Programme

1. 9 Nov 2022,
   02:00 PM - 03:25 PM CET

   REGISTRATION for in-person participants
    

2. 02:15 PM - 06:00 PM CET

   DAY 1
    
   9 November 2022 (WEDNESDAY)

3. 03:30 PM - 03:50 PM CET

   OPENING of the conference
   by the Forum hosts Aminda Leigh and Anya Sitaram
   Welcome address by Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for Budget and Administration
    

4. 03:50 PM - 04:35 PM CET

   KEYNOTE SPEECH #1
    
   TRANSLATING IN A CRISIS
    
   Tetyana Struk, Linguistic Centre, CEO, and Country Program Manager, CLEAR Global/Translators without Borders
    

5. 04:40 PM - 05:50 PM CET

   OPENING PANEL
    
   CONVEYING CONTENT – GOING BEYOND TEXT-TO-TEXT
    
   How many ways are there to convey meaning between languages? Can translators switch from translating text-to-text to speech-to-text translation? What are the key changes and challenges in the profession today? How can speech-to-text and text-to-speech technologies improve accessibility for diverse audiences and how can they help translators with specific needs? What are the latest technological developments that make a translator's work easier? What skills are most needed and what new opportunities are coming up?
    
   Panel chair: Aminda Leigh
   Panellists:

   • Nicolas Beckers, Head of the Language Service, ARTE
   • Amalie Foss, freelance translator and President of Audiovisual Translators Europe
   • Dragoş Ciobanu, Professor of Computational Terminology and Machine Translation, Vienna University, Austria
   • Gian Maria Greco, accessibility expert, University of Macerata, Italy

    
   End of the first day in-person event.

6. 06:00 PM - 07:00 PM CET

   Online presentations
   (only online)

   • Online presentation #1 - Tips for newcomers to the industry

   The objective on this online session is to create a live and interactive brainstorming environment to help students, young graduates and newcomers find their ways in the language industry, and become successful professionals. What are the main current challenges to be addressed as a language service specialist? Is there room for optimism for newcomers? Geert and Claudio will discuss some career advice and share their experience focusing on new services, creative solutions and practical tips.
   Speakers:  Claudio Chiavetta and Geert Vanderhaeghe, members of the LIND Expert group

   • Online presentation #2 -  Tips for freelancers on how to identify and enter premium markets

   Translation markets traditionally operate in silos, with nominally “expert” players unaware of what’s going on in the next silo over. Join us for an overview of high-stakes, lucrative premium segments open to skilled translators prepared to do the work and invest in specialization. Our premise: opportunities exist in virtually all language combinations if you know where to look. And our ”*how to enter premium markets” title means just that: practical insights and ways forward, rounded out by Q&A. 
   Speaker: Chris Durban, freelance translator
   Special guest: David Jemielity, BCV / FTI-University of Geneva
    

7. 10 Nov 2022,
   09:00 AM - 09:55 AM CET

   NETWORKING COFFEE in Charlemagne building

8. 09:30 AM - 07:00 PM CET

   DAY 2
    
   10 November 2022 (THURSDAY)

9. 09:30 AM - 10:00 AM CET

   Online presentations
   (only online)

   • Online presentation #1 - Subtitling 101 - isn't it just translation?

   Have you ever wondered what it takes to create subtitles? This workshop will highlight the main differences between text-to-text translation and subtitling, give an introduction to the technology used in this particular module of audiovisual translation, and look at how machine translation is changing how we work.
   Speaker: Tina Shortland, Audiovisual Translator

   • Online presentation #2 -  What’s the Swedish for "inclusive language"? 

   Inclusive language is a burning issue in the Scandinavian countries too. But what is it? And can it – should it – be legislated? Sweden's experiences offer clues to what the future might bring.
   Speaker: Charlotte Merton, translator and language consultant

   • Online presentation #3 - Ethics and translation technology

   What are the possible ethical implications of translation technology use? Are translators and interpreters responsible for the effect the content and their translations may have or how they are repurposed?
   Speaker: Joss Moorkens, Dublin City University, EMT Board
    

10. 10:00 AM - 10:10 AM CET

    OPENING OF DAY 2
     

11. 10:10 AM - 11:20 AM CET

    ACCESSIBILITY IN MANY FORMS
     
    One of the biggest contributions language technology has made to improving our everyday lives is in facilitating equal access to information for all, including access to medical and other services, on an unprecedented scale. What are the biggest obstacles and limitations? How can we ensure the highest quality and make sure we do not cause more harm than good? What about content for the visually impaired and hard of hearing? Join the European Broadcasting Union's project manager, an eHealth specialist, freelance practitioner and a live subtitler for the Austrian Broadcasting Cooperation to find out more.
     
