FairLoc

We deserve better than re-creativity! ???? The main inspiration for creating FairLoc was the reduction in quality we began to see as a result of an excessive, industry-wide embrace of AI and MT. Quality is paramount in our sector, but quality requires creativity. Machines are not creative. Machines: ?? Regurgitate existing content, mashing it together into something functional, but often something disappointing and devoid of soul. ?? Produce text no matter what. This means that when the source text is unclear or the machine is unable to understand the context, they make guesses and potentially hallucinate. And they don't tell us when they're doing this! ?? Divert work away from talented linguists who have been creating dazzling results for years, forcing them to leave the industry and consider alternative careers. So don't settle for less. Rise above re-creativity and choose the FairLoc option – for quality translations with soul. Visit our website to learn more: fairloc.com #recreativity #humancreativity #translationquality #localization #translationsector #artificialintelligence #ai #mt #machinetranslation #machinetranslationpostediting

Translators use a lot of tools in their daily work. ??? So why is it so important that humans take the lead? ?? Because: ? Humans can ensure a natural and engaging tone, producing texts that are pleasant and easy to read. Machine-translated texts are fine in certain contexts, but they are clunky and unnatural, and their proliferation makes our world a duller place. ? Human translators have helped to fuel the training of LLMs and machine-translation tools, often receiving no or only very little compensation in return. It is therefore unethical to replace them with machine solutions, and the current situation is pushing talent out of the industry. ? AI is incredibly resource-intensive, and using it excessively or unnecessarily is irresponsible and harmful to our environment. By using these tools in a more restrained way, we can both help to make our world a more vibrant place to live in, but also play a small part in protecting it for centuries to come. If you represent a responsible and sustainable business, then be true to your values and choose human localisation – and be sure to get the stamp to prove it! DM us or visit our website to learn more: fairloc.com

We all know that AI can hallucinate. And most of us know that the same risk exists in machine translation. For example, many machine translation tools are programmed to provide a translation no matter what. This means that if they are unsure about the meaning of a particular word, or even the intention of an entire sentence or paragraph, they have to just roll with their best guess. But we would never trust a human who told us that's how they worked! Especially if they weren't honest about when or how often they have to make guesses, and when they actually know for sure that what they are writing is correct. So why do we place so much trust in systems that are based on guesswork rather than knowledge? Because we know their work is being checked over by humans? But we also know these humans are working under huge time constraints, and if they are going to take the time to research every claim and every term in detail, they might as well do the job themselves. What do you think about this issue? If you're interested to read more, check out our recent blog post on the subject and be sure to share your thoughts in the comments: https://buff.ly/PqhDV2J #machinetranslation #mt #misinformation #sourcecriticism #humantranslation #humancreativity #localization #translationindustry #tech #ai #artificialintelligence

Languages are beautiful! ?? ?? Each language bears the marks of its past and allows its speakers to create and find a sense of identity – one that is unique to them and how they use their language, but also common to everyone else who speaks it. And yes, it can be inconvenient that we don't all speak the same language. It means sometimes we struggle to communicate or we need to find someone who can help us understand and be understood. But translation, too, is a beautiful thing. It is a playful and creative tool that allows different worlds to come together and connect. It is elegant, inventive and a source of discovery and inspiration. For the tech industry, though, it sometimes seems like linguistic diversity is a problem to be solved, and translation a blunt tool that can hammer out the kinks. It's like languages are a barrier that need to be torn down or disappeared. Hence plug-ins that translate before we even see the original, and automated tools that focus on speed. At FairLoc, we would rather live in a world that is full of vibrant linguistic diversity, where the solutions to our communication problems are elegant, authentic and interesting. And so what if it sometimes takes time to make ourselves understood? It still sounds an awful lot better than living in a flat and boring world where everyone sounds the same. What kind of world would you prefer? Let us know! ?? #translation #language #diversity #creativity #vibrancy #humancreativity #humandesign #humanconnections #humantranslation #translationandinterpreting #localization

Join the FairLoc community on Discord! ?? If you are a freelance translator or an agency representative/employee in the localisation sector, and you would like to connect and exchange ideas with like-minded linguists, then our Discord server is the place for you. We are building a community of passionate linguists who believe in the centrality of human creativity to our profession. By coming together to share ideas and experiences, together we can help protect standards and preserve quality in the localisation sector, and prevent a slide towards a less quality-centric, more automated future for the industry. If you would like to join, visit fairloc.com and sign up to the newsletter. We will then send you an invite link that you can follow to access the server. We host regular Q&As on the server and we will be planning other events and get-togethers in the future, so check it out! We look forward to seeing you there! ??? #translation #localization #machinetranslation #artificialintelligence #discord #community #humantranslation #mt #mtpe #ai #postediting #fairloc

