Metaglossia: The Translation World

"About 17 percent of migrants in the city's shelter system are from African countries, City Hall said;  around 81 percent of migrants from Africa are single adults and adult families.

 

By Daniel Parra .

• Published April 17, 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the last two years, over 189,200 migrants have come to New York City and about 64,400 are currently under the city’s care; of those, roughly 17 percent are from African countries, according to City Hall.

 

New York City Councilwoman Alexa Avilés opened Tuesday’s hearing on the experiences of Black migrants by calling for more funding and language access services for new arrivals from African countries, hundreds of whom gathered at City Hall for the discussion and a rally outside beforehand.

Avilés, chair of the City Council’s Committee on Immigration, said that while the city has been offering social and healthcare services to migrants in Spanish and English, it has failed to meet the needs of migrants who speak other languages.

“Those needing information translated and interpreted in languages predominantly spoken in West African countries, including Wolof, Arabic, Bambara, Fulani and French, among others, have reported difficulty in communicating with migrant shelter staff and obtaining information from city agencies,” she said.

 

While the vast majority of asylum seekers and immigrants who’ve entered the shelter system initially came from Latin America, more adult migrants and families are now coming from the African continent.

 

 

During the last two years, over 189,200 migrants have come to New York City and about 64,400 are currently under the city’s care; of those, roughly 17 percent are from African countries, according to City Hall.

During Tuesday’s joint hearing of the Immigration and Hospitals Committee—which was not attended by officials from Health + Hospitals or New York City Emergency Management, two key agencies handling the city’s migrant response—advocates complained about the language barriers and lack of access to interpreters in shelters.

They also cited the difficulty of certifying new immigrants for workforce programs such as Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) training in languages such as Arabic, French, Pulaar, and Wolof.

Avilés asked the commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) about this lack of opportunities for non-English and non-Spanish speakers.

“As you know OSHA is a federal program,” said MOIA’s Commissioner Manuel Castro in response, acknowledging that it is difficult to find trainers who speak other languages. “This is also an issue that partly belongs to the federal government. They need to do better at providing training in these languages.”

According to Adama Bah, founder of Afrikana, a community center serving asylum seekers, the city does not have translators for some of the languages it needs, and the language phone line it uses to access an interpreter by phone does not work after hours, so she has been translating herself.

“There’s many people in this audience right now that I have to call after hours to translate for migrants, and they’re constantly calling and telling the staff members to speak to Adama.”

And written documents do not work for those who cannot read, advocates explained.

“There is a significant amount of people who are illiterate,” Bah explained. “We have been sending voice clips to the migrants explaining to them what their rights are and to understand what’s going on. So it’s not just written, we need vocals.”

An oral history teacher at LaGuardia Community College who has been volunteering with new arrivals from Africa read the testimony of two such migrants. 

“Life in the shelter is not a life,” she read, narrating the experience of a young Senegalese man. “I wouldn’t advise anyone to live in such condition. If you go out to look for work and you miss a meal, then you have to go find food. But if you can’t find any work, how are you supposed to buy food.”

The other shared testimony came from a migrant from Mauritania who’d had difficulties getting information from shelter workers. “You meet staff at the shelters who would rather clean their fingernails than answer a question,” the woman said. “Sometimes you ask a question and strangely you get many different answers.”

During the hearing, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams’ asked the administration officials present what their takeaways were from the large audience and their testimony.

“That we need to do better, and we agree we absolutely need to do better every day,” Molly Schaeffer, interim director of the Office of Asylum Seeker Operations, acknowledged. “Specifically with language access. I think that was the biggest thing we heard.” 

Schaeffer explained that around 81 percent of migrants from African nations are single adults or part of adult families, which makes them more likely to have shorter stays than families with children coming from Latin America. Under Mayor Eric Adams’ deadline policy for new immigrant arrivals, families with kids are subject to 60-day shelter limits, while adults without children get just 30 days.

Asylum seekers from African countries have accounted for 16 percent of applications at the city’s asylum application help center, Schaeffer added.

She explained that the primary preferred languages of migrants under city’s care—though not necessarily reflective of the most newly arrived—is Spanish, at 76 percent, followed by those whose primary language is French (9 percent), English (3 percent), Russian (2 percent), Arabic (2 percent), and Fulani and Chinese (1 percent each).

The wait time for a new shelter placement is 24 hours, Schaeffer said, though she did not provide details about the current length of the waiting list, and City Hall did not respond to questions about it by publication.

The Senegalese young man whose testimony was shared by the LaGuardia Community College professor also touched on the impact of the city’s shelter deadline policy, which a number of lawmakers have pressed City Hall to abolish.

“They’ll kick you out in the middle of the night in the cold,” he said, according to the shared statement. “They just don’t respect us.”

To reach the reporter behind this story, contact Daniel@citylimits.org. To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org"

#metaglossia_mundus

At the recent Bologna Children's Book Fair, publishers from India's OM Books, France's Lizzie, and Spain's Grupo Planeta discussed how Indian diaspora populations and Francophone and Spanish speakers abroad have fueled sales growth.

#metaglossia_mundus

"Emotii, a new emotion-based communication app, revolutionizes global connectivity

By: Press Release Distribution Service

April 18, 2024 at 11:02 AM EDT

Powered by advanced AI and multiple large models including Chat GPT, emotii is redefining how people connect globally by facilitating real-time, authentic communication regardless of language barriers.

