By Grischa Wenzeler
ITI conference 2024 In edinburgh
The conference ran in four different streams, each one of them focusing on a different subject matter, with one stream exclusively looking at interpreting and three examining “hot topics” from the translation sector. This year, one stream was, unsurprisingly given the recent hype, wholly focused on new technologies, in particular artifical intelligence (AI), and what it could mean for the future of the profession.
“HOt topics” in the translation sector
The consensus among speakers and audience was that AI is here to stay, but that it poses less of a threat to highly specialised translators than some have initially thought. Instead, it is key for a translator to know how to use AI to enhance translations and to position oneself in the premium segment. AI also opens up new opportunities, such as training AI engines. The other two streams looked at options to make one’s freelance translation business more successful and more relevant to clients, for example by providing value-added services. The two concepts featuring here are specialisation versus diversification. They don’t necessarily rule each other out as Ken Paver, one of the speakers at the conference, pointed out. Specialised translators can, for example, start to offer copywriting or move into training other translators in their fields of excellence. Other routes of diversification and add-on services may be voiceover, minute-writing, and language teaching. Kelsey Frick presented the audience with her ideas about full-time freelance project management as a personalised service for clients, potentially providing them with better value than translation agencies, by making use of a wide network of translation contacts, based on having previously either been working as a freelance translator or as an in-house project manager. Tess Whitty made some interesting points about adding SEO expertise to one’s translation and copywriting services. Not only is SEO a very important topic for boosting websites in terms of reach and recognition, it may also present an opportunity to compete with AI for those translators who fear that this technology poses a threat to their career in a long-term perspective.
❝Financial translation is more than just the translation of financial reports. Continuous professional development is key in this fast-moving, demanding, and innovative area.
Financial translation, which is part of my own service offering, is more than just the translation of financial reports according to speaker Chris Durban, one of the most well-known voices in this field in the language combination French > English. I agree with her view and would add to this specialised field, inter alia, areas such as capital market research, asset management, investment banking, and corporate communication. She emphasised that continuous professional development is of utmost importance in this fast-moving, demanding, innovative area. I agree and would mention the opportunity of building expertise in cryptocurrencies as a popular topic. The specialised translator has to be familiar with the complex principles of crypto-investing, the relevant jargon and the newest trends, innovations, and talking points. Sarah Bowtell spoke on behalf of new entrants in the translation market, wondering where to position themselves and how to find clients. My advice would be to find a balance between specialisation and retaining enough flexibility to diversify, be open to acquire new skills and develop new expert knowledge if the initial ideas when starting out appear not to bring the desired success. And when it comes to deciding whether to go for translation agencies or direct clients, I would recommend starting with the former and come to a healthy mix of both further along one’s career path.
In a translation market seemingly dominated by machine translation, AI, and a so-called “race to the bottom” in terms of rates, conferences such as those organised by the ITI offer a much-needed platform for translators to get out of their home offices, break barriers, communicate with one another, build a network, share in each other’s experiences, educate clients, and raise the standards in a sector that has seen breathtakingly fast developments over the past decade and where highly skilled translation work competes with the mass market. Translation is evidently under threat to become a commodity, when, in fact, it is an important tool for clients to promote their brands abroad, share their research across borders, and agree international contracts. These complex tasks require experienced human translators and thanks to translator associations such as the ITI, conferences offer colleagues a forum to collaborate, share best practices, voice their opinions, and raise their concerns. The Edinburgh conference has also proven again that growth, support, and honest feedback among colleagues are the norm in our profession rather than stagnation, competition and vagueness. Coming from my Edinburgh experience, I already look forward to the next ITI event in 2026!
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