ATA’s 66th Annual Conference to Tackle AI’s Impact on Translators and Interpreters

With today’s amazing advancements in AI, delivering your message could be as simple as using the translation app on your phone. But how can you be sure it’s the right message?

There has been massive hype around AI and its ability to interpret from one language to another, especially in the past year. Many companies, like Apple, Samsung, and others are touting the “real-time translation” capabilities of their gadgets and apps, creating flashy and impressive social media and marketing campaigns that leave viewers impressed and fans fawning.

But despite these convincing ad campaigns, AI is not ready for prime time, as confirmed by the very language professionals who use it every day. Should courts start using ChatGPT to interpret witness testimony or the defendant’s testimony during any proceeding or trial? Should hospitals rely on Google Translate to read a patient’s medical records? Would you really want to entrust the translation of such important information to an algorithm? These questions raise important legal, technological, and ethical issues that many lawmakers, officers of the court, and the general public may not have considered. For language professionals, they raise serious alarm bells.

With all the confusion surrounding the future of the profession after the rise of AI, the American Translators Association’s (ATA) 66th Annual Conference – October 22-25 at the Westin Boston Seaport District in Boston, Massachusetts – offers an opportunity to hear directly from experts who, we hope, will bring more clarity to some of the most pressing questions in the T&I industry.

Opinions on AI’s impact differ drastically. Some believe AI will finally automate repetitive, tedious tasks so creators can focus on what they love most – creating. Others predict AI will replace humans entirely.

Yet those who look more closely discover something else: machines can only go so far. Beyond a certain point, they are helpless – and that is where the “human touch” becomes indispensable.

Attending ATA66 in Boston will put you in direct contact with hundreds of translators and interpreters from around the globe. You’ll explore firsthand the critical issues around AI shaping not only the T&I industry, but every profession.

This year’s featured sessions will go beyond the hype to present practical, hands-on insights into how AI can be integrated into translation and interpreting workflows without losing the essential human element. Attendees will hear from leading voices, including:

• From Hype to Hands-On: Real-World AI Adoption among German to/from English T&I Professionals – Robin Limmeroth, Karen Leube
• Personalizing AI: How Translators Can Host and Fine-Tune AI Models without the Cost – Daniel Brockmann
• Beyond Words: Rethinking Translator Training in the AI Era – Silvana Debonis
• Hard Realities: AI in Translation and Interpreting Today and Tomorrow – Jay Marciano
• AI Tools for Language Professionals – Nora Díaz
• Roundtable on AI in Interpreting – Bill Rivers, Ludmila Golovine, Stephanie Jo Kent, Alan Melby

…and many more.

From ethical concerns and workflow adaptations to new revenue streams and interpreter-focused applications, ATA66 will highlight how AI’s rapid development is driving change – and helping us rediscover the true value of being human.