United Kingdom - April 18, 2024 —

emotii has unveiled a ground-breaking emotion-based communication tool powered by advanced AI technology and designed to bridge linguistic divides and foster authentic connections on a global level.

Language barriers have long been a challenge to effective communication. Whether travelling to a foreign country, interacting with global clients, or simply trying to connect with people from different cultures, the ability to communicate in a common language is vital. 

Previous studies reveal that 60% of European firms face limitations in foreign trade due to linguistic and intercultural issues. Surprisingly, even English-speaking companies face challenges when establishing a foothold in Europe. Beyond mere communication difficulties, language barriers hinder team collaboration, strain customer relationships, and impede international expansion. 

"This is where emotii comes into the picture. With seamless translation capabilities and emphasis on emotional context, this game-changing app transcends traditional communication boundaries to foster genuine connections on a global scale," shares Marcus Diggle, Chief Strategy Officer at emotii.

emotii serves as a bridge towards a more connected, kind, and understanding world powered by Artificial Intelligence. By leveraging advanced AI technology, emotii addresses the gap in the current social media landscape by facilitating authentic cross-cultural engagement.

The app's unique proposition lies in its ability to capture not only the literal meaning of messages but also the emotional nuances and cultural subtleties inherent in human interaction. By allowing users around the world to communicate in their native language while automatically translating messages for recipients in real time, emotii ensures that the essence of communication is preserved, promoting understanding and empathy across different cultures.

Diggle underscored the platform's mission to empower individuals and businesses with transformative communication tools: "We want to create a world where language is no longer a barrier but a bridge that connects people from different cultures. emotii is the catalyst for authentic and heartfelt communication, transcending linguistic boundaries and fostering meaningful connections on a global scale."

 

With 126 languages supported and a platform-agnostic design, emotii caters to a wide range of users, from those looking to connect with friends and family abroad to business owners seeking to expand their global reach. The app's interface and comprehensive translation capabilities make it a vital asset for social media users seeking to communicate effectively across borders.

In addition to its focus on personal connections, emotii offers significant benefits for businesses operating in an increasingly globalized marketplace. The emotion-based communication tool’s approach to language translation and cultural understanding is particularly relevant in today's globalized marketplace, where businesses increasingly rely on international collaboration to drive growth and innovation. By breaking down language barriers and facilitating authentic communication, emotii empowers individuals and companies to connect with confidence, forge meaningful relationships, and seize new opportunities in an interconnected world.

Through cross-cultural communication and understanding, emotii enables entrepreneurs and businesses across the globe to engage with international customers, partners, and stakeholders in a more authentic and meaningful way, driving growth and innovation in the process.

"The team behind emotii features a unique blend of linguistic prowess and advanced technological backgrounds, offering a competitive edge in nuanced translation," shared Diggle. "emotii's first-mover advantage in areas like cross-cultural dating and business communication enhances its appeal and differentiates it in the market."

In a bid to accommodate various user needs, emotii offers two types of membership – Freemium and Subscription. The Freemium package provides basic services for free, allowing users to experience the power of two-way emotion-based communication, while premium features and enhanced support are available through subscription.

As emotii emerges as a frontrunner in communication technology, it is on track to revolutionize how individuals and businesses connect across languages and cultures. With its commitment to authenticity, empathy, and inclusivity, emotii is leading the charge in taking a significant step forward in the quest for international connectivity and understanding.

For more information about emotii and its game-changing features. The emotion-based communication tool is currently available for free download at the App Store and Google Play.

Contact Info:
Name: Marcus Diggle
Email: Send Email
Organization: emotii
Website: https://emotii.ai/

Release ID: 89126743

In case of encountering any inaccuracies, problems, or queries arising from the content shared in this press release that necessitate action, or if you require assistance with a press release takedown, we urge you to notify us at error@releasecontact.com. Our responsive team will be readily available to promptly address your concerns within 8 hours, resolving any identified issues diligently or guiding you through the necessary steps for removal. The provision of accurate and dependable information is our primary focus."

#metaglossia_mundus

"International experts discussed the Silk Roads and mutual learning in today's world

17 April 2024

Just as The UNESCO Courier magazine explores contemporary ideas through its pages, the Forum aims to nourish the debate on issues of international concern. On 15 April 2024, two panels of international experts discussed the historical dimension of the cultural exchanges along the Silk Roads, and intercultural dialogue and mutual learning in the contemporary world.

As Vice Minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Zhang Jianchun said in his opening remarks, it is necessary “to draw on the wisdom of civilizations…to communicate and cooperate to enhance mutual understanding”. 

Other speakers at the event were UNESCO Deputy Director-General Mr Qu Xing, Mr Doudou Diène, former Director of UNESCO’s Division of Intercultural Dialogue, and Mr Zhao Tingyang, professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The event included an exhibit on the history of The UNESCO Courier, a display of children’s drawings, demonstrations of calligraphy and performances of traditional Chinese music and dance.

Dr David Abulafia, Professor Emeritus of Mediterranean History at Cambridge University, spoke of the impact of trade and the transport of objects across great distances, particularly by sea, which “greatly influenced artistic developments and religious ideas”. Roman coins found in Thailand, and ships carrying ceramics from China, such as a piece found in Egypt dating to 1000 AD, are “evidence of really exciting connections right across an enormous space”.

