On 24 Feb, we will both participate in the Innovation in Interpreting Summit organised by Techforword.
About the Summit
Innovation in Interpreting, currently in its 2nd edition, is a landmark event for the interpreting profession. It brings together professionals, researchers and ICT experts to talk about technological innovation in interpreting.
The Summit comprises both presentations and panel discussions stretching over three days. Presentations were recorded some weeks before the event dates. Panel discussions will be live.
This year’s edition was organised by Josh Goldsmith, Techforword’s co-founder, together with his colleague Nora Diaz. They have been brilliant at orchestrating such a large-scale event and we would like to express our appreciation and thankfulness for making us part of this!
Register here to view our presentations, join us at the panel on 24 February, and get the Power Pack which will give you access to all recordings and numerous other benefits, including exclusive contributions which we have prepared for the summit attendees.
About our contribution
The both of us contributed one presentation (in the form of an interview directed by Josh and Nora) and we will both join the panel ‘New Frontiers in Interpreting’.
Francesca's Presentation
Speech recognition for numbers: The magic wand we’ve all been waiting for?
Francesca’s presentation discusses the potential and limitations of computer-assisted interpreting (CAI) tools as a support to the simultaneous interpretation of numbers, the no 1 problem trigger for interpreters.
The recent integration of automatic speech recognition (ASR) and artificial intelligence (AI) into CAI tools has made it possible to display numerals onto the interpreter’s laptop screen after they’ve been uttered by the speaker nearly in real time. Examples of such tools are InterpretBank ASR, Kudo’s Interpreter Assist and SmarTerp.
These developments are extremely promising! ASR/CAI tools may both alleviate the effort perceived by interpreters and reduce, if not eliminate, errors in the rendition of numbers.
Unfortunately, things don’t seem to be that simple. Research has shown that interpreters continue to omit numbers, misinterpret them, even making severe sense errors, and perceive a feeling of mental effort when a CAI tool is provided. Despite this, they agree that CAI tools have potential to support the SI of numbers, once you “get used to them”.
In her presentation, Francesca will explain why training is essential to help interpreters make the most of the potential offered by CAI tools and learn to deal with the negative effects that manifest at first, untrained used.
The presentation is accompanied by a free infographic on the interpretation of numbers.
About Francesca
Francesca has researched the SI of numbers, both with and without CAI-tool support, extensively.
Her first study, which was published as a book in 2017, addressed the causes of errors in the ‘traditional’ SI of numbers and has served as a starting point for her workshops on the topic (visit our homepage to find out more).
More recently, Francesca collaborated in the development of SmarTerp and investigated the impact of ASR-based CAI tools on the delivery of numbers and other problem triggers.
In her PhD project, she is developing a research-based e-course aimed at helping interpreters integrate CAI tools into the SI process.
Bianca's presentation
New developments in computer-assisted interpreting
Bianca’s interview provides an introduction to the area of computer-assisted interpreting and CAI tools. These are applications developed to support interpreters in speeding up, optimising and automating their work processes.
CAI tools have evolved from simple solutions designed to promote more efficient glossary management and offering basic functions such as terminology retrieval, to sophisticated tools integrating the newest developments in the fields of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP).
One such solution is InterpretBank, currently the most advanced CAI tool available to interpreters. Bianca has prepared a cheatsheet which can be downloaded from InterpreMY’s virtual summit booth.
In her interview, Bianca will introduce the newest developments in the field of CAI, describing how they can help us improve our rendition of individual units of information such as numbers and specialised terminology, and discussing the pitfalls interpreters may encounter when integrating such tools into their professional practice.
Training can help us prevent these shortcomings and, while research is still needed in this area, there are some learning needs which CAI tool training should address. The handout which accompanies the presentation contains a list of useful links and tips to delve deeper into the world of computer-assisted interpreting.
About Bianca
Bianca has extensively researched computer-assisted interpreting (CAI), focusing on terminology support during simultaneous interpreting with manual look-up and integrated ASR.
She has recently completed her doctoral studies at the University of Mainz/Germersheim with a dissertation on the impact of in-booth CAI tool use on the cognitive processes of simultaneous interpreters.
Over the years, she has provided expert training on CAI tools, with a focus on InterpretBank, for which she is an official trainer.
Panel 'New Frontiers in Interpreting'
In the panel ‘New Frontiers in Interpreting’, we will gather with two more panellists to discuss the latest technological developments in interpreting, with a focus on CAI tools, their integration into platforms for remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI), their design, as well as training and upskilling.
Thank you both for sharing your knowledge at the summit!