    Panel chair: Aminda Leigh
    Panellists:

    • Birgit Grübl, intralingual (live-) subtitler/subtitling editor for deaf and hard of hearing, Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, ORF
    • Bogdan Mitrofan, freelance translator and reviser
    • Fred Bane, Senior Data Scientist at TransPerfect
    • Benjamin Poor, EuroVOX Project Manager, European Broadcasting Union

     

12. 11:25 AM - 12:35 PM CET

    TRANSLATION & TECHNOLOGY IN CRISIS SITUATIONS
     
    Translation can have an enormous and immediate impact on people’s lives. What challenges do translators and interpreters face when dealing with a mass influx of people who need to understand another language during a crisis? How do humanitarian and public-sector organisations handle these challenges? How can technology help? How has technology developed and where is it heading? How can we cater for people with specific needs? Can we compromise on translation quality for the sake of rapid communication, or can poor quality do more harm than good? Join representatives from NGOs and the translation industry to discuss ways translation and speech-to-text technology helps vulnerable people understand and be understood.
    Prefaced by a video testimonial from Slovak translators, interpreters and coordinators who helped welcome refugees from Ukraine in the first days of the war.
    Panel chair: Lucio Bagnulo, Head of Translation & Language Strategy at Amnesty International, LIND Expert Group
    Panellists:

    • Federico M. Federici, Professor of Intercultural Crisis Communication, University College London, UK
    • Sharon O’Brien, Professor of Translation Studies, Dublin City University, Ireland
    • Gaya Gamhewage, Director, Prevention of and Response to Sexual Misconduct (PRS), WHO
    • Stella Hodkin, Chief Language Services Officer, CLEAR Global/Translators without Borders

     

13. 12:35 PM - 02:00 PM CET

    LUNCH BREAK
     

14. 02:00 PM - 02:05 PM CET

    WELCOME back
     

15. 02:05 PM - 03:15 PM CET

    YOUNG PROFESSIONALS TAKING OVER (THE FLOOR)
     
    Panel with young professionals talking about their career paths, how their academic training prepared them for their careers and where they think the industry will head in the next decade. Focusing on text-to-text, speech-to-text, and translation technology.
    Panel Chair: Lucia Doval, audiovisual and literary freelance translator
    Panellists:

    • Krisztina Lapu, EU specialist translator, MT specialist, project manager at Mentis SA
    • Filipe Tiago Stankovic, CEO at LinguaeMundi
    • Adrian Probst, English/French to (Swiss) German Translator and Content Creator at Freelanceverse 
    • Ekaterina Pliassova, audiovisual translator

     

16. 03:20 PM - 04:30 PM CET

    UNIVERSITY CURRICULA – ARE THEY ATTRACTIVE AND COMPLETE ENOUGH?
     
    What is the ‘perfect curriculum’? Should translation training be complemented by courses on marketing, pricing strategy, translation technology, data annotation and personalisation of translation engines? Should it include both text-to-text and audiovisual translation? Should universities cover training on roles such as ‘machine translation specialist’, ‘data annotator and translation engine engineer’ and ‘voice-to-voice expert’ in the near future? What roles are most in demand/understaffed within the industry at the moment? How can freelancers keep up with the changing industry landscape? What new skills and roles have been created by technological developments and how are these reflected in training for future translators? How are EMT universities responding to these trends?
    Panel chair: Emília Perez, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Slovakia, and EMT Board
    Panellists:

    • Jan Hajič, professor, researcher and manager at the Institute of Formal and Applied Linguistics at Charles University in Prague, Czechia, LIND Expert Group
    • Diego Cresceri, Founder and CEO, Creative Words
    • Tiina Tuominen, Professor of English and translation studies, University of Turku, Finland
    • Hendrik W. Johnsen, audiovisual translator, Vice-president of AVTE

     

17. 04:30 PM - 05:00 PM CET

    COFFEE BREAK
     

18. 05:00 PM - 06:10 PM CET

    QUALITY – MEETING THE NEEDS OF END USERS WITH AI-BASED NLP TOOLS
     
    What is the state of play in audiovisual translation and more specifically speech-to-text in international institutions, where traditionally text-to-text has been the core business? How do we translate websites? How do we keep translation quality high and our translators’ skills up-to date?
    Panel chair: Markus Foti, Head of sector DGT.R.3, European Commission
    Panellists:

    • Bruno Pouliquen, software engineer specialised in patent machine translation, WIPO
    • Mauro Bubnic, Head of Translation Support Department, Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union
    • Vera Vasconcelos, Speech-to-text Unit, DG TRAD of the European Parliament
    • Livia Florensa Tomasi, Committee member of ISO/TC 37/SC 5 (Translation, interpreting and related technology) and Project Leader of ISO 18587 ( post-editing of MT output)

     
    The end of the second day in-person event.