 

Dr Elena Paskaleva, Assistant Professor in Critical Heritage Studies at Leiden University, shared the importance of paper as a commodity and means of cultural exchange along the Silk Route.

“Paper was allegedly introduced to Central Asia by captured Chinese soldiers after the Abbasids (750–1258) defeated the Tang (618–907) at the Battle of Talas in 751, and the technology of paper production was perfected in Samarkand, one of the oldest cities in the world. Richly decorated Chinese paper was a precious commodity, and was used by calligraphers for the creation of the most exquisite Qur’ans produced in the East.”

 

Aya Medany, Olympic pentathlete, Champion for Peace: “I was in the Olympics in Athens in 2004 when I was only 14, and saw thousands of athletes from around the world. I have also participated in the Olympics in 2008, 2012 and in other competitions. I understood through this that sport is a tool for peace and dialogue. I have found that there are many intercultural problems not only between athletes from different countries, but also within a country. It is also important to work on cultural understanding within the same country.”

Other panellists at the Forum included Ms Susan Denyer, Senior World Heritage Advisor ICOMOS; Mr Zhao Shengliang, Chairman of the Academic Committee of Dunhuang Academy; Mr Euan Mackway-Jones, UNESCO; Mr Riccardo Pozzo, Chair of the History of Philosophy at Università di Roma Tor Vergata; Mr José Cassandra, former President of the Regional Government of Principe; and Mr Lyu Zhou, Director of the National Heritage Centre of Tsinghua University. The moderator was Mr Vincent Defourny, former Director of Public Information at UNESCO.

The Forum is a natural extension of the The UNESCO Courier, which serves as a ‘laboratory of ideas’ and a platform for intellectuals, experts and artists from across the globe. The Courier has been published for more than 75 years and is currently available in print and online in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, Catalan and Esperanto. Podcasts are also available.

 

The Forum included performances of traditional dance and music from China.
The event was sponsored by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, supporter of The UNESCO Courier."

#metaglossia_mundus

"There are plenty of options if you’re looking for something on the internet.

ByRay SaitzContributing Columnist

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Article was updated Apr 18, 2024

In my last column I gave some tips for getting better internet search results by using an old technique, Boolean operators, or a brand-new method, artificial intelligence. 

However, sometimes the solution to quickly finding what you need within billions of web pages can be found by using a different type of search engine, which is what a search site such as Google is commonly called.

Sometimes, it’s necessary to consult a specialist to get better results, and that holds true for internet search engines. Instead of using a general search tool, try one that only searches within the area of information you need. A good example of a specialized search tool is at Yahoo (https://ca.yahoo.com/). The Yahoo home page is cluttered with windows and ads but along the top you’ll see a link to Yahoo Finance, which deals with everything financial from stocks to money. In addition to finance, Yahoo has links to specialized search areas such as weather, sports, entertainment, and news.

Google also has specialized search tools. At the Google home page (https://www.google.ca/), click or tap on the nine dots in a square in the upper right and you can open specific search engines such as Google Maps, Finance, Books, Arts and Culture, and Travel. 

Some other specialized search sites are the Internet Movie Database (https://www.imdb.com/) for anything to do with movies or TV series, and FlightAware (https://www.flightaware.com/) to see what flights are above you, or track a flight and get its origin, destination, flight path, arrival time, and type of plane.

 

Slideshare (https://www.slideshare.net/) only searches for presentations and you can view and download the slides used in numerous presentations. You have to set up a free account and the downloads are PDF files which you can view on your computer. 

Wikihow (https://www.wikihow.com/) searches for how-to instructions to help you accomplish almost anything from driving a car to building a deck, and real people moderate the site to ensure accuracy. 

Wolfram Alpha (https://www.wolframalpha.com/) is a specialized search site with the aim to “make it possible to compute whatever can be computed about anything.” It uses algorithms and artificial intelligence to provide data and computations in the huge areas of mathematics, science and technology, society and culture, and everyday life. If you need to compute higher or partial derivatives, or the nutrients in an artichoke, go to Wolfram Alpha.

The opposite of a specialized search is a metasearch wherein you conduct a simultaneous search at numerous search engines and then compile the results to find the best websites. Obviously, you can’t do this by yourself but DuckDuckGo (https://duckduckgo.com/) will do it for you. DDG is popular because it promises not to track you or sell your search history, but it’s also a metasearch engine although, notably, it does not include Google in the search engines it uses.

A decade ago, I predicted that a search engine called Clusty was the wave of the future. It searched for keywords and then clustered the results into categories or topics. A search for apples rendered results in categories ranging from the history of apples to their health benefits. Apparently, I was wrong and Clusty went out of business. However, Carrot (https://search.carrot2.org/#/search/web) is still active and performs clustering searches. After trying it, you may wonder why the concept never caught on. 

However, even if you’re happy with the results you get at Google or Bing, there is an alternative search engine which will make you feel better by using it. Ecosia (https://www.ecosia.org/) uses Google or Bing for your search, but devotes all its profits to climate action, with the majority going into tree-planting projects around the world. To date Ecosia claims to have planted over 204 million trees in about 35 countries, including Brazil, Senegal, and Indonesia. 

To counter the skeptics, Ecosia is completely transparent, and its monthly financial records are open to view, along with instructions for making Ecosia your default search engine and disabling your ad blocker while at the site. 

You’ll find links to all the websites in this column at my Online website (https://www.rayser.ca/online/)."

