This ATA 2023 virtual conference features presentations from four industry- and thought-leading presenters who will share their experience, knowledge, and insight into the present landscape and future horizons for translation and interpreting.
Here are the sessions you will view:
Keynote Presentation: AI, NMT, ChatGPT, and Little ol’ Me: How AI Will Continue to Change Our Industry and Your Work presented by Jay Marciano
It seems like neural machine translation (NMT), with its substantially improved fluency over older MT methods, just recently burst onto the scene. And yet there’s already a shiny new toy on the technology landscape, “large language models” (LLMs), the incredibly flexible “generative AI” systems behind ChatGPT and other AI-driven tools that are trained to do nothing in particular but can be prompted to do specific tasks, including translation.
In this session, you’ll learn about LLMs, what they are, how they differ from NMT, their current strengths and weaknesses, and how they will continue to develop and further change the language services industry.
Finding the Value in Human Translation and Interpreting When Machines Are So Good, presented by Jonathan Downie
We have to admit that machines are getting better at translation and interpreting. Arguing that we are more accurate or better trained simply doesn’t work anymore. Based on the speaker’s 2019 book (Interpreters vs Machines: Can Interpreters Survive in an AI-dominated World?) but with a keen eye on recent technological and social developments, this session will focus on the messages we give to clients in our public relations, marketing, client education, and sales.
By transforming how we talk about our work, widening the solutions we can offer or recommend, and making sure we can provide real results for clients, we can build a future role for human translation and interpreting. This session will provide a clear idea of the steps you need to take to create a future for your work.
Confessions of an MT Post-Editor: A Report from the Trenches of the World’s Newest LSP Profession, presented by Matthew Schlecht
Machine translation post-editing (MTPE) is a relatively novel and growing sector in the language services provider profession, and this session will cover the process from a practitioner’s perspective. The speaker’s methods will be outlined and demonstrated with actual patent translation examples in the German-, Japanese-, French-, and Spanish-into-English pairs.
Many MT engines and computer-assisted translation tools are currently used, but the focus here will involve the post-editing of Google Translate output to produce human translation-quality texts using SDL Trados Studio. Common pitfalls and workarounds will be explained, and throughput expectations and the differences between MTPE and the revision discussed.
TM & MT Tools: Rivalry or Symbiosis? presented by Yuri Balashow
Translation technologies, which include machine translation (MT) and computer-aided/translation memory tools (CAT/TM), have made spectacular advances in the last decade. Despite their common origin, they parted ways in the 1990s. Historically, their relation has been strained and complicated. But translators are now increasingly using both in their workflow and rivalry is giving way to mutually beneficial collaboration.
This session is a summary of some tools and tips for maximizing the benefits of using MT suggestions alongside TM matches in the context of specialized projects. We will also briefly discuss the prospects of using large language models, such as ChatGPT, in translation.
Translators & Interpreters Speak: Where We Are and Where We’re Going, with moderator Jost Zetzsche and panelist Matthew Schlecht
Hear fellow translators and interpreters discuss how they are using MT and AI technologies and adapting to the changes that are occurring.
ATA-certified translators may earn up to a maximum of 5 CEPs.
Go to Continuing Education Requirements for more information.
* If you registered to attend the virtual conference, log into the virtual conference site to access the videos. Conference attendees will have access to the videos until August 20, 2023.
Registration for this event is closed.
Code of Conduct
ATA is committed to providing a safe, productive, and welcoming environment for all participants. By registering for this event, you agree to abide by the Code of Conduct for Virtual Programs.