110: What Translators can Teach Us about AI and Tech with Bill Lafferty

In this episode, Dan welcomes translation and localization expert Bill Lafferty, the founder of Loc Navigator, a resource-rich newsletter that helps readers understand translation and localization as drivers of business growth. An accomplished Japanese-to-English legal translator, enterprise localization project leader, and localization technology consultant, Bill has lived at the intersection of technology and translation for nearly three decades. And full disclosure: he’s been one of Dan’s best friends for over 25 years, so he knows…quite a lot about the host of the show.

He and Dan reminisce a bit and then dig into the evolution of translation and localization and the proliferation of technology in the field. Perhaps more than any other profession, translators have had to deal with ever-improving AI tools, and adaptation and skill enhancement have been par for the course. Now, with ChatGPT and LLMs performing better translations than any previous disruptive development, will translators survive?

Find out as Bill and Dan uncover some of the misconceptions about where AI is taking the translation profession - and by extension, other language-intensive jobs. In this episode:

Delve into the crucial role localization has in enhancing global business performance.
Understand the influence human proficiency has on the nuance-rich translation industry.
Scrutinize the landscape of the translation field in the new age of AI and machine translation.
Ascertain the advantages and pitfalls of forging a career path in translation and localization.
Embrace the importance of fostering continuous learning in the dynamic tech-driven world.

Listen in and hear…

All about the world of translation
The concept of localization of languages
Perceptions about Google Translate
Human-oriented tasks in translation
What makes Bill so interested in language translation
The beauty of the Japanese language
The intersection of software and local translation
Legal translation and the room for growth
Where machine translation fails
ChatGPT and how it is impacting translation
Neuro-machine translations, usages, and limitations
On-the-fly speech translation and pixelation
The difference between localization and translation
Understanding taxonomy and how it plays within your business
The Block Chain and opportunities it brings
How AI helps increase the capacity and quality of communications

Notable Quotes:

“A lot of language learning comes from an openness to rhythm and sound.” – (12:49), Bill
“There’s different levels to feeling accomplished when speaking a second language.” – (17:11), Bill
“It was more important for me at the right age to make this really big career change into something different because I felt life would be a little less heavy.” – (20:07), Bill
“Savvy, freelance translators are learning to use these technologies and harness them and use them as accelerators.” – (30:28), Bill
“Low level jobs that would’ve been steps along the way are not exactly necessary anymore.” – (33:58), Dan
“The amount of words being created everyday is just incredible.” – (35:58), Bill
“New tools require new operators.” – (36:28), Dan
“Localization is one of the key drivers for global growth for any business.” – (51:03), Bill
“Translation is an industry that has always been shaped by infusions of technology.” – (57:23), Bill
“Making something less complex is a huge value-add in this economy right now.” – (1:00:18), Bill
“The better you can be at helping your customers or stakeholders to escape complexity, the more they’re going to thank you.” – (1:00:32), Bill
“In my opinion ChatGPT promotes better mental health.” – (1:02:26), Bill
“For freelance translators, don’t let all this noise about technology be something that is going to derail your career. Do what you love.” – (1:12:33), Bill

Dan Nestle Links

Bill Lafferty Links

Timestamped summary of this episode, courtesy of Capsho:

00:00:00 - Introduction,
Dan introduces the podcast and his guest, Bill Lafferty, who has a long career in translation and localization. They discuss the importance of translation in today's global economy.

00:02:37 - The Perception of Translation,
Dan and Bill talk about the misconception that translation is a commoditized service and the challenge of overcoming this perception. They highlight the need for human-oriented tasks in translation and the importance of delivering translations that feel natural to the target audience.

00:06:09 - The Commoditization of Translation,
Bill discusses the commoditization of the translation industry and the long tail of language service providers. He emphasizes the importance of understanding clients' goals and finding solutions that fit their budget.

00:07:52 - AI and Translation,
Dan and Bill touch on the advancements in AI and its impact on the translation industry. They discuss the complexities of translating multiple languages and character sets, and how translation has been grappling with these challenges for a long time.

00:11:02 - Bill's Journey in Translation,
Bill shares his journey in translation, from studying Japanese in college to being enchanted by the language. He discusses his experience as a legal translator and the rewards of learning to read Japanese at a high level.

00:15:13 - The Meticulousness of Translation,
The guest discusses the meticulous nature of translation, where one stroke or change in a character can completely change the meaning. They also highlight the challenge of finding the opposite meaning from the same character given a different conjugation.

00:15:50 - Curiosity and Connection,
The guest emphasizes the importance of curiosity and an innate sense of curiosity in learning a second language. They also express the desire to reach out and connect with others through language.