#metaglossia_mundus

"Brave has announced a new "Answer with AI" feature for its search engine. It is available to everyone and works regardless of the device and platform you are on.

By: Tech Desk
New Delhi | April 18, 2024 11:35 IST

Brave's new feature is an upgrade to the company's existing "Summarize" functionality. (Image Source: Brave)

Brave has announced a new major update to its search engine – Brave Search that helps users find answers to whatever they are searching about online. In a blog post, the company said the search engine now “synthesizes information from multiple sources into a single, intelligible answer to almost any query.”

The new feature called “Answer with AI” displays answers to your queries in a clean and neatly arranged format to questions like “People who walked on the moon” and “List of directors for Batman movies.” Brave says it can also help summarise reviews and highlight the unique points of various locations like a restaurant.

It offers near-instant answers citing sources alongside traditional search results and works regardless of the browser and platform you are using and seems to be an upgrade to the search engine’s last year’s ‘Summarize’ feature.

 The new AI powered feature neatly organises answers (Image Source: Brave)

While Answer with AI will automatically present the search results in a summarised format it can also be triggered manually for searches that do not fit into Brave’s predefined search parameters. Brave says the new feature uses a combination of large language models (LLMs) with Mixtral 8x7B and Mistral 7B as primary models alongside custom large language models.

In the last few months, several reports have repeatedly said that AI-powered searches could negatively impact the internet. While Brave says that they are using AI to offer answers, it is aware that this approach might hurt publishers who are putting out quality content.

Other popular search engines like Google and Bing have already rolled out AI-powered answers, with Google’s Search Generative Experience currently available as an experimental feature in Google Labs. However, companies like Perplexity and You.com seem to be using AI as an alternative to traditional search queries."

#metaglossia_mundus

By Evelyn Cheng,CNBC • Published April 17, 2024 • Updated on April 17, 2024 at 9:14 pm

• One year after Chinese tech firm Baidu released its ChatGPT-like Ernie bot, the company announced tools to encourage locals to develop AI applications.
• Baidu's newly announced AI tools allow people with no coding knowledge to create generative AI-powered chatbots for specific functions, which can then be integrated in a website, Baidu search engine results or other online portals.

SHENZHEN, China – One year after Chinese search engine operator Baidu released its ChatGPT-like Ernie bot, the company this week announced tools to encourage locals to develop artificial intelligence applications.

"In China today, there are 1 billion internet users, strong foundation models, sufficient AI application scenarios and the most complete industrial system in the world," CEO Robin Li said in his opening speech at Baidu's annual AI developers conference on Tuesday.

"Everyone can be a developer," he said in Mandarin, according to a CNBC translation.

While many point out how China lags behind the U.S. in artificial intelligence capabilities, others emphasize how the strength of the Chinese market lies more in technological application. Take next-day e-commerce and 30-minute food delivery, for example.

Baidu's newly announced AI tools allow people with no coding knowledge to create generative AI-powered chatbots for specific functions, which can then be integrated in a website, Baidu search engine results or other online portals. That's different from a similar tool called GPTs that OpenAI launched earlier this year, since those custom-built chatbots — for everything from suggesting movies to fixing code — sit within the ChatGPT interface.

The basic Baidu tools are generally available to try for free, up until a certain usage limit, similar to some of Google's cloud and AI functions. OpenAI charges a monthly fee for the latest version of ChatGPT and the ability to use it for computer programs. The older ChatGPT 3.5 model is free to use, but without access to the custom-built GPTs.

Baidu this week also announced three new versions of its Ernie AI model — called "Speed," "Lite" and "Tiny" — that coders can selectively access, based on the complexity of the task.  

"It feels like their focus is on building the entire native AI development ecosystem, providing a full set of development tools and platform solutions," said Bo Du, managing director at WestSummit Capital Management. That's according to a CNBC translation of the Chinese remarks.

Baidu said this week that Ernie bot has accumulated more than 200 million users since its launch in March last year, and that computer programs are accessing the underlying AI model 200 million times a day. The company said more than 85,000 business clients have used its AI cloud platform to create 190,000 AI applications.

How the tech is being used

Many of the use cases Baidu showed off this week centered on consumer-facing applications: tourism and creation of content such as picture books and scheduling meetings.

In a demonstration hall, Baidu business departments showed off how the AI tools could be integrated with virtual people doing livestreams, or directing search engine traffic to an AI-based interactive buying guide.

Buysmart.AI, which won Baidu's AI competition last year, uses the tech for an online shopping assistant connected to Chinese social media platform Weibo. The startup said it is using ChatGPT for a standalone interactive e-commerce app in the U.S.

"Personally I think that Ernie 4.0 has a better grasp of Chinese than ChatGPT 3.5," Buysmart.AI co-founder Andy Qiu said in an interview. That's according to a CNBC translation of his Mandarin-language remarks.

Consumers in the U.S. are currently more interested in AI products than users in China are, Qiu said. But he said that overall there is still room for improvement when it comes to building consumers' trust of AI assistants and convincing users to place an order.

Also on display was a humanoid robot developed by Shenzhen-based UBTech Robotics that used Baidu's Ernie AI model for understanding commands and reading written words.

It's not immediately clear how such AI applications can significantly change business at this point. But Baidu is the latest to roll out more tools for people to experiment more easily and cheaply with.

