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Despite trying times and great uncertainty, the ITA presented its 2022 conference, online of course. Its formal moto was “Moving Forward”. However,
from the presentations I was able to attend, the unifying theme was also our
interaction with words. I learnt about how people, including translators, produce,
interpret, regulate, visually frame and market with words. It also provided a
quite affirmative answer to the question posed by the keynote speaker regarding
translators and interpreters, specifically whether we are optimistic about the
future of the professions.
The conference addressed one of the key issues in modern translation,
specifically the possibility of coexistence of human and machine translation.
Yuri Balashov correctly put the aside the emotional resistance and clearly
demonstrated using MemoQ how reference to machine translation enhances the
effectiveness and efficiency of human translation. In other words, he showed
even ever-improving machine translation is actually a benefit to translators,
not a threat. Judy Jenner in her keynote speech expressed concern and
uncertainty in regards to this issue but expressed reasoned hope in the future.
Even those that choose to ignore machine translation came out with food for
thought.
As a linguist, I truly enjoyed the presentations on how people interpret
words. Immanuel Lottem provided numerous examples of how translators and
editors see the words and their context in a different light, which often leads
to great frustration. On a brighter note, Rik Smits entertained listeners with
his amusing breakdown on the actual meanings of curse words, which go far
beyond their dictionary listing, including surprise, joy and extreme emotion. I
find this profound multicultural approach illuminating and somehow encouraging
as I don’t feel so bad about using choice words at specific times.
Another interesting theme was the approach to regulating the use of
words. Vicky Teplitsky Ben-Saadon, The Academic Secretariat, Academy of the
Hebrew Language, analyzed the general language structure of gender in pronouns,
especially in the second person, and discussed the complicated situation in
Hebrew, where gender not only impacts all pronouns but also verbs and
adjectives. She expressed the policy that the Academy does not impose usage on
users but attempts to create some order in actual use. In other words, she
stated that the Academy is going to let people decide if and how to create
gender inclusive forms. Amina Hassan, Science Secretary of the Academy of the
Arabic Language, discussed the projects of Arabic Academy and brought up the
issue of the Arabic in road signing in Israel. Not only do current signing
suffer from curious spelling but it also often reflects transliteration of the
Hebrew name of cities and villages, not the recognized name in Arabic, if it
exists of course. As linguists, we wish the Academy success in rectifying this
situation. Eitan Wellisch illustrated the approach and structure of his online
dictionary and show how his site can make identifying the correct English equivalent
easier as words are placed in context. I would also like to mention the
presentation of Andy Benzo regarding the appeal process in the US court
systems. Not only was it clearly organized but the clarity of the terminology
showed the importance of precision in choice of legal vocabulary. Whether in
expanding or narrowing interpretation, the conference brought out the
challenges of understanding words.
Two speakers illuminated the visual aspect of words. Eyal Holtzman
provided details examples of how the shape, size and location of words in
letters emphasize and connect different language when they are placed on the
same page. Adele Shapiro recounted the story of daemons and devils from
Egyptian to modern times but in linguistic terms. She noted that the in Egypt
the written script reflected the neutral as compared to negative status of
demons by also displaying them as protective creatures in specific situations,
not just as creators of chaos. Unlike modern languages, pictures, not letters,
showed this role. It was interesting to see how non-alphabet elements impact
words.
Finally, in the face of a rapidly changing business setting, there were
several presentations on how translators and interpreters can use words to
market themselves. Nicole Koenig explained on the manner of marketing content
while I spoke about the process of writing marketing content. Mireya Perez
discussed making a digital footprint. It is clear that translators and
interpreters not only should use other people’s words but create their own.
My only regret about this conference was my inability to attend all
lectures due to the existence of two tracks and some previous commitments. I
confess to having missed all the presentations on interpreting and hope that someone
can report on them. I thus apologize to those whose names I did not mention or
was not more specific. Overall, the conference reinforced the need for
translators and interpreters to master words in all of their dynamic movement
in order to create the best translations and improve ourselves. The conference
was truly about moving forward.
* Picture captions are vital in creating access for the blind.
Picture credit: Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/marcelkessler-3217273/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=4696755">marcelkessler</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=4696755">Pixabay</a>
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