What do you get from a FairLoc translation? Here are the key points: 1?? A high-quality, human-driven translation. That means no hallucinations, no rigid and generic-sounding voice and no mistranslations or inaccuracies. Your text will be crafted from scratch by an expert human communicator with a deep understanding of the target culture and language. 2?? A socially fair translation. Rather than relying on an automated tool to recycle the work of translators who have either been compensated poorly or not at all for their contribution, FairLoc translations provide work for the talented linguists who form the backbone of our industry. This makes it a more ethical choice than machine translation or generative AI. 3?? A greener translation. Huge amounts of water and energy go into training and operating AI, and this is having a massive impact on our environment. The rapid rush to embrace and experiment with AI could even be putting our global climate goals at risk. A human translation, on the other hand, is much less resource-intensive, making it better not just for people, but for the planet as well. Sold on the merits or in need of further convincing? Visit fairloc.com to read more or get started! #translation #translationsector #localisation #machinetranslation #humantranslation #artificialintelligence #ai #postediting #mtpe #fairloc #translationandinterpreting

Reports show that people are unsure how to spot generative AI in journalism. ?? According to a recent report entitled Generative AI and Journalism, only 25% of news audience participants were able to state confidently that they had encountered AI in journalism. On the other hand, as many as 50% suspected that they had encountered such content, but felt unable to say for sure. ?? This has huge implications for the future of how we report on current affairs. It suggests both that there is a lack of transparency on the part of news outlets, and also potentially a lack of trust from audiences. After all, if we cannot be sure whether a text has been written by a human or a machine, then we cannot be sure whether to trust in its veracity or not. The story is yet another reminder of the need to begin labelling content with information about how it was produced. By showing when a text has been created with the help of AI and when it has been produced by a human, we can reassure readers and allow them to better know how they should engage with what they encounter online. FairLoc offers a way to do this by allowing companies to label content as authentic and human. This means that readers can trust what they read, and they don't need to second-guess themselves and potentially doubt the accuracy of a text unnecessarily. ?? Read more about the report here: https://buff.ly/4hGdCvR And visit our website to learn more about how FairLoc works: fairloc.com #ai #artificialintelligence #generativeai #transparency #label #creativecontent #machinetranslation #humantranslation #trust #journalism

What is re-creativity? ?? ?? Re-creativity is what generative-AI does. It's not genuine creativity. It's the act of recycling all the great things that human creatives have done in the past to try and create something that seems tailored and intelligent, but which in reality, lacks soul or spark. ?? There are many problems with re-creativity: 1?? It's boring, dull and unengaging to read. 2?? Too much of it makes our world a drabber place to be. 3?? It borrows the work of others without giving them due credit or compensation. 4?? Worse than that, it puts creatives out of work and worsens their working conditions. It has taken a lot of work to make generative-AI possible – and not just from the developers and scientists who have researched and refined the technology, but from all the writers, creators and linguists whose work has been used to train AI models. They deserve better than AI recreativity and, frankly, so do we. Because why should we content ourselves with a dull, frustrating and barely functioning imitation of something great when the real deal is out there and ready to create wonderful texts and images that will make our world a better place to be? We didn't come this far just to put our feet up and start letting machines do everything for us, without the same passion, spark or skill as the humans that came before them. To find out more, visit our website: www.fairloc.com And together, let's build a better, brighter and more creative future! #translation #localisationn #humanvsmachine #humancreativity #humandesign #recreativity #artificialintelligence #ai #machinetranslation #mt #mtpe

Why FAIRLoc? Because: ?? It is only fair to be upfront with clients about the quality differential between human and machine translations. Many clients have been led to believe that they can always get the same quality from MTPE, but now they are starting to realise that this is not the case – which is not to say that MTPE is bad, it just isn't always suitable for every text. The fair thing to do is to be honest with clients about this. ?? It is not fair to the translators who have worked hard for years and years to produce amazing, creative and clever translations to now push them aside. The systems that their very work has been used to train are now being used as cudgel to beat down rates – to such an extent that many talented linguists are now leaving the industry. We owe it to our linguists to treat them better than that. ?? It's also the fair thing to do for all of us! We all read and use translated texts in our daily lives, and we don't want to be subjected to dull, mechanical and soulless texts that are hard to understand and completely lacking in spark and flair. By facilitating the spread of MT and AI texts, we are playing a small yet decisive role in the dullification of our world. And who wants to live in a world like that? So choose the fair option – not just because its better for your text, but for all of us who work in the industry, and for the rest of the world as well! Visit fairloc.com to learn more. #translation #localization #humantranslation #humancreativity #humandesign #fair #fairloc #creativity #tech #ai #mtpe #machinetranslation #artificialintelligence

How does FairLoc work for agencies, exactly? ?? It's simple! ?? 1?? Agencies can sign up as FairLoc Ambassadors. This allows them to display the FairLoc logo on their website and to offer FairLoc translation. 2?? This will help them attract the best talent, as freelance translators can see that the agency cares about quality and good vendor relationships. They are not interested in simply pushing the cheapest and fastest product to turn a quick buck please clients in the short term. 3?? The agency can then sell FairLoc translations to their clients. This means they agree to take a human-first approach to translation on these jobs, using MT and AI only as aids and sources of inspiration. The human linguist is paid to translate, not review. 4?? The client can then display the FairLoc stamp with their texts. This tells their ends users and customers that the text they are reading is genuine and free from hallucinations, and it gives them another feather in their CSR cap. All in all, it is an extra incentive for the client to choose the human option, not just because its better quality, but because its fairer, too. Visit our website to learn more: fairloc.com And feel free to reach out with any comments or questions! #fairloc #humantranslation #humancreativity #artificialintelligence #ai #machinetranslation #fairlocalization #translation #localization