How Has Translation Changed in the Last 10 Years?

Taking a quick glance at the modern translation industry makes it obvious that we are dealing with a creative field where the ability to provide unique content and think outside the box constitutes the driving force behind success and the list of accomplishments. Without a doubt, when even ten years ago the majority of professional translators have tried the AI-powered solutions only to test how it works in practice, it has already become a standard for certain agencies. Although the implemented algorithms and memory translation databases gained their popularity, they often took the human element away, which has forced educators to stress the importance of analysis in translation work. Still, how has translation changed in the last ten years and what factors constituted these changes?

4 Ways in Which Translation Changed in the Last 10 Years

• The Challenges of Automation & Human Translation. While it may seem that the use of translation tools like SDL Trados has become more popular during the last decade, it is far not the case. Since only a human translator can offer an insight regarding the original content, more people see the importance of education and the personal skills of a particular translator. For example, The Word Point translation service focuses on human contribution to every translated work as it deals with technical manuals, poetry, literary works, and official documents. Doing so helps to avoid various mistakes when a translator must implement creativity.

• More Focus on SEO & Marketing Aspects. Since we are dealing with the global community regardless of our initial purpose, the nature of modern translations became even more focused on SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and various marketing aspects. While we are not always working with localisation, translators are forced to study the subject and adjust various sentences to make them more suitable even before they start with their work. As one may assume that such an approach has always been the case, it has also impacted the field of modern education where every research paper translated represents a commercial value.

• Multilingual Content Applicability. Another major change in the field of translation relates to the creation of multilingual content, which means that translators tend to implement certain global standards that focus on the cultural aspects of the country. While we could see a more carbon-copy approach to the translation of large projects in the past, modern linguists prefer working from scratch, which helps them to provide their customers with unique content that follows the cultural factors of the language and the changes that have taken place in the society.

• Additional Expertise Becomes Even More Important. While it was mostly implemented only for technical translations where the presence of an expert is crucial, more and more ordinary customers request this particular feature these days. It must be noted that working with additional expertise is not always a sign of not trusting your translator’s skills because it is only done to receive an opinion in terms of style and accessibility. Once an expert checks the final translation, the comments that are left help the customer consider certain additions or shortenings of their final translation.

The Influence of Freelance Translation Work

It must be noted that the majority of professional translators have tested their skills in terms of freelance work, which has allowed them to focus on creative aspects without feeling challenged by urgent deadlines. It had a positive impact on how translations are being approached since every linguist received more freedom to analyse things a bit differently and add more analysis.

Furthermore, it is especially important for the translation of poetic works, advertisement campaigns, and educational materials where the style and being precise represents an important accessibility element. In a certain sense, modern translation has implemented numerous elements from the field of localisation like purely British phrases where the sociocultural element always comes first. Considering this aspect, one can safely assume that modern translation is coming back to being more human.