Translation is one of the oldest professions in the world that undergoes significant changes every year. The current day lays down the rules: artificial intelligence, CAT tools, cloud-based platforms, and process automation are becoming an integral part of a translator’s job.

Technologies do not only make the routine work easier, but also change the requirements for professional competencies which raises the bar for qualification. Translators have to master new skills to stay sought-after in a quickly changing sphere.

1. Technological literacy becomes essential

Back in the day a translator needed to know a language and have literary sensibility. Nowadays a specialist has to master certain technical skills to comply with the requirements of the current market:

• Working with CAT tools (Computer-Assisted Translation), special software that helps a translator to assure terminology consistency and speed up the translation process. For example, SDL Trados, MemoQ, Smartcat. These tools do not replace a human specialist. They act as an additional instrument to help a professional work more precisely and quickly, especially when dealing with big texts and repeated phrases;
• Using translation memory and term bases which helps to preserve the phrases translated previously and use them in new projects;
• Having a good command of cloud systems and file formats, as projects nowadays require skills to work with digital platforms and various formats (docx, xliff, pdf, etc).

Such skills ensure not only efficient, but also high-quality translation that meets modern professional standards.

2. To understand the context becomes more important

As technology advances, clients expect translation to be of a higher quality. Earlier it was possible to have some freedom when interpreting a text, but nowadays the context plays a key part.

Technologies help to save consistency of the text, but it is a human who is responsible for correct understanding of:

• The meaning of the phrase;
• Cultural features;
• The aim of the text (marketing, legal accuracy, technical precision).

Without a proper understanding of a text, it’s impossible to achieve high-quality translation, even when using state-of-the-art technologies.

3. A translator as a specialist in their sphere

Technologies make the translation of boilerplate texts easier, so translators need to dug into narrow areas. A modern professional is not just a person who has mastered two languages, but also a specialist in a certain sphere:

• Law;
• Medicine;
• Engineering;
• IT;
• Finance and economics.

Knowing terminology and features of a branch has become more important than ever before. That’s why customers tend to employ specialists, not ‘one man band’.

4. A human is still responsible for the quality

Despite the power of advanced algorithms, responsibility for the final result lies with a human. Mistakes in legal and medical translations may result in severe consequences. Which is why companies entrust experienced specialists, who can combine technologies and human control, with such tasks.

JSC TITAN TRANSLATE pays special attention to quality check: every project passes several stages including editing and verification.

5. New skills: project managing and communication

With the introduction of CRM-systems and TSM (Translation Management Systems), a translator more and more often acts as a project coordinator, not just as a service provider. Nowadays it’s essential to be able to:

• Work in a team;
• Agree with clients on terms;
• Manage deadlines;
• Cooperate with other specialists (editors, formatting specialists, managers).

This makes the job even more complicated and requires a translator to develop soft skills and digital literacy.

6. Ethics and confidentiality in the AI era

With the increase in machine translation and usage of cloud services, the confidentiality issue becomes especially relevant. Customers want to make sure their documents:

• Won’t get into a common database;
• Will retain their legal effectiveness;
• Will be processed according to the ethical standards.

A professional translator should stick to confidentiality agreement conditions and ensure that the shared data remains secure.

7. Flexibility and readiness to learn

Technology is rapidly developing. Things that seem new today may become a standard tomorrow. That means a translator should:

• Constantly study;
• Take courses and recertify;
• Learn new tools;
• Be ready for changes.

Conclusion

Technologies do not replace a translator but complement their professional skills to increase qualification requirements. A modern translator:

• Knows languages and software applications;
• Specializes in spheres;
• Follows the trends and laws;
• Can collaborate with clients and colleagues.

A translator’s job keeps developing to become complicated and diverse. This profession requires high qualification and attention to detail.

JSC TITAN TRANSLATE actively incorporates modern technologies to offer its clients swift, accurate and reliable solutions. We invest into development of our specialists to keep at the forefront of translation industry.