NWTN 2020 Boost Day: MT-PE, Magic Wand or Menace?

NWTN 2020 Boost Day: MT-PE, Magic Wand or Menace?

The theme of this year’s Boost Day is Machine Translation and Post-Editing (MT-PE).

No sector of the economy has been left untouched by the digital transformation and we in the languages sector are left wondering what our own jobs will look like in a few years’ time, as the technology grows ever more powerful. Translation Memory (TM) programs have been making our lives easier for 20 years already, but will the relentless expansion of AI, MT and PE inevitably spell the decline of human translators and interpreters? Will we find ourselves in a subordinate role, being managed by our clients’ computers? Or can we make the tech work for us, continue to earn decent money and still feel a sense of job satisfaction? Speakers from the worlds of academia, business and freelance translation will provide us with their perspectives on Machine Translation and Post-Editing, and help us take stock of the current state of play and what we can expect in the future.

Speakers will include:

Dr Maeve Olohan (University of Manchester) presenting an overview of MT-PE (including the present dominant version, neural MT);

Welocalize (a global company with UK offices in Chester) talking about MT workflows and their expectations of translators in terms of skills, and giving us the client’s perspective;

Silke Lührmann (EN<>DE translator, copywriter and researcher) on the need to take/keep control of MT workflows in order to use it to our advantage. Her presentation will incorporate the findings of a survey of Boost Day participants’ experience and views, conducted in advance of the event;

Nick Rosenthal (Salford Translations), talking about the clash of cultures that may arise between translators and machines/software/”big tech”, and summing-up in general.

***Coronavirus update: Currently, government guidelines do not recommend cancelling events such as the NWTN Boost Day. Unless and until this advice changes, the NWTN Boost Day will go ahead on 21 March. Based on current circumstances, all four speakers have confirmed they are still planning to attend. Should you have or buy a ticket for this event, and (due to personal health concerns) later decide not to attend, even though the Boost Day takes place in accordance with government guidelines, you are not entitled to apply for a refund on Eventbrite. Instead, please contact events@nwtn.org.uk. The NWTN will determine any appropriate refunds on a discretionary basis after the event.****

There are only a very small number of places left. For tickets, visit Eventbrite:

The above information is quoted from: https://nwtn.org.uk/event/nwtn-2020-boost-day-mt-pe-magic-wand-or-menace/