distracted and overwhelming world? Cal Newport suggests several strategies, all described in the book. One he recommends is the ruthless prioritisation of particular tasks, so you’ll inevitably be hard to reach for set periods of time.

The ideas put forward in books like “Deep Work” are useful to me in that they help me explain (and sometimes even defend!) my style of work towards my family, friends and colleagues. For I am either hard to reach or cannot be reached at all while I’m working or am up against a deadline. It is a deliberate decision on my part not to check my phone or answer non-work-related messages during such periods.

The book to my mind has only one drawback: Newport focuses tightly on his own university environment, and various suggested strategies therefore aren’t universally applicable to all our individual work environments. As he’s written “Deep Work” with his professor’s hat on, sections of the first part of the book are rather abstract; however, the second part is more accessible and practical.

 

If you’re looking for new ways to get more done in less time and create a productive, distraction-free and serene work environment, “Deep Work” by Cal Newport is the book for you! It sets out how to refine your ability to work with great intensity and, importantly, how to protect your time.

 

Cal Newport is a professor of computer science at Georgetown University. In addition to his academic research, he writes articles and blog posts on the intersection of digital technology and culture. Check out his long-running and popular blog, “Study Hacks”, here. 

 

I’ve previously published a blog post about “Digital Minimalism”, another brilliant bestselling book by Cal Newport, here.