The rise of AI: friend or foe?

There’s been so much written about in the news recently about the developments of AI and its potential impact on life as we know it. Have you been reading about it, too?

Whilst this sort of technology may feel threatening to our livelihoods and the careers we have worked so hard to achieve, AI is here to stay, so perhaps a better, long-term approach is to embrace it and work with it. There are, after all, so many positives to AI that can be used in the translating and interpreting fields.

​Fellow member of the Cambridge Network, Speechmatics, a leading speech recognition technology company, has recently launched pioneering real-time speech translation capabilities in 69 language pairs. This development is poised to be somewhat revolutionary in providing accessible communication for businesses and individuals worldwide, making it easier to break down language barriers and connect with people from different cultures and backgrounds.

Whilst such technology has existed for a while, what makes Speechmatic’s innovation very interesting is its real-time capabilities.

This might feel like a death knoll to the interpreting industry, but, at the moment, I think there is much to be excited about, rather than fearful of.

For interpreters, I truly believe that what will set you apart from the competition now is an ability to work with the technology and use it to work more efficiently.

Understanding the benefits of AI for the interpreting industry and how to use it to its maximum effect is more crucial now than ever before.

And there is nothing to truly fear, as whilst AI can certainly improve processes and speed up outputs, it cannot fully replace human interpreters, as interpreting involves more than language translation. Understanding the nuances of different cultures, interpreting non-verbal cues and adapting to unexpected situations are all aspects that AI is not capable of – yet.

Made in Italy comes to London – The bridge between Italian and UK Innovation Ecosystem

At the beginning of this month, you’ll find me interpreting for the Smau/Italy RestartsUp event, in London.

If you’ve read my LinkedIn posts or this newsletter before, you’ve probably seen me write about the Italian Trade Agency’s initiative, Made In Italy, which has promoted some brilliant innovations reminding the world of Italy’s continued and growing excellence in food, wine and design, amongst many other areas.

The opening networking cocktail event will take place at the Italian Embassy, on May 2nd (by invitation only). The event is dedicated to investors, corporates and relevant players belonging to the Londoner’s and UK startup ecosystem, interested in the delegation selected by Smau.

I’ll be interpreting, bridging the language barrier and helping to forge relationships between Italian entrepreneurs and the UK market. It is an exciting event which promises to showcase the best in Italian design and products, activating trade relations and building partnerships and investments.

There will be 46 Italian startups present, in Food & Retail, Smart Manufacturing, Energy & Environment, Smart Mobility and eHealth sectors. Innovation events often seem to generate a palpable buzz in the room, and I’m looking forward to being a part of this.

Keep an eye on my LinkedIn and Instagram pages for a report on Italy ReStartsUp – it should be a superb event!

European business travel beckons!

May is shaping up to be another exciting and fast-paced month for me, with a range of interpreting assignments on the horizon. I’ve got my passport and tickets ready to whisk me away to exciting destinations like Budapest, Helsinki and Copenhagen, (to name just a few!) and I am, as always, excited to hop on those planes and start immersing myself in these fascinating cities!

I haven’t been to Helsinki before so that will be quite a treat; exploring a new city is always a pleasure and I have heard such great things about Finland.

I have been to Copenhagen many times before, but I can never resist a visit to the famous Little Mermaid statue and this time I also intend on spending some time on Europe’s longest pedestrian shopping street, Strøget. It stretches for 1.1 kilometres and is filled with shops, restaurants and street performers: what a joy!

My new colleagues at Presence recently had a team-building weekend in Budapest. They took a great picture outside the impressive Hungarian Parliament Building last month. I haven’t been in the building myself before, but it has an incredible history and also, apparently, a resident ghost! Legend has it that the building’s architect, Imre Steindl, is said to haunt the building as he was so obsessed with the project that he was not able to leave it behind him, even after his death – now that is commitment!

What do you have scheduled for this month? I’d love to hear your news!