The document summarizes a foresight session on the future of the translation profession held in Moscow in 2017. Participants included translators, translation companies, universities and software companies. Through group discussions, they identified key trends, technologies, formats and policies that could impact translation between 2017-2030. Major trends included technological development (e.g. growth of machine translation) and a decrease in demand for human translators. This could threaten translator incomes but also create new opportunities. The session helped create a "map of the future" for the translation industry.
2. Foresight Session: TRANSLATOR 2030
In Moscow on May 16, 2017,
School of Translation Didactics
held for the first time
束Foresight Session: Translator 2030損.
Participants:
representatives of professional associations, unions of
translators, translation groups, professional translators and
freelance translators;
representatives of universities, tertiary schools and
colleges for translators;
executives of translation agencies, companies employing
translation services;
representatives of translation software companies.
3. FORESIGHT Technology
foresight the ability to see what will or might happen
in the future
is widely used to make long-term forecasts, and
represents a way to create a consistent and reasonable
vision of the future.
FORESIGHT - 束the process involved in systematically
attempting to look into the longer-term future of science,
technology, the economy and society with the aim of
identifying the areas of strategic research and the
emerging generic technologies likely to yield the
greatest economic and social benefits損 [B. Martin].
Result is 束a map of the future損.
4. Session subject: translation profession.
Thematic focus: translation (literary and sectoral),
interpreting (consecutive/simultaneous) and audiovisual
translation.
Time map involved 3 periods: short-term (2017 - 2020);
medium-term (2020 - 2025); long-term (2025 - 2030 亞仂亟).
Session object to use foresight technology to organize a
discussion which allows putting on the time map the most
adequate, important and interesting proposals on the fate
of translators.
5. Key concepts
of the foresight session
束Trends損 are processes which allow to improve and
complement the content of the future translation
profession.
束Technologies損 allow the specific trend to be
implemented in the future. Inventions and technical
innovations are considered as technologies.
束Format損 allows to present forms/formats of
interaction.
束Opportunities and risks損 which may occur when
implementing a specific trend.
束Statutory act損 allows to formalize results of the
trend at official (legislative) level.
8. 仆仂于仆亠 亠仆亟
束TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT損
minitrends
mainstreaming of translator robots and semi-machine
translation systems
constant refinement of automated translation algorithms
Implementation and development of machine learning
technology, launch of Big Data processing
束gamification損 of translation services
a heavy increase in non-textual content to localize which
translators should obtain new knowledge and skills
9. 束TECHNOLOGICAL
DEVELOPMENT損
threats
decrease in demand
for human translation
drop in income
of classical translators
translators unpreparedness
for rapid software development
machines start evaluating human
translator skills, which leads to the risk of
an inadequate assessment
translators cant keep up with market
demands for software use
professional degradation:
the more robots can do, the
less human translators are
capable of
10. creation of new secondary/interdisciplinary professions
or additional skills for translators
return of demand for creativity and cognitive skills
demand for highly professional translators to
train robots
束TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT損
opportunities
11. 仆仂于仆亠 亠仆亟束Decrease in demand for experts in
translation industry損 minitrends-1
Translator transition to related industries
Further inability of training system to keep up
with market realities
Professional degradation, decline in prestige and
internal skills
Blurring of professional boundaries
Emergence of new specialities in translation profession
Expansion of translation capabilities cultural mediation
12. 仆仂于仆亠 亠仆亟束Decrease in demand for experts in
translation industry損 minitrends -2
Growing gap between elite translators and
the rest
Absence of certification for translators, which
allows for dumping by less competent specialists
Temporary deterioration of teaching staff skills,
slow process of professional training of new teachers
Search function replaces analysis function
Dissolution of large educational institutions
13. 束Decrease in demand for experts in
translation industry損
threats
translation quality deterioration at times
of avalanche like growth of localization
content
further inability of training system to keep up
with market realities
translation industry 束stratification損 and widening gap
between elite translators and other representatives of
the profession
expert translators leaving the industry
due to the drop in income
14. 束Decrease in demand for experts in
translation industry損
opportunities - 1
growth of demand
for highly-skilled professionals
a chance to change specialties
within boundaries of the profession
improving the process of professional personnel selection
flexibility and ability to adapt to market demands,
and opportunity for professional self-fulfillment
creation of a flexible system for further education
and reorientation of translators throughout their professional lives
15. 束Decrease in demand for experts in
translation industry損
opportunities - 2
need to preserve, process and use
cumulative knowledge of translation studies in the
profession of a translator will give rise to translator-
researchers
personality-centered education
for future translators considering their skills and wishes
achieving a greater role of research and scientific advances
emergence of new educational institutions (smaller than classical
universities) able to provide a large amount of knowledge in response
to future translator demands
synergistic dynamics in translator training process, emergence of many
interdisciplinary translation specialties related to other areas
16. 仆仂于仆亠 亠仆亟束Steady decline in income損
minitrends
A steady decline in freelance translator
income due to the onset of translation
companies
A large number of ill-trained translators willing
to work at low translation rates
Growing dumping on the part of translators from
neighboring countries
Computer-based translation share growth
Negative effect of CAT-tools on 束classical損 translation
rates
17. SECONDARY TRENDS
Decrease in textual
content share
(medium-term
trend)
Consumer mosaic
thinking
(short-term trend)
Hybridization of
communication formats and
hybridization of translation
activities as a result
(medium-term trend)
Return to
analytical thinking
(long-term trend)
18. FORMATS
commercial translation 101 courses.
state services portal for freelance
translators.
a portal to preserve and share translation
research works.
association of translation companies.
19. TECHNOLOGIES
development of adaptive training courses.
improving the means of communication with robots (voice
input/output of data, a new level of software, etc.)
development of criteria for expert evaluating of translator
competence levels.
expert systems to identify professional inclinations.
creation of online learning platforms.
development of new learning technologies: gamification, use of
social media, etc.
customized courses for professional advancement.
building of networking cooperation to deter unscrupulous clients.
a portal with a list of opportunities and possible ways to study
various types of translation.
project-based learning (PB-learning), Life Long Learning.
20. Statutory Acts
a request to the Ministry of Labour to register
professions of new translator qualifications.
creation of a unified lobbying institution for
language services industry.
creation of accreditation centers for translators.
creation of the occupational standard for translators,
inclusion of translation profession in the unified
register of professions.
creation of educational standard for translators
based on the occupational standard.
creation of offices for expert evaluation of
translations.
21. BLACK SWANS
束the black swan損
(Engl. TBS, The Black Swan) a term introduced
by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, an American economist
- a hard-to-predict and rare event which
may have significant effects on the
matter in hand.
22. 束Black swans損 for translation
industry
2017-2020 2020-2025 2025-2030
Return of the 束Iron
Curtain損. Border closure
Lifting of
sanctions
The loss of critical
reading skills by younger
generations
Creation of a unified
global translation
market
Sudden and erratic
interference of state agencies
in activities of the industry
Internet censorship
introduction
Tightening of
regulatory control of
cash payments
Internet shutdown
Russias entry
into the EU