A sign of the times, perhaps, but I've started sending subtle nods to the value of using a human translator to my clients. E.g., “Thanks for providing this exhibition design scenario for context. This is gold for a human translator.”
In this age where perception of the value of human translation is plummeting, every little bit helps?
Dr. Susan Jones will be discussing the issue of the moment in her talk AI in Translation: Friend or Foe? I think you know my stance, but clearly there is always room for more exploration. ijet.jat.org #IJET33 #Translation #xl8 #翻訳 #LLM #AI
Anmeldung zur "Übersetzungsakademie Französisch I" mit Dr. Katja Meintel noch bis zum 16.4.!
#xl8 #Literaturübersetzerinnen #Französisch #Weiterbildung
https://www.buecherfrauen.de/karriere/akademie/artikel/uebersetzungsakademie-franzoesisch-i-1
Oh boy, Google. You really should be able to afford a German human translator...
Just sent this to a German client for info. Google Search Console is a useful tool, but it's not making a great impression in this help manual.
(See ALT text for more info.)
Interesting. Statista is running a free webinar on 'Navigating the Rising Risks of AI Adoption".
They say: "Recent data reveals a notable shift in public sentiment toward generative AI, with increasing skepticism following rapid adoption over 2024. What’s behind this change, and what does it mean for your business?"
Topics:
- "Why generative AI remains inherently inconsistent, despite ongoing advancements.
- The risks already arising from this inconsistency, particularly for professionals relying on AI-generated insights.
- Practical solutions to mitigate AI risks, and how Statista’s verified data approach is already helping businesses navigate these challenges."
Obviously, they're also trying to sell their services, but I'm curious about which survey data on public sentiment they're referring to and what their 'practical solutions' are.
Hoping to attend.
Register here: https://lnkd.in/eKu5PhGg?
#GenerativeAI
#ContentWriting
#AI #xl8 #UKFreelancer #Statista
The IJET-33 fun continues! Thomas Kaiser will be presenting on patent translation, a topic that I know nothing about! I do know Thomas, though, and he's pretty awesome. This is sure to be valuable to people exploring a difficult field indeed.
https://ijet.jat.org/
#IJET33 #Translation #xl8 #翻訳
Another IJET-33 promo, and, well, it's me!
I'll be speaking from a place of frustration and confusion, but also truth, about why and how we can say no to the LLM-based destruction of our work and value as people.
#IJET33 #Translation #xl8 #LLM #翻訳
A very good article for anyone working in the creative sector (not just developers).
https://aftermath.site/ai-video-game-development-art-vibe-coding-midjourney
IJET-33ではゲームやエンタメ翻訳を無視していませんよ、福田 憲克様が制作側からの目線も語ってくれます。
Fukuda Norikatsu talks about localization from the perspective of a game developer with examples from past work. Only at IJET-33!
Thought this was interesting. Only one person has applied so far, and this ad has been live for a full 2 days.
This time last year, there were many more ads like these, trying to get professional translators and writers to help improve AI-generated slop (often for peanuts).
I'm pretty sure there were also many more applicants back then.
What will these companies do if they can't get enough qualified humans to check their AI outputs? 
Watch this space.
---
Screenshot 1: Freelance job ad: "German Content Writer. England, UK. 2 days ago. 1 person clicked apply. Hybrid/Contract."
Screenshot 2: "About the job: [Company name] helps the world's most innovative companies improve their AI models by providing human feedback. Are you an experienced German writer who would like to lend your expertise to train AI models?" [My comment: "Nope. I wouldn't."]
![Screenshot 1: "About the job: [Company name] helps the world's most innovative companies improve their AI models by providing human feedback. Are you an experienced German writer who would like to lend your expertise to train AI models?" [My comment: "Nope. I wouldn't."]](https://files.mastodonapp.uk/media_attachments/files/114/284/991/155/137/047/original/13ca4341b45d0f7c.jpg "Screenshot 1: \"About the job: [Company name] helps the world's most innovative companies improve their AI models by providing human feedback. Are you an experienced German writer who would like to lend your expertise to train AI models?\" [My comment: \"Nope. I wouldn't.\"]")
Lots more sessions to check out at IJET-33 in Fukuoka, like this one from Lisa Hew about promotion as a freelancer/small translation business. Lisa's had years of experience at doing just that, so new translators would do well to follow her lead! ijet.jat.org #IJET33 #Translation #xl8 #翻訳 #通訳
Habe mich gerade erfolgreich zur VdÜ-Jahrestagung in #Wolfenbüttel angemeldet – waren auch erst zwei Workshops ausgebucht. Für mich wird es #Spanisch und #Kinderliteratur , wenn alles klappt.
So, machine translator, I have this alphabetical list of contributors in French. Some of them have official English names, some don’t. I need you to go through them, determine which have English names, replace FR with EN where appropriate, and put the new list in alphabetical order. Oh, and if there are any errors in the French names, I want you to correct them. You can do that, right?
Machine translator? Hello?
Question for my fellow freelance translators: Do you do post-editing or do you refuse on principle? If you do take post-editing work, do you charge a higher hourly rate (than, say, for revising layout proofs of your own work)?
I've managed to avoid post-editing thus far, but a long-time client just asked me to proof a document they "translated internally." Not quite sure what to do going forward.
Cash alert! 
If you're a UK writer, translator, journalist or poet, your work could have been reused without your knowledge.
The Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society may be able to collect royalties for you in this case (for the last 3 years):
What? 
Reason no. 34,530 why businesses shouldn't use machine translation.
https://www.reddit.com/r/engrish/comments/178kr6g/please_mumble_softly_to_me/
Eins meiner Werke auf der #lbm25 - nein, der Champagner geht nicht auf meine Kappe.
#xl8 #LeipzigerBuchmesse2025
Another exciting IJET 33 session is this one on literary translation by Japanese superstar Echizen Toshiya @techizen.bsky.social , complete with real case studies (in Japanese). 「出版翻訳という仕事」を個人的に楽しみにするSessionです。越前先生の豊かな経験がら色々学びそうです。 #IJET33 #xl8 #Translation #翻訳 #出版翻訳
Just to give you an idea of the kind of BS this PM is shovelling at me: I'm translating the subtitles for a video. In this case, there will be parallel FR and EN subtitles. At one point, I translated “toute sorte” as “all sorts" and the PM wants me to use a singular idiom "so that people don't think there's a mistake in the French subtitles.”
Please, God, on the off chance you exist, take me now.
(OK, I'll stop now.)
Grr. You know It's well past time to be done with this effing project when you start sending explanations with your #translation to ward off the inevitable questions and challenges from the P.M.