Customer service, voice assistants and internet-connected devices can use smaller AI models to respond quickly to users, pointed out Helen Chai, managing director at CIC Consulting.

She added that in scenarios such as legal consultation or medical diagnosis, small AI models can be trained on specific data to achieve performance that's comparable to larger AI models.

In the future, big AI-based applications will be based on a mixture of models, Baidu CEO Li said, using the technical term of "mixture of experts" or MoE.

He also promoted Baidu's capabilities in AI-produced code, one of the areas in which Silicon Valley tech companies see the most potential for generative AI.

Baidu said since it deployed its "Comate" AI coding assistant a year ago, the tool has contributed to 27% of the tech company's newly generated code. Audio streaming app Ximalaya, IT services company iSoftStone and Shanghai Mitsubishi Elevator are among more than 10,000 corporate Comate users, and have adopted nearly half of the code the tool generates, according to Baidu.

The global rush for developing generative AI has created a shortage in the semiconductors needed to provide the computing power. Chinese companies face added constraints due to U.S. restrictions on chip exports.

Baidu did not specifically discuss a shortage in computing power during the main conference session. In his speech, Dou Shen, head of AI cloud at Baidu, noted "uncertainties" in the chip supply chain and announced that Baidu has a platform that can access the power of several different kinds of chips.

Back in February, Li said on an earnings call that Baidu's AI chip reserve "enables us to continue enhancing Ernie for the next one or two years." The company is set to release first-quarter results on May 16."

#metaglossia_mundus

Learn how to change your search engine

Your search engine lets you search the web from your home screen or your browser. Learn about Android choice screen selection.

Change your search engine

On a Pixel device

Important: The instructions below only apply to the European Economic Area (EEA).

1. On your Pixel phone or tablet, touch and hold the search bar on your home screen.
2. Tap Settings   Search engine.
3. Select the search engine app that you want to use.

On an Android device

1. On your Android device, touch and hold an empty space on your home screen.
2. Tap Widgets .
3. Select your preferred search engine app.
4. Touch and hold, then drag the search engine to your home screen.
   • If you don't find the search engine that you want to use, install it from the Play Store.

On an Android device through Chrome settings

1. On your Android device, open Chrome .
2. Tap More   Settings .
3. Under 'Basics', select Search engine.
4. Select the search engine that you want to use in Chrome.

Learn how to set a default search engine.

Related resources

• Manage your Google Settings
• Learn how to change your default browser
• Download apps to your Android device

#metaglossia_mundus

Tests of models from OpenAI, Google and others found their advice tends to disadvantage names commonly associated with racial minorities and women.

#metaglossia_mundus

By Bailey Schulz  USA TODAY "Planning to turn to a chatbot for advice? A new study warns that its answer may vary based on how Black the user's name sounds.

A recent paper from researchers at Stanford Law School found “significant disparities across names associated with race and gender” from chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT 4 and Google AI’s PaLM-2. For example, a chatbot may say a job candidate with a name like Tamika should be offered a $79,375 salary as a lawyer, but switching the name to something like Todd boosts the suggested salary offer to $82,485.

The authors highlight the risks behind these biases, especially as businesses incorporate artificial intelligence into their daily operations – both internally and through customer-facing chatbots.   

 

“Companies put a lot of effort into coming up with guardrails for the models,” Stanford Law School professor Julian Nyarko, one of the study’s co-authors, told USA TODAY. “But it's pretty easy to find situations in which the guardrails don't work, and the models can act in a biased way.”

 

Biases found across various scenarios

The paper, published last month, asked AI chatbots for advice on five different scenarios to discern potential stereotypes: 

◾ Purchases: Questions on how much to spend when purchasing a house, bike, or car. 

◾ Chess: Questions on a player’s odds of winning a match. 

 

◾ Public office: Asking for predictions on a candidate’s chance of winning an election.

◾ Sports: Asking for input on how high to rank a player in a list of 100 athletes.  

◾ Hiring: Asking for advice on how big of a salary to offer a job candidate.

The study found most scenarios displayed biases that were disadvantageous to Black people and women. The only consistent exception was when asking for input on an athlete’s position as a basketball player; in this scenario, the biases were in favor of Black athletes. 

The findings suggest that the AI models encode common stereotypes based on the data they are trained on, which influences their response.  

A 'systemic issue' among AI chatbots

The paper points out that, unlike previous studies, this research was done via an audit analysis, which is designed to measure the level of bias in different domains of society like housing and employment. 

Nyarko said the research was inspired by similar analyses, like the famous 2003 study where researchers looked into hiring biases by submitting the same resume under both Black- and white-sounding names and found “significant discrimination” against Black-sounding names.

In the AI study, researchers would repeatedly pose questions to chatbots like OpenAI’s GPT-4, GPT-3.5 and Google AI’s PaLM-2, changing only the names referenced in the query. Researchers used white male-sounding names like Dustin and Scott; white female-sounding names like Claire and Abigail; Black male-sounding names like DaQuan and Jamal; and Black female-sounding names like Janae and Keyana.

The AI chatbots’ advice, according to the findings, “systematically disadvantages names that are commonly associated with racial minorities and women,” with names associated with Black women receiving the “least advantageous” outcomes. 

Researchers found that biases were consistent across 42 prompt templates and several AI models, “indicating a systemic issue."

 

An emailed statement from OpenAI said bias is an “important, industry-wide problem” that its safety team is working to combat.

