Behind the Scenes

Flipbook Link: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/295aedfedf.html

How did the idea come up?

One of the participating interpreters Sasha commented: The thought of coming up with such a book is already an achievement.

That’s right, the idea to give advice to future interpreters didn’t occur to us until after having completed a series we did that compared professional interpreters to AI.

Starting from Interpreters and Music to Interpreters and Voices (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO-QGEbwcTr2MdhbLPPGszMw8Rdc5J9aI), the 12 videos we’ve made in 6 months led us to a certain question:

• How are we going to pass the torch on to the future interpreters in the era of AI?”
• We began thinking about if it was possible for us to share advice to encourage the future of our industry.

Who did we reach out to?

This subject is bigger than our company (Monterey Language Services), so we reached out across the globe to various colleagues in the field to ask them what kind of advice they would give to future generations.

Judging by the number of quality, in-depth, and complete responses we received, it seems that our idea to seek out advice from colleagues was a step in the right direction.

Navigating the complex undertaking

Martha graciously shared the medal she was awarded for writing the bilingual publication. It was very inspirational and taught us that we can learn to open our mind beyond interpretation assignments! It awakened our awareness of our role and responsibilityto disseminate the value of our heritage to other language speakers.

As a result, we decided to pursue putting a face to their quotes and deliver even more layers of information to the project, and that thought has really elevated the project and made everything more intriguing!

Captions and pictures

We are totally in awe to receive amazing one-line captions, such as:

• Bing’s regarding “the wealth of information disguised as language”
• Lenne’s regarding eye contact on the job. Lenne brought it to our attention that there are many different theories as to how long to maintain eye contact and where to look while talking to someone vs. What an eye-opening piece of feedback from Lenne!
• When we received Elizabeth’s picture with lots of beautiful divine light on her face, we were blown away. She explained that her husband took that picture as she was preparing for prayer ministry at a Christian retreat.
• Elizabeth gave us 3 options for captioning. We picked one, but her other two are equally powerful:
• A peaceful heart helps our minds connect the right words. Don’t be overwhelmed; rely on help from above.
• The key to quick recall of obscure terminology is the peaceful alertness of a watchman.

Our director of translation, Mei-Ling, cannot agree more with Elizabeth that feeling peaceful is the way to cope with uncertainty or obscure situations that we often face at work. It’s at those times that we should take some time, get some space, clear our minds, and seek inspiration. Once we find our inner peace, we will know what to do and understand that things will work out.

• Virginia’s holiday picture from her family is an invaluable contribution because, not only is it the only picture in the book with more than just one person, but it also shows how important it is to have a support system behind every one of us, let it be your family, friends, colleagues, or a professional team.

Collaborating with others and not fighting alone are very moving pieces of advice, and can really help one to progress. The flipbook is testimony to that. After all, so many passionate professionals in the industry came out in full force to support, not only this project, but the future of our industry as well.

• Pictures of Ruth, Layla, Jose, and Mei-Ling show that doing extra-curricular activities actually sharpen your mind and thoughts and make us a stronger and better interpreters!
• The pictures from Rania, Elizabeth (Love What You Do), Lisa, Paulo, and Maria show core elements, skills, and practical tactics required of interpreters.

Last, but not least, we also would like to give thanks to Rania’s contribution. Thanks to her summary of all the major advice, everything fell right into place, which we couldn’t appreciate more. We are proud to echo what Bing says–  “the flipbook is well designed and exceptionally inspiring,” what Elizabeth says – “I am sure it will be a blessing to newcomers and seasoned professionals alike.”

Conclusion: AI vs. Humans

Finally, the conclusion of the flipbook is on pages 14, 15, and 16.

• On page 14, Helena and Sasha identify the elephant in the room –
• Then on page 15, Vanessa challenges AI saying – “if you interpret/translate like a machine, a machine could take your job, but if you bring your humanity into the work, you can really stand out.”
• On page 16, Jose further concludes that –
  “In our fast-paced digital world, the intrinsic human qualities of empathy and warmth remain indispensable in interpretation.”
• “So, continue honing your skills and nurturing those invaluable soft skills – they are your most powerful tools in this profession!”

We were amazed to see that the interpreters provided different perspectives on AI and Humans, and echoed each other so well! The participating interpreters’ conclusion coincides with what Monterey Language Services is convinced of after making 12 videos to compare the performances of professional interpreters to AI.

Wonderful insight and advice

The messages from all these accomplished interpreters with their fingers on the pulse of the industry, with their heartfelt words and their pictures – it’s all really come together to make something special that we’re excited to share with whomever needs to hear it, especially during this time of uncertainty.

We love the awesome quote from Bing “the wealth of information disguised as language”. There’s so much information coded in language, and it’s up to us as interpreters to decode it for others to understand, which is something that machines still fail to master.

We clearly see a bright future for those interested in becoming translators or interpreters! So keep calm and keep going!

“Keep calm and keep going” is a powerful reminder for everyone. Don’t get too much into your head or scramble for a fix, or rush to make progress. Just stay calm, do what you have to do, and carry on. With time, everything will turn out well, naturally. Thanks to Lenne for providing the perfect ending for such a complex undertaking that, as Martha put it, will benefit everyone in the world of languages.