It turns out that speech translation systems have been massively and systematically exaggerating the capabilities of their systems by using tests that have been known to be flawed for at least a decade.
Now that people are taking their claims seriously, the truth is coming out.
The Promise and Pitfalls of China’s AI Sign Language Interpreters
Broadcasters have embraced the tech in the name of boosting accessibility. But few bother to stop and ask what China’s #Deaf community thinks about the interpreters.
Former Afghan interpreter detained by ICE speaks out from behind bars https://fox5sandiego.com/news/local-news/former-afghan-interpreter-detained-by-ice-speaks-out-from-behind-bars/ #news #interpreting
IfTra @ Translation in Transition 8 (2026): The TT conference series has served as venue for empirical #research in #translation and #interpreting for more than a decade. In the upcoming edition organised by the work group around Stella Neumann and hosted by RWTH #Aachen University, IfTra will contribute a workshop on #transfer activities and projects. Learn more under https://www.anglistik.rwth-aachen.de/cms/Anglistik/Forschung/Konferenzen-Veranstaltungen/~bofdcv/Translation-in-Transition-Conference/
Hope to see you there!
I put in a quote to interpret at the International Conference for Procrastinators. They still haven't gotten back to me.
I mean, what could go wrong? 
https://lifehacker.com/tech/microsoft-teams-is-about-to-become-a-universal-translator?
How do interpreters know when to summarise speakers?
German is my love's language: https://englishroseberlin.com/german-is-my-love-language/
I decided to start posting more of the things I make and write on Mastodon.
What is love? What is interpretation?
On our eighth wedding anniversary, I explore what they mean to me and my husband.
I tell the tale of how we met, how we communicate now, and how he helped me at my most vulnerable.
German isn't exactly the language of love, but it’s my love’s native language.
One of the lesser known #tech secrets is that all automated speech translation/machine interpreting systems are built on a failed model and tested using failed methods. It's a matter of time until this causes serious issues.
Does anyone know what FIT actually does? FIT Europe seems to do stuff but the head office of FIT? Not so much. #translation #interpreting
With the rapid fall of the birdsite and ProZ being less popular than herpes, it seems that the #translation and #interpreting communities are split between here, Bluesky (which felt like shouting into the void) and LinkedIn. It's sad to see such fragmentation.
There's no good evidence that Computer Aided Interpreting tools actually bring about a net improvement in #interpreting.
It's not that human #interpreting is no longer useful. It's that decades of poor PR, mistreatment, and invisibility have meant that it is undervalued.
My newly redesigned business website just went live.
Language policy in the Belgian Senate.
In this parliamentary committee room (for institutional reforms) there’s live interpreting for the two main national languages: Dutch and French.
But on the microphones the instructions are written down in neither language, but in English (which has no legal status as a language in Belgium).
(I love it.)