"(We are) continuously iterating on models to improve performance, reduce bias, and mitigate harmful outputs,” the statement reads.

Google did not respond to a request for comment.

First step: 'Just knowing that these biases exist'

Nyarko said the first step AI companies should take to address these risks is “just knowing that these biases exist” and to keep testing for them.

However, researchers also acknowledged the argument that certain advice should differ across socio-economic groups. For example, Nyarko said it might make sense for a chatbot to tailor financial advice based on the user's name since there is a correlation between affluence and race and gender in the U.S.

 

“It might not necessarily be a bad thing if a model gives more conservative investment advice to someone with a Black-sounding name, assuming that person is less wealthy,” Nyarko said. "So it doesn't have to be a terrible outcome, but it's something that we should be able to know and something that we should be able to mitigate in situations where it's not desirable.""

#metaglossia_mundus

"Language access problems plague every step of the asylum process, denying people with limited English proficiency their right to seek asylum.

My Khanh Ngo,

Staff Attorney,
Immigrants' Rights Project

Noelle Smith,
Skadden Fellow ,
ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project

April 18, 2024

Every year, thousands of asylum seekers from diverse corners of the world seek refuge in the United States. Many — like Indigenous people from Latin America and Africa — are fleeing persecution based on the languages they speak and their cultural, ethnic, and racial backgrounds. Their ability to access the asylum system has life-or-death consequences. Yet our government cuts off access to asylum and other fundamental rights based on language barriers alone.

The federal government has a responsibility to ensure people with limited English proficiency (LEP) can reasonably access its services. Failure to do so discriminates by excluding LEP people from federal programs. This infringes on LEP individuals’ constitutional due process and equal protection rights, as well as well-established language rights enshrined in federal law. Nevertheless, the government routinely denies asylum seekers critical language access throughout the asylum process.

Petition for Rulemaking: Interpreters for Affirmative Asylum Interviews

 

Source: American Civil Liberties Union

Language Barriers Cut Off Access to Asylum, Cause Prolonged Detention, and Lead to Wrongful Deportations

Starting even outside the United States, anyone seeking asylum at the border generally must use the CBPOne app to obtain an elusive appointment. Beyond well-documented problems with accessibility, appointment shortages, racist facial recognition bugs, and other technical issues, the app is only available in English, Spanish, or Haitian Creole, with limited Russian and Portuguese features. Thousands of asylum seekers who speak other languages are left out, with dangerous consequences for those stranded in waiting.

Language access problems continue once LEP individuals finally enter the United States for asylum screening. The government admits that it struggles to provide interpreters for certain languages, especially rare or Indigenous languages, during screening interviews. As a result, asylum seekers often feel pressured to undergo interviews — which determine whether they can even pursue an asylum claim — in a more common language, even if they don’t speak it proficiently enough to communicate sensitive details of their claim.

Those who finally get an opportunity to apply for asylum must complete their application — a complicated legal document — entirely in English. For LEP asylum seekers in government detention facilities without translation or interpretation services, that’s impossible. Appallingly, immigration judges have ordered LEP asylum seekers to be returned to the countries they fled, simply because they could not fill out their asylum application in English, even when no language services were available. Moreover, immigration courts can’t find adequate interpreters for certain languages, leading to unnecessary and prolonged detention. Often, people are faced with an impossible choice: proceed in languages they don’t fully understand (and risk being denied protection) or give up. Effectively, the government blocks LEP people from presenting their asylum claims merely because of the language they speak — not because they lack a meritorious claim.

The Government Already Has Interpreters Available. Yet It Still Requires Affirmative Asylum Seekers to Find Their Own.

Affirmative asylum interviews are another glaring example of the government’s discrimination against LEP asylum seekers. Affirmative asylum interviews are a critical step in the asylum process — they are the only opportunity for someone to sit down with an asylum officer and explain their fear of persecution outside of the removal process. But for decades, the government has required LEP applicants to provide their own interpreters during these interviews. This puts a substantial logistical and financial burden on LEP asylum seekers, many of whom have limited financial means, and imposes an even greater burden on those who speak rare languages with only a handful of interpreters available across the country. LEP applicants who can’t find interpreters face delays or, worse, referral to removal proceedings.

Financial constraints force many applicants to use friends or family members to interpret. Serious ethical and practical concerns follow. Applicants may hesitate to share the full scope of their trauma or asylum claim with loved ones; untrained interpreters may lack an understanding of professional norms of confidentiality and conduct for interpretation or may struggle to accurately translate technical legal terminology. Inaccurate interpretation prevents applicants from fully presenting their claims, and can cause erroneous credibility findings.

The interpreter requirement is also inefficient and illogical. The government already contracts professional interpreters who monitor the quality of applicant-provided interpreters during interviews. That’s right: the government already pays for interpreters to participate in these interviews. It has stated on multiple occasions that these contract monitors can provide more efficient interpretation at no additional cost. But asylum officers regularly reschedule interviews when applicants fail to bring an interpreter, even though the government’s interpreter is already present.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government temporarily permitted applicants to use contract monitors as interpreters during asylum interviews. But the government recently and abruptly ended this policy without explanation, once again requiring applicants to bring their own interpreters. Now, more than ever, the government faces an unprecedented backlog of affirmative asylum cases with an outdated, inefficient, and discriminatory interpreter rule.

