In-house translation – outside the box

Category: in-house translation

  • Cutting edge tools x Translators

    Cutting edge tools x Translators

    On International Translators Day on 30th September, I had a very brief cameo role on a video. I joined colleagues from the European Central Bank’s DG Translation, central banks, and supervisory authorities for a special purpose. The video was used to launch the Languages at the European Central Bank LinkedIn page.

    September has quite a tools focus for me: many translation events have a focus on the use of tools. Given the relevance of tools in assisting human translators, the subject is frequently on the agenda.

    At the start of September I presented at the XXIII FIT World Congress in Geneva – on the need for professional translators to remain “Experts in the Lead” in the human-machine translation era.

    I also joined a panel at the European Language Data Space country workshop for Austria here in Vienna to weigh up the pros and cons. My view related to the use of language data in public administration.

    In late September I attended the European Trados User Group conference: ETUG 2025. The event takes place every other year and is intended for power users of RWS Trados products. The write-up of the conference is available on the ETUG website here.

    I presented a summary of Trados use cases presented at ETUG 2025 to the ECCO Working Group on Translation & Production. Their meeting focused on translation technology. I have been the FMA member of ECCO WG T&P since 2014 and attend remotely.

  • Outcome-based returns of human translation

    Outcome-based returns of human translation

    In my XITL presentations and discussions in recent months, I have frequently mentioned outcome-based translation. I use it to highlight why human translation is necessary. Frequently, I receive the argument “machine translation can deliver that in x seconds/minutes)”. A human translation of the same text might take hours/days.

    However, this is due to their “one size fits all” consideration of translation. As its purpose or outcome becomes clear, investing (not spending!) time on human translation is the cheaper option.

    Human translation vastly outstrips MT in terms of accountability, credibility and expertise. However, by only being reported on the expenses side of the balance sheet, the return on human translation is missed.

    How human translation beats MT.

    Here’s an example about something I encountered recently. I received an Excel table with raw MT titles of around 100 processes, each using an abbreviated name, grouped thematically. The table had been provided in German. We were informed about processes for review from the English raw MT. The raw MT had been used for that judgement call. It identified 50+ processes to examine more closely.

    We also benefitted from the synergy of my also being a process controller. This role helps me to keep abreast of changes in underlying supervisory law for banking supervision. In turn, I can determine future translation needs (e.g. for templates related to processes for reporting to the ECB). I know our processes inside out. My colleague asked me to review the list of processes, triggering my concerns about the MT output. We both believed it had misled her counterpart.

    To illustrate my concern, I cited five examples from the first block of ten processes. In all cases the MT was far enough removed to influence the request. My colleague checked with her line manager, who confirmed that I should deliver a human translated version of the table.

    While a machine translation might be ready in x seconds or minutes, sometimes the same translation, done by a professional translator in a number of hours, might lead to an outcome that results in days being saved downstream.

    What the translator did

    I compiled the Excel table to translate – due to my translation memory the 800 words took about 90 minutes. I made sure I delivered that day as I was off the following day. Once back in the office, the response was there. The number of processes highlighted had fallen from nearly 50 to around 35.

    Given that I knew what the processes achieve, I ensured in translating their titles that their context was clearer than a “word shifting” raw MT. The raw MT works at segment level only. It also only identified the combination as German > English (probably instructed). I realised that it was in fact Austrian Legal German into English.

    The positive outcome

    We managed to ensure the removal of fifteen processes from the scope for closer examination. We provided extra context on two newly identified processes, leading to their subsequent removal from the list.

    Investing three hours of time (including checking the rationale behind the processes) saved a considerable number of hours (e.g. 15 minutes / process for coordination our side, one hour / process for drafting time for the process owner in explaining the process based on questions asked, and hours of meetings involving multiple staff members). The impact in terms of reduction in unnecessary translation was around 1,500 – 2,000 Normzeilen.

    Unfortunately, other than illustrating the “Raw MT” near miss there is often not comeback on the effects of downstream expenses – unless there is resulting litigation. MT is therefore not held to account in the same way as human translation.

    Further examples of outcome-based translation jobs (non-exhaustive list)

    1. Translation of primary and secondary legislation with quality assurance by subject matter experts. The translations are subsequently used by scores of colleagues in ongoing supervision. These translations are used to confirm that EU Regulations and Directives have been duly transposed into Austrian national legislation.
    2. Translations that permit the opening of court proceedings in relation to supervisory procedures or the timely conclusion of supervisory procedures in relation to supervised entities.
    3. Notifications of supervisory measures taken, including those requiring notification to the European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA).
    4. Translations of documents that are reused on many occasions.
    5. Translations that assist the correct filling of forms and tables. Explanations help supervised entities to correctly notify the supervisor.

