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“People out of my industry love to tell me how AI has
eliminated my profession…” one lecturer said. Today, it seems that the most
commonly known “fact” about being a translator is that it is no longer
necessary. After three days of lectures at the 2026 ITA conference, it is
possible to clarify that the reports of our death have been greatly exaggerated.
Granted, AI is transforming the process and business of translation but that statement
applies to numerous professions. For three days, the attendees gain a
wide-angle perspective not only on the potential impact of AI but also how to
use it for their own advantage. The quality of these lectures was exceptionally
high but certain speakers stood out, in my opinion, in terms of the
practicality of their approach. It should also be noted that the presentations
as a group provided a roadmap or at least a guiding flashlight of how to
proceed into the uncertain future.
While the topic, AI and translators, was narrow, the
approach was all-encompassing. Some lecturers focused on the actual methods of
using AI, showing prompts and approaches in various AI programs, while others presented their method of using it
in certain fields, including technical and creative writing. Two translation
teachers detailed how they instruct their students how to use AI properly in order
to attain the best possible translation. Another series of lectures dealt with the
ethics and security problems posed by AI, an important factor for many
translators. Many speakers discussed the need for translators to change their
role from converters of languages to language/culture experts. Finally, a few,
including myself, had the chutzpah to talk about non-AI translation matters,
just to relieve the AI-created tension if you will. The conference provided a
multi-perspective survey of the AI-translation scene.
Having attended many conferences, I can say that the
quality of the lecturers and lectures was outstanding. Three presentations
stand out, one for each day. Naomi
Shenkar in her presentation entitled “ Prompt Engineering for Translation” was
not only organized but provided a clear and simple approach to writing
prompts and efficiently achieving the most relevant results. I plan to put her method to
the test very soon. The star of the second day was Danny Verbov with this
presentation “Your Greatest Marketing Tool is Right Under Your Nose!” Not only
did he remind everybody that it is important to market yourself if you want business,
regardless of your knowledge of AI, and
how to do so efficiently and effectively, but he also had, in my estimation, the
most effective and humorous PowerPoint slides. His pictures were worth a
thousand words. They were pure added value to his well-executed lecture.
Finally, on the last day, Orly Kyram gave a workshop on “Getting to know Gemini
and NotebookLM In Depth”, a valuable hands-on experience for those lacking the
courage and faith to learn by trial and error. As I said, the other lecturers were
also quite effective and relevant. I am just presenting my personal three favorites.
It may be difficult to remember any specific points
after three days of AI overdosing but three messages are clear. A translator
that fails to apply AI where applicable will be replaced by one that does. That
said, effective AI requires well-thought-out prompts and human editing. A simple command
does not produce a professional translation. Finally, AI does not reduce the requirements
of the profession. Translators still need to know how to transmit the message,
linguistic and cultural, of the source language into the target
language and convince customers that language makes a difference. AI, just like
all previous machine translation technologies, is merely a tool, not a replacement
for human thinking. Alas, it will take time before translation buyers realize that AI “good enough” is not good enough. In the meantime, translators are
not in danger of extinction.
As a final point, many young professionals, including
translators, do not see the value in professional organizations. The ITA once again
organized and brought together a large and varied group of excellent
professionals, who enriched the perspective of all the attendees. This event
alone justified the membership cost. Add the energy and synergy of group
interaction. I strongly recommend the benefits of joining professional
associations. At a minimum, you can hear colleagues who are still alive and well
in your profession and learn from them. Next year in Tel Aviv.
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