19. 06:15 PM - 08:00 PM CET

    NETWORKING COCKTAIL 
     

20. 06:15 PM - 07:15 PM CET

    Online presentations
    (only online)

    • Online presentation #1 Good Enough or Full of Holes? Translation Quality in a Technological World

    Arle Lommel (senior analyst, CSA Research) and Katerina Gašová (global quality director, Argos Multilingual) will discuss the changing landscape of translation quality and quality evaluation and introduce the “Reverse Swiss Cheese Model” for considering how translation quality affects the public. They will cover questions such as: What is meant by “good enough” and is it just an excuse for delivering garbage translations? What alternative approaches exist? What is a quality translation and how can delivering inadequate translation affect international audiences? Can unedited machine translation reliably deliver quality translations? What will the role of professional linguists be in an increasingly automated field? How reliable is language technology for tasks beyond simple text translation such as multimedia and speech applications?
    Speakers: Arle Lommel and Kateřina Gašová

    • Online presentation #2 -  "Using AI in AVT - What works and what doesn't work (yet)"

    Many use cases of AI in media and entertainment are very promising, and especially language professionals have successfully discovered and implemented several value-added applications. Whether or not an application is adopted by professionals as part of their day to day work, depends on many factors.  In this presentation, illustrated by real cases of transcription and subtitling, we are exploring what works, what doesn't work yet, and what is not possible to solve by technology.
    Speaker: Maarten Verwaest, Limecraft

    • Online presentation #3 - AUTHOR’S RIGHTS: IPR in audiovisual translation. Author’s rights of translators –  Can they be harmonised? What is the situation in different European countries? How can translators claim their (not only) AV translation rights?  

    Speakers: Miroslava Brezovská and Jean François Cornu, freelance translators
     

21. 11 Nov 2022,
    09:00 AM - 01:15 PM CET

    DAY 3
     
    11 November 2022 (FRIDAY)

22. 09:00 AM - 09:30 AM CET

    COFFEE at the Charlemagne building

23. 09:00 AM - 09:30 AM CET

    Online presentations
    (only online)

    • Online presentation #1 - How can accessible CAT tools benefit blind translators?

    Speaker: Wojciech Figiel, University of Warsaw

    • Online presentation #2 - Core skills for new language industry profiles

    While the market volume of the language industry is continuously growing, the industry also undergoes rapid change due to the development of new technologies and in particular the rise of artificial intelligence. The increasing need for language professionals inevitably raises the question which skills will allow translators to thrive in and adapt to a changing work environment. In this presentation, we outline how technological expertise, management, consulting and soft skills can complement translators’ competence profiles, so that they are well prepared to bring in their language mediation expertise in the present, as well as in the future.
    Speakers: Caroline Lehr and Alice Delorme, Institute for Translation and Interpreting, ZHAW School of Applied Linguistics

    • Online presentation #3 - Technology digest. Language Technologies in the service of linguistic accessibility

    Speaker: Elina Lahdenranta, Lingsoft
     

24. 09:30 AM - 09:40 AM CET

    OPENING OF DAY 3
     

25. 09:40 AM - 10:35 AM CET

    KEYNOTE #2
     
    THE POWER OF WORDS
    How has translation shaped history? Is the world a better place thanks to translation and translators? What would the world look like without them? How important is it to communicate precisely and in natural language? Does form matter? Is bad communication better than no communication?
    Michael Cronin, translation scholar, Trinity College Dublin
     

26. 10:40 AM - 11:50 AM CET

    INDUSTRY INSIGHTS: PEOPLE, DATA AND QUALITY
     
    What are the pitfalls of using language technologies, such as speech recognition and machine translation, for video localization work? How is the quality being ensured and how is the role of a translator changing? What does quality mean for different groups (FLTs, LSPs, end-clients). The majority of AVT translation is done by individual independent FLTs working for large LSPs or direct clients. And they have been very vocal about the problems with using such technologies.
    Panel chair: Yota Georgakopoulou, Athena Consultancy, LIND Expert Group
    Panellists:

    • Anna Zaretskaya, Machine Translation Strategy director, TransPerfect
    • Volker Steinbiss, Managing director, AppTek
    • Jan Pedersen, Director of the Institute for Interpreting and Translation, Stockholm University, Sweden
    • Stavroula Sokoli, freelance translator and researcher, Vice president of the European Association for Studies in Screen Translation (ESIST)

     

27. 11:50 AM - 12:20 PM CET

    COFFEE BREAK
     

28. 12:20 PM - 01:30 PM CET

    CLOSING PANEL – THE WAY FORWARD
     
    What recent developments and technologies are worth keeping an eye on? How can we make information even more accessible to even more people? Are machine translation tools going to replace most ‘fit for purpose’ translation, with high-end, specialist jobs the only space left for translators? Is post editing going to be the next big thing and can it be more fit for purpose than non-edited machine translation?
    Panel chair: John O’Shea, Chairperson of FIT Europe, LIND expert group
    Panellists:

    • James Hurrell, Head of Content & Localisation, BBC Studios
    • Britta Aagaard, Chief Business Officer, Semantix, LIND Expert Group
    • Adrian Probst, English/French to (Swiss) German Translator and Content Creator at Freelanceverse 
    • Rudy Loock, University of Lille (France), EMT Board member

     

29. 01:30 PM - 01:45 PM CET

    CLOSING REMARKS
    by Christos Ellinides, acting Director-General of DGT, European Commission
    and by the forum hosts

30. 01:45 PM - 03:00 PM CET

    Light networking lunch

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