I realised quite late that translation is what I really wanted to do. And this realisation occurred at the advent of ChatGPT and other heavily praised AI chatbots. Could my timing have been any worse?
I had discerned that in-house translators were slowly becoming extinct and that freelance translation was becoming more and more competitive. Being a good translator was not enough anymore, it seemed. I had to become one of the best. So I started researching options on how I could do that.
That’s when I came across the Schuman Traineeships, which provide vocational training and education in the Secretariat of the European Parliament. Aspiring translators and linguists can apply to three of the numerous traineeships in Parliament’s Directorate-General for Translation. I applied for a traineeship four times. I finally got it on my fourth try.
Progressing Parliament’s multilingual vision
When I started my traineeship, in Luxembourg, I noticed right away how invested the Parliament’s employees were in maintaining Parliament’s multilingual mission. The website makes clear: “The European Parliament differs from the other EU institutions in its obligation to ensure the highest possible degree of multilingualism.” It is fundamental to Parliament that every official EU language holds the exact same importance as all the others.
A commitment to exceptional translation is one of the pillars that supports multilingualism. Fortunately, Parliament, with this multilingualism in mind, has deemed that translation should be more human-based with translators being “assisted” by AI-based machine translation rather than becoming dependent on the technology. As the website says, machine translation is “provided to translators as an additional and optional resource for translation”.
English translation, with the assistance of AI
I was in the English Translation Unit where I translated various non-legal documents relating to Parliament, such as questions written by Members of Parliament (MEPs) and petitions written by concerned citizens and residents. There, I used digital tools for translation, such as SDL Trado Studio, which is a computer-assisted translation tool. And, of course, AI-based machine translation was always present.
I never felt obligated to use it but I did on occasion, for instance when I was stuck on a term and all other resources weren’t helping; or when I wanted to see alternative ways of translating what I had put down; or sometimes when I had really tight deadlines.
This is what translating in harmony with AI looks like. Using it judiciously rather than being an overworked slave to the technology, or worse, feeling bored to tears. And there is a risk of this.
In postediting, for example, which is editing and proofreading translations produced by an artificial neural network, the work can feel quite dull at times. Using AI to make the first version of a translation takes away the exciting aspects. Drafting and checking for accuracy (through research and looking up terms in the dictionary) are my favourite parts of translation, not editing and proofreading the dry and convoluted wording of a machine.
The Clear Language and Editing Unit
Later in the Traineeship, I worked in the Clear Language and Editing Unit and this was where I really learned how seriously Parliament takes its aforementioned multilingual mission.
Here, I got to try out a variety of linguistic tasks. I edited scripts for the news and for podcasts played on EuroParl Radio, such as the podcast for International Women’s Day. This web radio is completely multilingual, playing all news and podcasts in all the 24 official languages of the EU. One writer creates the material for the piece and then colleagues would be assigned to either translate it into their native tongue or to revise it.
I also got the chance to subtitle videos made by Parliament that targeted the public, with stories such as A Polish citizen’s memories of Poland joining the EU. A similar process would occur as for the radio scripts. Either a translator (for each of the official languages) or an editor would be assigned and then there would be a reviser for each language as well.
The SDL Trados software and AI-based machine translation would be present for many of the translation tasks involved, but I felt that these had less importance here since creativity was vital to many of the publications in this unit. And machines have not quite grasped the art of creative writing (yet).
Closing thoughts on my EU traineeship
The Schuman Traineeship was a fantastic opportunity and experience for me and I encourage every translator with ambitions to apply. It is open to EU citizens over the age of 18. It is still possible for UK citizens to be selected, though (unfortunately, and for the reasons we all know) EU citizens are highly preferred.
During my time with Parliament’s Directorate-General for Translation I was able to move along my career trajectory and become more competitive in both the translation market and the job market. But that was not my only motivation. Just being part of these institutions was an awe-inspiring experience and I definitely got to contribute to the EU’s multilingualism mission at a very dire but also riveting time in its history.
I came away with a revived faith in the future of translation. If Parliament at least continues its commitment to multilingualism and its appreciation of the value of human translators, then perhaps translation can be saved from the brink of being annihilated by AI trends.
So, apply and delve into translating in this new and exciting world of AI-assisted translation at an international legislative institution! Trust me. You will not be disappointed.
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