| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Translation in the year 2049: Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Translation in the year 2049:".
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I don’t know! I’m nor clairvoyant and pretty terrible at predicting things. Anyway, in 29 years I won’t be around to see it, even if I have very good genes…
| | | | Martha Schwan 
Brazil
Local time: 03:16
Member
English to Portuguese
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| WILL I BE ALIVE? | Jul 14, 2020 |
I will not be alive in 2049 to tell the difference.
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It’s hard to see anything other than literary translation needing more than a machine and maybe a quick polish
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| Unpredictability | Jul 14, 2020 |
Translation has existed for centuries. Therefore, it has changed and still will, in one way or another. I believe things won't be stagnant for the future is full of uncertainties.
| | | | | scarlet future | Jul 14, 2020 |
I think it will be quite different, although the demand for technical translations may fall off considerably:
“'The fleeting systems lapse like foam,'” he mumbled what was evidently a quotation. “That's it—foam, and fleeting. All man's toil upon the planet was just so much foam. He domesticated the serviceable animals, destroyed the hostile ones, and cleared the land of its wild vegetation. And then he passed, and the flood of primordial life rolled back again, sweeping his handiwork away—the weeds and the forest inundated his fields, the beasts of prey swept over his flocks, and now there are wolves on the Cliff House beach.” He was appalled by the thought. “Where four million people disported themselves, the wild wolves roam to-day, and the savage progeny of our loins, with prehistoric weapons, defend themselves against the fanged despoilers. Think of it! And all because of the Scarlet Death—”
The adjective had caught Hare-Lip's ear.
“He's always saying that,” he said to Edwin. “What is scarlet?”
“'The scarlet of the maples can shake me like the cry of bugles going by,'” the old man quoted.
“It's red,” Edwin answered the question. “And you don't know it because you come from the Chauffeur Tribe. They never did know nothing, none of them. Scarlet is red—I know that.”
“Red is red, ain't it?” Hare-Lip grumbled. “Then what's the good of gettin' cocky and calling it scarlet?”
| | | | expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 06:16
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
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I am a translator, not a fortune-teller with a crystal ball to provide readings or predict the future.
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 07:16
Spanish to English
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Whatever the case, I won't be around to see it, so it doesn't bother me one way or the other.
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Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 03:16
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
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| Somewhat in some aspects, greatly in others | Jul 14, 2020 |
It will be somewhat different than today considering the volume of actual translation work against the volume of MTPE, which will surely overgrow the former methods. However, there will always be those niches where machine translation is extremely incompetent (any text with humor, puns, emotions, metaphors, etc., very specific jargons, and/or with many mistakes/poor language skills of the author).
But it will be greatly different in the number of professional translators in the market. The... See more It will be somewhat different than today considering the volume of actual translation work against the volume of MTPE, which will surely overgrow the former methods. However, there will always be those niches where machine translation is extremely incompetent (any text with humor, puns, emotions, metaphors, etc., very specific jargons, and/or with many mistakes/poor language skills of the author).
But it will be greatly different in the number of professional translators in the market. The "peanut" market will become a giant, offering only MTPE, and may ensure continuity of translation courses in college. But the "A" market will be strongly reduced, with few very competent translators with an experience far beyond these courses. These will be highly-remunerated specialists.
What happened to clothes and shoes with the Industrial Revolution was pretty similar. Today we have machines producing 90% of the clothes and shoes, but we still have millions of non-specialized people working in the clothing industry. And we still have specialized designers, tailors, etc. who are very well remunerated, despite being responsible for less than 10% of the clothing in the market.
[Edited at 2020-07-14 16:07 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Max Jeremiah
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:16
German to English
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| Prepare for the worst, hope for the best | Jul 14, 2020 |
The obvious point I'm going to make here is that machine translation is getting better and better. It may reach another impass as it has done in the past, but no one can anticipate the technology that will be available in more than a decade's time.
That said, 2049 may well not be the year in which we see that technology. However, as business people, we need to be forward-looking and prepare for shifts in our industry.
I can only hope that MT won't take over every corner... See more The obvious point I'm going to make here is that machine translation is getting better and better. It may reach another impass as it has done in the past, but no one can anticipate the technology that will be available in more than a decade's time.
That said, 2049 may well not be the year in which we see that technology. However, as business people, we need to be forward-looking and prepare for shifts in our industry.
I can only hope that MT won't take over every corner of translation. I do enjoy translation proper and have only just started to get going in this industry. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Kind of different | Jul 14, 2020 |
Language is something very deep and human. That means that I don't think that technology will do it with perfection any time soon, but it will surely make the process different.
| | | | | Not interested | Jul 15, 2020 |
As I will not be alive I have good genes like Teresa but I am not an Highlander
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| no translation business | Jul 15, 2020 |
There will no translation business, there will be machine translation proofreading business
| | | | Paul Adie (X)
Germany
Spanish to English
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Simply saying that this topic doesn't interest you as you will be dead in the future doesn't help younger translators who are in a hopeless situation. I've been working in this field for 14 years, and I just see it getting worse and worse, with tighter deadlines and more automated processes. I would certainly still recommend doing languages at university, but a career in translation? I'd rather highlight the soft skills that language learning provides and investigate what can be done with those ... See more Simply saying that this topic doesn't interest you as you will be dead in the future doesn't help younger translators who are in a hopeless situation. I've been working in this field for 14 years, and I just see it getting worse and worse, with tighter deadlines and more automated processes. I would certainly still recommend doing languages at university, but a career in translation? I'd rather highlight the soft skills that language learning provides and investigate what can be done with those in another field.
I used to love translation and still do on those uncommon projects where you are given time and appropriate compensation, but these don't come around often in my experience. There still seems to be hope in the German sector; I recently translated some philosophical essays for an appropriate rate.
I'm not all down - I am lucky to work with some great agencies and direct clients, and I have another source of income which I hope to increase.
I wish everyone well on their chosen path, whether you have another 10 years left on this planet or another 80.
[Edited at 2020-07-15 08:49 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | More proofreading, less translating | Jul 15, 2020 |
MT is getting so good ... people will be needed more to proofread rather than translate. Actually, I'm surprised rates have generally not dropped, or output increased - not much - since I started 15 years ago. My output has doubled...and my rate is about the same, but this can't last forever. JRP
Chris S wrote:
It’s hard to see anything other than literary translation needing more than a machine and maybe a quick polish
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