The Translate-A-Thon translation marathon will take place this fall semester 2024 on
Friday October 18-Saturday October 19
What is the Translate-a-thon?
The Translate-a-thon is a short, intense, community-driven translation marathon, where volunteers interested in translation come together to translate materials for the benefit of our local, national and international community. We accept projects from a variety of disciplines in a variety of different formats: including print, video and digital/web-based. We welcome all languages to our event. Translate-a-thon also promotes a sense of community among translators.We welcome current students and alums, faculty and staff, teachers and students from local high schools, prospective transfer students, professional translators and other interested parties. See our Frequently Asked Questions
Keynote -- AI in Translation: For Better or For Worse
Bridget Hylak -- Friday October 18, 2024 3:00 pm EDT
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the translation and localization industry, but the question remains: Can AI fully replace human translators, or is it simply another tool in the translator’s toolkit? In this presentation, we will explore both the perils and potential of AI in translation, offering a balanced look at the technology’s impact on the future of language services.
This session will provide a deep dive into how AI tools like neural machine translation (NMT) and real-time speech recognition systems are revolutionizing translation workflows, driving efficiency, and reducing costs. We’ll examine successful case studies, such as the EU’s hybrid AI-human approach, and eBay’s AI-powered global expansion strategy.
However, the presentation also highlights the significant risks AI poses: from biased outputs and hallucinations to data security concerns and cultural insensitivity. Through real-world examples—such as Facebook’s infamous mistranslation leading to legal consequences and Google Translate’s gender biases—we uncover why human expertise remains critical in ensuring quality and nuance.
Join us for this thought-provoking session that answers the fundamental question: Will AI take over the translation industry, or is the future of language services one of collaboration between human linguists and intelligent machines? (Hint: An “expert-in-the-loop” remains critical!)
Bridget Hylak, CT, CI, MTC is a 30+ year language industry veteran, international speaker, consultant, author and trainer, working hard to bridge the gap between silo’d industry sectors. She is a globally recognized industry expert recently interviewed by TIME Magazine and NPR, has co-authored a guidance on Machine Interpreting for the federal government, and is a sought-after industry expert who serves on numerous committees in the language, language technology, AI and DEIA arenas.
Hylak is a regular contributor to Multilingual magazine, serves as Chief Industry Strategist for two language industry startups named to Slator’s “50 under 50“ list for 2023, and has consulted on several leading language technology tools. She is a past Administrator of the ATA Language Technology Division, currently copilots as Assistant Administrator, serves on ATA’s Interpretation Professional Advisory Committee (IPAC) and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania’s Language Monitoring and Evaluation Team (MET), and is a founding member of I-LEAD, the International Language, Equity and Accessibility Drivers.
A Stanford University graduate with degrees in Broadcast Journalism, and Spanish and Portuguese, she has also worked and completed post-graduate studies abroad in Argentina and Moscow. A certified court interpreter and ATA certified translator, her current efforts focus primarily on AI ethics and language technology consulting as Senior Consultant with TongueTEK Language Consulting.
Highlights from Previous Translate-a-thon Events
Translate-a-thon 2018 worked on translations for Mexican journalist Emilio Gutierrez Soto, who was seeking asylum. The National Press Corps conducted an update on Emilio's case in May 2021, and they discuss the role of Translate-a-thon in this conversation!
5/4/2021 An Update On the Case of Emilio Gutierrez-Soto
Translate-a-thon 2014 was featured in a UM World Class article!
Read about participants experience in past events
Watch the video featuring the Winter 2014 event below.
Translate-a-thon organizing committee: John Beals, Phill Cameron, Julie Evershed, Laura Fletchersen, Abigail Haile, Cyndy Kayden, Philomena Meechan, Alfonso Sintjago, Mia Li