The Government Should Abandon Its Outdated and Discriminatory Rule

The ACLU is fighting back. Along with 52 organizations from across the country, we are petitioning the government to abandon its illogical and discriminatory rule requiring applicants to bring their own interpreters. Our ask is simple and common sense: change the regulation and permit asylum applicants to use the government-funded interpreters already present during asylum interviews at the applicant’s discretion. This will ensure that LEP asylum seekers have a meaningful opportunity to present their asylum claims and make one small but significant step toward bridging the gaps in language access in our asylum system."

#metaglossia_mundus

"The hearing was partly to blame for a crowd of hundreds of migrants who swarmed New York City Hall Tuesday.

by JACKSON WALKER | The National Desk

Wed, April 17th 2024 at 5:04 PM

WASHINGTON (TND) — Speakers at a New York City Council hearing on Tuesday shared their experiences as Black migrants and pushed for city leaders to accommodate speakers of over 500 indigenous languages.

The hearing was partly to blame for a crowd of hundreds of migrants who swarmed New York City Hall Tuesday, waving flags and chanting at city officials. The migrants, mostly French-speaking natives of Africa and Haiti, reportedly gathered to demand “assistance and the ability to work.”

Many migrants who are entering the city, according to those testifying at the hearing, do not speak English. A portion of these individuals are illiterate and are unable to understand written communications about their rights as asylum-seekers.

In the Congo you have like more than 500 languages,” one witness wearing Africa-shaped earrings said. “We need people that speak the native language to teach to those people. That’s what we’re asking the city and the city refuses.”

“There is no excuse,” she continued. “New York City, you have to do better.”

Other witnesses pushed the city to provide “mental health services” and workforce training for migrants. Discussion also revolved around best strategies to make sure migrants are vaccinated.

New York, which is a sanctuary city, has become a microcosm of the nation’s migrant crisis. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., blasted city leaders earlier this month for repeatedly failing to work with federal officials to remove dangerous criminals.

“Instead of working with federal officials to arrest, detain and immediately deport thugs wreaking havoc in our city, progressive politicians have tied the hands of our NYPD to the benefit of criminals, and are allowing them to remain here in luxury hotel rooms with five-star service on the taxpayers' dime,” Rep. Malliotakis said.

Follow Jackson Walker on X at @_jlwalker_ for the latest trending national news. Have a news tip? Send it to jacwalker@sbgtv.com."

#metaglossia_mundus

"Thanks to new entries in the Oxford English Dictionary, pretty soon even your grandparents will know what 'onigiri' and 'omotenashi' mean.

BY THU-HUONG HA
STAFF WRITER

Apr 18, 2024

Have you scrolled to the end of the emoji keyboard, looking for those peskily faraway hearts, and accidentally sent a mysterious “NG”? Asked a friend in Japan if they want to go out for hibachi and been met with a blank stare? As a language shifts and evolves, it’s wont to take absurd and arbitrary twists and turns. (Consider that inflammable means flammable, or that peruse means both to examine in close detail and browse superficially.) But when two languages get together, things can get extra weird.

On March 26, the Oxford English Dictionary, the historical dictionary widely considered as the definitive record of the English language, added 23 Japanese borrowings to its 500,000 words and phrases. Most were culture-related nouns, especially in food (“tonkotsu,” “onigiri”), along with “kintsugi,” “omotenashi” and “washi tape.”

 

 

“Hibachi” got an update as well. Though it was first added in 1933 as a charcoal brazier for warming hands or boiling water for tea, North Americans have been using it for just as long to mean something else. In English, the word can refer to a small portable barbecue, as well as to restaurants where someone cooks on a hot plate surrounded by diners (what’s called “teppanyaki” in Japan), as popularized by New York’s Benihana, which features a goofy chef who does tricks, including tossing food directly into people’s mouths.

(Japanese uses “teppan” for the bigger, hotter plate seen in restaurants, while the kind people use at home that often runs on induction is called, naturally, “hotto purēto.”)

“Language has quirks like that,” says Danica Salazar, lexicographer and executive editor for world Englishes at the OED. “Things happen to words as they travel from one language to another, and that's perfectly normal.”

She points to the case of reborrowings, also called boomerang words, which are words that pass from one language to the other, and then back again. The Japanese “anime” is short for “animēshon,” which, of course, came from the English for “animation,” but has since re-entered English with a more specific meaning. The same goes for “cosplay,” or “kosupure,” originally a combination of “costume” and “play” from English, which was added to the OED in 2008.

“NG,” which stands for “no good,” is used liberally in Japan but is, to an American English speaker, “not a thing” as they might say. But emoji sets, having originated in Japan, still retain a number of Japanese-specific concepts. So “NG” has its own emoji, right above “OK” on the iOS keyboard.

These examples are from the interplay of two languages — what about three? “Sukinshippu,” a word made in Japan based on “skin” and “relationship” to mean physical affection (as in, between a parent and child or friends) was later borrowed into Korean (“seukinsip”). It now also includes the meaning of PDA, and can be used by fans when gossiping about celebrities. With the rise of K-pop, “skinship” has now made it into English usage.

“The centers of English have mostly been considered to be the U.K. and later on the U.S., and any shifts in vocabulary have to start from there and then spread out to the rest of the English-speaking world,” says Salazar. But now trends starting in Asian countries spread across the continent first, before the West catches on, she says. “Now even countries like Japan and South Korea can have a certain degree of influence in English.”

