This abstract was submitted and accepted for submission to the XXIII FIT Congress to be held on 4-6 September 2025 at the World Intellectual Property Organisation in Geneva.
Breaking the Loop: the need for Experts in the Lead in the Translation Profession
For the congress track on: Future of the profession
Addressing the following specific bullet points in the Call for Abstracts.
- Specialised translation
- Training and CPD
- Translation
Abstract:
The translation industry pushes an agenda in human-machine translation that relegates the involvement of human translators to a position in the loop. Its default stance of a “Human in the Loop” involvement is at odds with the expertise, training and dedication of professional translators.
In many jurisdictions translation is an unregulated profession, widely pursued by self-employed individuals. Advances in technology, such as neural machine translation and the use of Generated AI/LLMs have created an industry narrative that translation is now largely machine-led.
In addition, the erosion of the traditional translation iron triangle of time, cost and quality/scope in translation, due to the heightened use of technology, has added to the pressures faced by members of the profession.
I will present why there is a continuing need for human translators leading the way, rather than being relegated to a subordinate position “in the loop”, as well as addressing the need for expertise and narrower specialisation over a broader and shallower specialisation, as well as advocating a human-led approach to the use of translation technology.
