The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology
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TRANSLATORS' WEB BLURRING THE BOUNDARIES © ANDREY POPOV | DREAMSTIME.COM/ AJV123AJV | DREAMSTIME.COM The lines between the spoken and written word are blurred, especially when we consider visual communication. Video (left) now accounts for more than half of mobile traffic. Two people use Sign Language (bottom left) working with new technologies, instead of assuming this will not apply to you. If it doesn't today, it might tomorrow. 3 Make it clear that you are open to trying new tools and technologies. Tell agency clients that you would like to be on the list to help pilot new developments. Talk to colleagues and find out how you might try your hand at some new areas. presence of large amounts of written information, as many cultures prefer oral histories. Human knowledge is in no way limited to text, but because this is the way that Western cultures are accustomed to transfer and record knowledge, it is currently the dominant method. This is changing. The rise of video Information preferences are evolving before our very eyes. Video, the most efficient communication method at our disposal, is experiencing tremendous growth. According to a mobile analytics report from Bytemobile, online video now accounts for more than half of all mobile traffic – and 69 percent of traffic on some networks. YouTube receives more than 1 billion unique visitors each month. A report from Borrell Associates found that online video production will account for more than a third of online advertising spending within the next five years. There is no denying that video's usefulness as a communication tool – with the combined power of audio, text and visual information – is superior to any one of these forms of communication on its own. Of course, video's importance for global purposes relies on two things: more people coming online and increased access to broadband. Reports from Akamai show that, globally, broadband adoption is increasing every quarter. Google's Executive Chairman, Eric Schmidt, recently predicted that every person on earth will be online by the year 2020, even though today only a third are online. Numerous sources show that the conditions are being created to enable video Vol/52 No/4 2013 As communication trends evolve around us, how could this not affect our professions? to expand even further, and not only in developed nations. Preparing for change What can translators and interpreters do in the face of these changes? 1 Take note of them. Much ado is made about machine translation, but this technology alone does not have the power to transform our professions. Automation is important, but automated text translation cannot address most of the world's languages. 2 Learn more about them. If we want to understand how technologies will shape our professions, the worst thing we can do is isolate ourselves from technology developers and ignore the changes. Find out more about areas of the field that you don't already work in but that interest you, such as transcription, subtitling and dubbing. At the next conference you attend, find out as much as you can about technology providers and what, in their view, they are doing to help the industry evolve. Pay attention to industry blogs and articles that discuss how translators and interpreters are Technological evolution I am often asked about the role of technology in helping the translation and interpreting professions to evolve. I am quick to point out that technology has been an important part of this profession since the invention of the printing press. Most of the developments in the translation industry have revolved around the needs of consumers of information – the end-clients we serve – and not around the needs of the people who do the language conversion work. After all, our professions exist to support human communication across languages. As communication trends evolve around us, how could this not affect our professions? In generations past, translators moved from working with typists to doing the typing themselves, then to using translation memory tools. We, too, will adapt to society's changing communication needs. The difference today is that so many communication methods exist that instead of replacing one method with another, we have more options and opportunities to use our skills in varied ways. For that reason, we cannot necessarily view speech, text and visual information as completely separate entities. For much work in the future, they might be blended. The diversity and complexity of our fields is growing in response to changes in communication methods and preferences. This is simply another part of the global and societal evolution that technology enables. As to whether our professions evolve alongside these changes, that is entirely up to us. AUGUST/SEPTEMBER The Linguist 21