Translator's Toolbox: Edition January 2025 Global Lingo

Welcome to this edition of Translator's Toolbox. Packed with tips, team shout-outs, and insights into the evolving role of AI in linguistics, this issue is designed to help translators and language professionals stay ahead. Enjoy the read and let’s keep growing together in the world of language!

In This Edition

? Dive into 8 great Tips for Building a Strong Translator Portfolio with Andrea Castillo

? Check out some of our Team Appreciation: Shout-Outs & Thank-You!

? The Impact of AI on Linguistic Professions: Navigating the Future with Anda- Raluca Ecaterinescu

? Enjoy our Joke of the Month!

Tips for Building a Strong Translator Portfolio w/ Andrea Castillo

A key skill for a good translator is knowing how to market themselves. A strong portfolio and a carefully crafted resume are essential tools that highlight their skills, experiences, certifications, and academic backgrounds.

Here are some simple tips that a translator can take into consideration to stand out:

1.????? Include samples of your best work

An array of samples of your best work in different projects can showcase your versatility and skills as a translator. Don’t forget to highlight your areas of specialization.

Include samples of the source text and the translation to demonstrate the quality of your work. It is recommended to place the source text on the left and the translation on the right side for readability purposes.

If confidentiality or ethical standards prevent you from sharing client work, consider alternatives such as including translations of publicly available texts that align with your specialization, or creating case studies. These case studies can describe your role in a project without showing the content, highlighting the challenges and solutions. For example, focus on how you handle terminology, tight deadlines, or specific localization needs.

2.????? Show variety in formats

Include documents, website, marketing materials, subtitles and E-learning content (simulations, gamified learning modules, slide-based training materials, etc.)

3.????? Demonstrate real life experience

This can be easily done by including positive feedback from previous clients (with their permission) and briefly describing significant projects. It is good practice to ask employers for reference letters with feedback and describing the tasks you performed during an assignment.

4.????? Use a clean and organized layout

Use a simple format with clear sections that include headings for easy navigation. Be mindful of the color, fonts, font size and design in general.

5.????? Highlight CAT Tools and software proficiency

In recent years, with the advancements in technology and the rise in the use of digital tools to facilitate translation tasks, it is important for translators to stay proficient in translation technologies to maintain a high professional profile and carry out their work more effectively.

Many agencies take the usage of CAT tools and other software into account when considering a translator. Make sure to highlight your proficiency in these tools.

6.????? Use a Professional Platform

Use platforms such as LinkedIn and ProZ to showcase your portfolio. Building a professional website can be an alternative to establishing a solid online presence. Create a PDF document for clients who prefer offline access or to share with recruiters upon request.

7.????? Add Certifications

Include any relevant certifications from reputable translation associations.

8.????? Tailor your resume

Crafting an effective resume is crucial as it serves as your first impression to potential clients or employers. A translator with a good resume will be differentiated from other candidates, demonstrate their professionalism and highlight their value as a language professional.

Start with a strong summary that highlights your experience translating, your fields of expertise, and the CAT tools you work with, along with some of your professional and soft skills.

Showcase your relevant experience and list previous roles with clients and companies, project types and the results. Use action words such as “translated, localized, proofread, reviewed, delivered”. And most importantly, stay clean and concise. Stick to a clear simple format and use a professional font.

By following these simple tips, you can create a portfolio and resume that effectively showcases your skills and unique value as a language professional.

Shout-Outs & Thank-You!

M. Valaie and Ryan Emami

"I would like to give a shout-out to our amazing Farsi interpreters, Mohammad and Ryan, who stepped in on short notice to interpret for one of our important client's project last month. They were very collaborative and received great feedback on their work! Many thanks, Mohammad and Ryan, it is great to have you on our team."

Faith Pritchard M.Ed.

"Another shout-out goes to Faith, who kindly assisted us with her skills in American Sign Language interpretation last month. She was amazing right from the initial contact up to the day of the event, where she received stellar feedback for her work. We are happy to have a very dedicated ASL interpreter like Faith on our team!"

Mukesh Kumar Mali

"Mukesh has become a valuable member of our team, assisting us with his transcribing and editing skills. He provides his expertise in the ASR post edition project and has done an amazing job helping us without internal resourcing and quality assurance processes. Thank you, Mukesh, for being a reliable member of the team!

The Impact of AI on Linguistic Professions: Navigating the Future w/ Anda- Raluca Ecaterinescu

AI is transforming industries worldwide, including the language sector. Tools like ChatGPT and DeepL are improving workflows and productivity. They are also creating new opportunities. Their rising prevalence raises questions about human linguists' roles. It urges pros to find ways to stay relevant.

AI-powered solutions, like machine translation systems, have changed how we communicate across languages. AI tool-assisted jobs at Global Lingo, which include human translation post-editing, have increased overtime from traditional translation and transcription roles.

Automatic speech recognition (ASR) makes transcribing audio much faster and cheaper than human transcription. This does come at the expense of quality. Like machine translation, the technology does not produce error free transcripts without human input. So, we still might need to use human post-editing on projects to meet client's quality standards. AI works well with simple content but can have difficulties when dealing with specialized, technical, or nuanced material. This shows that AI is meant to complement, not replace, human linguists. It enhances their abilities and productivity. For example, at Global Lingo, some clients have high-security requirements that prevent the use of certain tools. Additionally, audio may not be compatible with these tools if it contains strong accents or poor quality, further emphasizing the need for human expertise.

Linguists should not see AI as a threat. They can use its’ strengths to grow their skills and adapt their roles. AI often struggles with domain-specific terminology and intricate subject matter. By focusing on legal, medical, or financial translation, linguists can add unique value. Precision is essential in these fields. Language and culture connect with each other. AI often misses subtle cultural nuances. A strong grasp of cultural contexts lets linguists create authentic translations. This resonates with audiences and achieves results that machines cannot. Additionally, translating creative content demands flexibility and ingenuity. Human linguists excel at adapting tone, intent, and style. This is especially true in transcreation and marketing.

Collaborating with AI tools can significantly boost efficiency. In this way, AI becomes a supportive partner rather than a rival. When asked, our linguists wrote that ASR has been a game changer in transcription. It has made work easier. It can decipher heavy accents and poor-quality audio. Its tools are easy to use and fast to learn. They believe that learning to work with ASR and MT content has increased the work volume received from Global Lingo. They think those services have improved their skills and boosted their productivity.

All in all, they report a good balance. The tool can translate. They use their expertise to judge if it is good, needs work, or if a new translation is better.

Although AI can generate coherent translations, it often struggles with context, tone, and accuracy, sometimes even creating hallucinations. These limitations raise ethical concerns, such as data privacy and algorithm bias, underscoring the need for human oversight to ensure quality and reliability. Linguists, for example, must resolve variations in translation memory (TM) by selecting the most accurate terms and ensuring consistency. When better translations are identified, human translators refine them through careful research and judgment.

AI tools are reshaping the language profession, creating both chances and challenges. By being flexible, creative, and ethical, linguists can stay vital. They can spearhead efforts to ensure responsible use of AI. The future is not a race between AI and humans. It's a partnership to boost innovation.

Joke of the Month: Reaching New Heights in Localization!

Joke: Why did the translation project manager bring a ladder to the office?

Answer: Because they were trying to reach new heights in localization!