  • 7 thoughts on the challenges facing in-house translators

    7 thoughts on the challenges facing in-house translators

    At the start of this week, I attended an event organised for in-house translators by Universitas. I was part of a small and eclectic group, meeting at the end of the working day. From a very interesting and relaxed couple of hours talking with the others in the group a number of things sprung to mine, which I addressed the following day on LinkedIn.

    1. There is no “one-size-fits-all” in-house role. Expectations on in-house translators vary dramatically: from subject matter specialists through to multi-language pair generalists. There is no hard and fast rule about work in a single language pair or multiple pairs. Even classical “Translator” positions may involve a mixture of translation and other activities. For applicants for such positions, it is advisable at interview to ask about the likely expected hours dedicated to translation.
    2. Job descriptions for open vacancies are seldom as straightforward as “Translator (m/f/d)”. Translation is frequently only a part of the job description, and the job title is seldom for only a translator. In language career portals in the German-speaking world (e.g. Stepstone, Kununu or Karriere.at) most hits for the skill “Übersetzung” talk about it figuratively.
      For example a recent job advert for Österreichische Post AG for an Expert in Controlling Insights mentioned “Du fungierst als “Dolmetscher” zwischen Fachbereich und Programmierer und bist zuständig für die Übersetzung der Anforderungen des Fachbereichs in detaillierte Vorgaben und Zielsetzungen für technische Umsetzung.” In other words – nothing to do with translation or interpreting! In other cases it might be disguised in a job description for a “zweisprachige Schreibkraft” or “Kommunikationstalent”. This latter role is closer to transcreation than translation. Here are some common language-based job titles.
    3. The burgeoning TechStack: among the group around the table, the tools used, and expectations regarding such tool use was varied. There were also varying views about the expectations regarding the use of GenAI/LLMs. Some are very open to the possibilities, while others actively decline to use such tools, or are not permitted to do so.
      Often required training regarding GenAI/LLMs is not specifically tailored to translators. Similarly, the effective use of such tools for translators is not as clear cut as the hype makes out. Deployment of new tools is often IT-led. This approach sometimes overlooks those with genuine expertise to really use them and assess the quality of their output.

    Resource issues

    1. Double-hatting is common: some translators also work as interpreters, rather than having separate translation and interpreting personnel. Others in-housers are only part-time in-house, so have to juggle self-employment alongside their fixed employment.
      This naturally places additional demands on them in terms of time management and also how to organise their time effectively. Teleworking may have cut out some unnecessary miles/kilometers, but there is still a lot of juggling required with multiple positions.
    2. Working for a demanding customer base with dwindling human translation capacity: this can become even more difficult if language services are overseen by non-linguists. This can make it more difficult to discuss the need for quality that goes beyond “good enough”, and where “fit for purpose” is a minimum requirement.
      It can be difficult to get past only being viewed as a cost centre. Translation can be quantified easily in terms of cost, but its impact on sales etc. is more difficult to quantify. Tighter budgets mean fewer retiring colleagues are replaced, or FTEs are replaced by fractional headcount. Alternatively FTEs might only have a certain percentage of their time devoted to translation.
    3. Decreased job security: even in public administration there are perceptions that the job security of translators is lower than it used to be. The erosion of the classical triple constraint, the rise of “good enough”, and the improved “linguistic fitness” of many white collar colleagues has affected demand for translators.
      Job mobility and exchange programmes while studying mean that many colleagues are more confident in their language abilities that only a few years ago. However, there is still a subjective basis to their assessment of their own language abilities. Just as having two hands and a piano does not make me a concert pianist, working knowledge of two languages, does not automatically transfer into being able to write well in your target language.
    4. Rising expectations in terms of output: while tools like CAT and (N)MT have helped to increase translator productivity, there is still the unrealistic expectation in light of the promises of “instant translation” offered by browser-based tools.
      Translators’ potential output can really depend on so many factors – NMT/GenAI/LLMs are “confidently wrong” – they will always offer a translation, whereas the “cautiously correct” human translator reverts to the author if unsure – to clear up potential source or target text ambiguities.
      Similarly, expectations vary wildly based on the percentage of time spent on translation compared to non-translation activities. Often there is no dedicated capacity for terminology work. Only larger language units have dedicated terminologists: without them, it is often widely neglected. With the advent of MT/GenAI and the Terminology Augmented Generation approach, which is used to import your terminology into the LLM, it is likely to gain in importance.

    Are you interested in events like this? Universitas holds regular events throughout the year. Check out the Universitas website for more information – if you are not yet a member, some events are open to guests. If you are interested in knowing more about what I do, then why not join the Universitas Berufsbilder webinar on 23 October 2025, which will focus on the role of project management and process management.