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| [man on an island] |
I had the pleasure of attending the American Translators Association
conference in Portland, Oregon and have even recovered from the jet lag (more
or less). As with all packed events, it takes some time to absorb all the
impressions and information, especially when more than 1500 people attend and
share their perspectives. Looking back, the conference was remarkable for the
matters people discussed and no less for what they did not discuss, producing
great food for thought on the future of the profession.
This large national conference featured, as always, a great variety of
lectures, amazing networking opportunities and a national, if not global, view
of the profession. The presentations, with a choice of 9 different topics in each
time slot over 3 days, varied widely with topics ranging from approaches to technological
matters and specific markets to directed advice to experienced and new
translators alike. The two most striking features were the quantity of
presentations for interpreters, which indicates the vivacity of this field, and the emphasis on specific markets and issues
for translators. I confess that while I gave two presentations (project-based
quotes and how to make a presentation), I failed to attend a lecture not
because I was not interested but because the conversations in the hallways were
far more tempting, relevant and
important. I had learned from my previous ATA conference 5 years ago (BC – before
Corona) in Palm Springs that it is impossible to talk to each to each and every
person at a conference with more than a 1000 people. Therefore, this time I
strived to have longer and more impactful conversations with fewer people. This
approach was less stressful and more effective in building contacts, the most
important purpose of an industry conference. From these conversations, I
received a feel of the spectrum of the language specialist industry, the
business trends, and the hopes and fears of translators and interpreters in all
fields. This conference provided much information on the state of the industry.
Of no less importance were the topics and statements I did not hear. First, nobody expressed the thought that AI was the
death of the industry. As in all technological innovations, some language
specialists were more enthusiastic about ChatGPT than others. However, I did
not hear any extreme forecast of the imminent disappearance of AI or it replacing
human translators. In the same vein, I did not hear about people wishing to
leave the industry due to the changes in the market and translation technology,
only the search for how to adapt to and effectively adopt them. Finally, I did not
hear complaints about low rates. To clarify, people mentioned irrelevant and/or
ridiculous rates proposed by certain agencies. However, the translators stated
them as facts that are a part but not the whole of the industry. In short, I
heard no prognosis of the impending death of the human translation industry.
Between the said and unsaid, I understand, perhaps incorrectly, that the
future of the translation industry depends on adaption to the everchanging
landscape of technology and markets and the providing of support to new
translators to help them navigate it. AI, just as machine and neural
translation, is changing the manner translation providers and buyers operate.
This process began decades ago with the major difference today being the pace
of the development. This rapid evolution creates a “future shock” syndrome even
for younger professionals. Yet, each person has the freedom to leverage technology
depending on the individual niche, willingness and skill. It is not an all or
nothing matter but a much more subtle evolution. Concurrently, markets are
changing. Some 20 years ago, local or national agencies dominated the industry,
handling all types of texts. Today, multinational agencies rely on volume,
causing freelancers to specialize and reach out directly to customers in order to achieve
rates that allow them to earn a living. Moreover, customers no longer need to
pay a human translator to handle a simple text for personal use as ChatGPT or
even Google Translate handles them quite satisfactorily. As in many industries,
translators must specialize, such as in the fields of medicine, law and marketing. Finally,
while it was never easy, new translators find establishing a translation
business quite complicated and confusing. The relevance of national translator
organizations has thus only increased as they can and do provide vital
information that allow newcomers to quickly find and establish themselves in
this complex market. The road alone is more difficult than ever. The world of
translation and interpreting is not disappearing but constantly evolving,
required language providers to adapt accordingly.
One of the purposes of national conferences is to provide a wide-angle
picture of the industry, similar to the image produced by the multiple eyes of
a fly. ATA65 presented an industry in transition but healthy and vibrant not to
mention ambivalent about the changes that are occurring but facing them at the
same time. Attending it was an intense but rewarding experience for me
personally. I strongly recommend any translator or interpreter, whether
experienced or new to the profession, to attend such events and join your
national or regional organization. To paraphrase John Donne, no translator must
or should be an island. Each is part of a larger and inspiring industry as I
rediscovered this month. Translators, interpreters and conferences do matter.
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