00:16:26 - Shades of Meaning in Japanese,
The guest compares languages like Japanese and Chinese to Romance languages, highlighting the complexity and multiple shades of meaning in characters. They discuss the challenge of translating legal contracts and documents from English to Japanese.

00:18:20 - Missing the Social Dynamic,
The guest shares their reason for stopping their translation career, expressing a desire for more socialization and connection with people. They enjoy talking and developing relationships, which led them to their current role in sales and client development.

00:19:47 - The Desire for Hands-On Translation,
The guest expresses a desire to return to translation and be hands-on, as they enjoy diving in and being tactile. They mention the possibility of translating short stories or engaging in more creative translation in the future.

00:30:57 - Impact of Technology on Solopreneurs and Small Business Owners,
Technology advancements like Chat GPT can disrupt industries, potentially putting solopreneurs and small business owners out of business or forcing them onto new career paths.

00:32:21 - Disruption in the Creative World,
The creative world, including industries like copywriting, marketing consulting, and translation, is experiencing disruption as technology continues to advance. Jobs that were once necessary may become obsolete as AI tools like Chat GPT become more sophisticated.

00:34:15 - The Role of Supervised Learning and Machine Translation,
In machine translation, there is a distinction between supervised learning and unsupervised learning. While Chat GPT goes through a filtration process, unsupervised machine translation can still be improved with technology advancements like neural machine translation.

00:35:33 - Balancing Machine Translation and Human Translation,
When expanding into new markets, companies must consider the balance between using machine translation and human translation. While machine translation may be budget-friendly, it's important to ensure that the first impression of a product or brand is accurate and well-translated.

00:38:43 - New Skills and Opportunities,
The introduction of AI tools like Chat GPT creates new opportunities for those who possess skills in manipulating and guiding these tools. Curiosity and a command of language are valuable assets in utilizing AI for oneself or clients.

00:46:38 - The Potential of Machine Translation,
The guest discusses the potential of machine translation, mentioning the possibility of real-time translation and the ability to overlay mouth movements in different languages. However, he notes that the marriage of technology and translation is still not fully developed.

00:47:56 - The Advancements in Machine Translation,
The guest acknowledges that developments in machine translation are already happening, citing examples such as instant translation on LinkedIn. He emphasizes that while machine translation has improved, it still comes with certain limitations and caveats.

00:49:49 - Localization vs. Translation,
The host and guest discuss localization, highlighting its importance in global business growth. They explain that localization goes beyond translation as it involves adapting content to different languages, cultures, and markets. They note that localization should be considered early on in the development process.

00:51:18 - Historical Challenges in Localization,
The guest explains that the historical paradigm of starting in a single market and expanding later has led to localization being an afterthought for many businesses. However, he mentions that forward-thinking companies are now incorporating localization into their product development from the beginning.

00:56:21 - The Future of Localization,
The guest sees a positive future for localization, as technology continues to advance and automation becomes more desired. However, he highlights the need for strategic consulting and human involvement to ensure accurate and effective localization. The challenges ahead include keeping up with evolving technology and untangling the complexities of AI in localization workflows.

01:02:41 - Promoting Better Mental Health,
The conversation starts with both Dan and Bill sharing their experiences of unhappiness in various positions throughout their careers. They discuss how using Chat GPT has helped them explore new ideas and perspectives, leading to a sense of fulfillment and better mental health.

01:03:26 - Empowering Website Development,
Bill shares a specific example of how Chat GPT helped him enhance his website, Loknavigator.com. He explains how he was able to program interactive tiles and generate personalized suggestions based on user inputs. This experience opened his mind to new possibilities and boosted his confidence in web development.

01:04:51 - Chat GPT for Code Generation,
The conversation highlights the effectiveness of Chat GPT in generating code snippets. Bill mentions that he used Chat GPT to find the snippets of code he needed to improve his website's functionality. They discuss the power of AI in code generation and its potential for improving workflow efficiency.

01:06:11 - Mindset Shifts and Pivoting,
Dan and Bill discuss how using Chat GPT has helped them shift their mindsets and approach tasks and projects from new perspectives. They also mention the importance of having someone to bounce ideas off and validate their thinking. Chat GPT serves as a helpful tool in moments of panic or uncertainty.

01:09:12 - Overcoming Learning Hurdles,
The conversation emphasizes how Chat GPT accelerates the learning process and helps overcome learning hurdles. Bill shares his personal accomplishment in using Chat GPT.

*Notes were created by humans, with help from Capsho, my preferred AI show notes assistant.

110: What Translators can Teach Us about AI and Tech with Bill Lafferty

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