Translation and AI - 2

A ten-part course presented by the Centre for Translation Studies of the University of Surrey.
Cut through the hype and counter the pessimism. Develop a fresh perspective on the use of AI in translation and learn strategies to manage its impact on your profession and business.To complement its master’s degrees in translation and in interpreting, besides their open webinars and online lectures, the Centre for Translation Studies of the University of Surrey is now offering the translators’ community this in-depth course, addressing the key themes that translators need to understand to make AI a powerful tool in their work.
It aims to provide answers to common and difficult questions about AI in translation, empower translators to find their own answers to questions, and enable a proficient and effective use of AI.
The academic experience of the instructors guarantees an independent, non-commercial view on all matters related to AI, so, rather than offering lists of solutions that have hardly been tested, helps participants develop a knowledgeable and critical view on the subjects discussed.

The course has five modules, each comprising two 90-minute weekly sessions.

07 & 14 February 2025 | 2pm - 3:30pm 
Introduction to the risks of using AI in translation

• Professional translation as risk management
  
• Risk in the use of AI by clients and professional translators
  
• Discussion of use cases that highlight difficult-to-identify risks
  
• Presentation of strategies to minimise and control risk for professional translators
  
• Discussion of ways to adapt AI to the purposes of translators.
  

21 & 28 February 2025 | 2pm - 3:30pm 
Introduction to the technological side of AI and LLMs

• Introduction to the main technological concepts in AI
  
• Explanation of what LLMs are and how they can be used
  
• Demonstration of using LLMs to prepare translation assignments, by extracting terms from source texts and translating them into the target language
  
• Discussion on how to optimise LLM prompting as support for translators.
  

07 & 14 March 2025 | 2pm - 3:30pm
Creativity and AI

• Presentation of creativity as a fundamental competence for translators
  
• Discussion on the presence of creativity in AI outputs
  
• Test and demonstration of applications of AI writing tools
  
• Suggestions for using AI to support the work of translators.
  

21 & 28 March 2025 | 2pm - 3:30pm 
Neural Machine Translation

• Opening the black box of NMT as the main AI tool used by translators
  
• Explaining NMT as a mathematical process applied to language data
  
• Demonstration of methods for using NMT as a tool for translators
  
• Discussion of methods for, and alternatives to, using NMT in translation.
  

04 & 11 April 2025 | 2pm - 3:30pm 
Impact of AI on translation as a profession

• Critical appreciation of the influence of AI on the translation business
  
• Discussion of the reliability of AI-related sources of information in translation
  
• Discussion of different business models in translation and their resilience to AI
  
• Discussion of strategies to offer translation services as management of risk in the use of AI
  
• Presentation of strategies for translators to work and communicate as AI experts.
  

At the end of each session there will be a short quiz to help you assess your understanding, plus suggested reading materials, to complement the session and deepen your knowledge.
There will also be a post-course assignment based on a translation task involving AI. This is designed to help you analyse the usefulness of AI tools in translation and to reflect on your view of how you can use AI. A course completion certificate will be provided, together with individual feedback on the final assessment. An attendance certificate is provided to those that may prefer not to complete the assignment.

By completing the course, you will be able to:

• Understand the main concepts related to AI, Large Language Models (LLMs) and Neural Machine Translation
  
• Recognise different applications and uses of AI tools in translation
  
• Identify processes that reduce the risk of using language AI
  
• Acknowledge the role that creativity plays in AI and translation
  
• Understand the impact of AI on translation business models
  
• Develop strategies to manage the impact of AI on translation business models, reducing risk and promoting value for clients
  
• Develop a fresh perspective on the use of AI in translation.
  

Centre for Translation Studies, The University of Surrey
The Centre of Translation Studies of the University of Surrey (CTS) is dedicated to cutting-edge research, scholarship and teaching in translation, interpreting and other forms of inter- and intra-lingual communication. Since our formation in 1982, we have contributed to the theoretical advancement of translation and interpreting studies, whilst achieving real-world applicability by studying translation and interpreting as socio-technological practices, highlighting their economic and social value and their role as an enabling force for a globally connected world.
In this course, CTS is represented by:

• Professor Constantin Orasan, Professor of Language and Translation Technologies
  
• Dr Dimitris Asimakoulas, Deputy Director (Centre for Translation Studies) and Programme Leader (MRes in Translation and Interpreting Studies)
  
• Dr Félix do Carmo, Senior Lecturer in Translation and Natural Language Processing