Tag: technology
-
Thoughts on Presenting an ATA Webinar
The American Translators Association (ATA) hosts an ongoing series of webinars on a range of issues related to language services. Participants either watch live presentations online, with Q&A sessions, or can click on a link to the webinar at any time afterward. ATA recently asked me to prepare and present a webinar on a subject…
-
Convergence in Language Services
The average person tends to think of translation and interpreting as essentially the same thing. If you can speak, read, and write in two languages, you should be able to translate as well as you interpret, and vice versa. Those of us in the language-service industry know better. We understand how different these professions can…
-
Do Translators compete against Translation Agencies?
I recently came across a thoughtful, impassioned article* written and presented at the 1st NYU Translation Day Symposium by Kenneth Kronenberg, a long-time German-English translator. I don’t know Mr. Kronenberg, but after reading his piece, it became clear to me that he truly cares about translation and translators. His words reveal a genuine concern for…
-
How close are we to real-time translation technology?
In an excellent recent article that examines the state of real-time translation technology, Professor David Arbesú, of the University of South Florida, explores where we stand in terms of knocking down the global language barrier. The short answer: technology is quickly improving, but it still relies heavily on human translators to make it work.
-
Keeping abreast with technology
What lessons, as language service professionals, can we take from this year? Technology continues to make inroads into our business and livelihoods. For translators, this comes in the form of more advanced CAT tools and ever-improving machine translation, along with an increasing number of cloud-based applications at our disposal. For interpreters, VoIP software, from Skype…
-
Translation and Technology
Mike Collins and I recently gave a presentation at Duke University on the state of technology in the language-services industry. Our focus was on the changing nature of the translator’s role in our business. We are no longer just multilingual wordsmiths. We must now be technologically savvy and proficient, staying ahead of the curve in…
-
The State of Languages Services in 2015
Fifteen years into the 21st century is a good time to take stock of where we are as both an industry and a profession. Language services have come a long way. In the not-so-distant past, translators and interpreters toiled away in relative obscurity, for little, or at times, no pay. Global travel and migratory flows…
-
The Neuroscience of Simultaneous Interpreting
Happy 2015! I read this article a few weeks ago about the science involved in simultaneous interpreting. Human brains are incredibly complex machines. Neuroscientists are now trying to understand how language professionals do what we do. There is still a lot to learn!
-
$25 million Invested in Language Service Technology
I saw this story a couple of months ago. What struck me was the fact that venture capitalists were willing to put up $25 million for what they perceive as the future of language services, namely some type of hybrid software-and-human service such as the one being touted in the story. When people ask what…
-
Why Can’t I Raise My Rates? Variables Affecting Supply
In my previous post, I discussed scarcity and introduced the role that supply and demand play in determining rates in the language-service market. We looked at an example or two and noted that language professionals (i.e. translators) make up the supply, while businesses, hospitals, law firms, governments, individuals, etc. comprise the demand. In this post,…