How much one language affects another isn’t necessarily a reflection of a country’s global hard or soft power; rather it reflects the exposure of its speakers to that of the other. That’s why one of the earliest uses of Japanese words in English only comes in 1577, from a collection of travel writings in the “West and East Indies,” and why Japanese contributions are relatively few and recent, with 552 loanwords in English. Compare that with the 25,000 borrowings from French, most of which came into English following the Norman Conquest of 1066.

The OED uses a combination of a digital database and human scholars to track the frequency of words and phrases to be considered for inclusion. The dictionary is currently undergoing revision, says Salazar, pointing to the entry for “sakura.” The existing definition is “flowering cherry tree,” which isn’t different from the word “cherry blossom” in English. Still, says Salazar, “sakura” evokes something different than just generic blossoms. Like the French borrowing “haute couture,” for which English has its own “high fashion,” the phrase just gives an extra sense of je ne sais quoi.

Coming to a conversation near you

Here is a list of the 23 words that made it into the Oxford English Dictionary last month.

• donburi, n.
• hibachi, n.
• isekai, n.
• kagome, n.
• karaage, n.
• katsu, n.
• katsu curry, n.
• kintsugi, n.
• kirigami, n.
• mangaka, n.
• okonomiyaki, n.
• omotenashi, n.
• onigiri, n.
• santoku, n.
• shibori, n.
• takoyaki, n.
• tokusatsu, n.
• tonkatsu, n.
• tonkatsu sauce, n.
• tonkotsu, n./1
• tonkotsu, n./2
• washi tape, n.
• yakiniku, n."

#metaglossia_mundus

"ALTO is a virtual voice-over tool for reversioning video content into multiple languages using text-to-speech voice synthesis

 

Published: 17 December 2015

Aims

ALTO is a virtual voice-over tool for reversioning video content into multiple languages using text-to-speech voice synthesis

ALTO is a virtual voice-over tool for reversioning video content into multiple languages using text-to-speech voice synthesis. It allows a single news editor to generate translated audio tracks with multiple voices.

ALTO combines a number of cutting edge language technologies, including computer assisted translation and text-to-speech voice synthesis. A video transcript is first generated using machine translation before it becomes available for manual editing. In the second step, language journalists convert the translated script into a computer-generated voice track using text-to-speech technology (TTS). ALTO then automatically attaches the new translated audio to the video file, on top of the natural sound track.

We launched a pilot service in Japanese in December 2015 and a second pilot in Russian in April 2016. We’ve since added new features, such as a pronunciation dictionary, synthetic speech mark-up language components, automated video trimming and name strap translation. The user now gets more control over the phonetic performance of the synthetic voices: they can modify the spelling of a word to trigger the correct pronunciation and save it into the dictionary. SSML (synthetic speech mark-up language) allows users to insert pauses to improve intelligibility of a sentence.

During our pilots we received positive and encouraging feedback from our audiences. About 80% expressed support of the synthetic voice technology. While machine translation and synthetic voice technology are by no means perfect, we have found that they are good enough to allow non-English speakers watch BBC news reports in their own language.

Based on feedback from the trials, Alto was updated to include the ability to automatically add translated subtitles to video. This eases the process of creating content targeted at social media, where translated subtitles are usually preferred to a translated audio track.

Background

ALTO is dedicated to assisting multilingual journalists in the translation and reversioning of video content. This not only includes translating the video script and generating a new audio track, but also automated subtitles generation and the translation of graphics and name straps."

By Andy Secker

Former News Labs Language Technology Lead

#metaglossia_mundus: https://www.bbc.co.uk/rdnewslabs/projects/alto

 

"UN Movie Society event on – Shakespeare at the UN – In Celebration of English Language Day at the United Nations, to be broadcasted on UN WebTV and UN YouTube on Tuesday, 23 April 2024.

THE UN MOVIE SOCIETY PRESENTS SHAKESPEARE AT THE UN

IN COMMEMORATION OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAY 2024 AT THE UNITED NATIONS

VIRTUAL GLOBAL LAUNCH: UNITED NATIONS
Tuesday, 23 April 2024
9:00am EST (New York Time)
UN Global YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/user/unitednations
UN Web TV: http://webtv.un.org/

On 23 April 2024, in commemoration of the English Language Day 2024 at the United Nations, the UN Movie Society of the United Nations Staff Recreation Council will inaugurate the “Shakespeare at the UN”– an exploration of how the timeless works of Shakespeare, in reflecting the human experience, can resonate with the core values of the UN, such as promoting understanding of humanity and strengthening global connections.   The project will be launched on the official global channels of the United Nations – UN Web TV and UN YouTube. 

Shakespeare’s literature is more than mere words on a page. It is a mirror held up to the values and aspirations of our shared humanity, echoing the very essence of the United Nations.  It resonates across languages and cultures. Shakespeare can connect us all: therefore, the excerpts will be performed through a multilingual, multicultural and multigenerational lens - featuring performances in some of the UN's official languages (including Chinese, French, and Spanish), by a 7-year-old, and even in sign-language. Opening the program, London’s Royal Central School of Speech and Drama will present monologues focused on the UN's first pillar, "Peace and Security."  These monologues explore the actions and strategies of leaders during war and their consequences.  The program delves further into the UN's work through Shakespeare, showcasing themes including humanitarian aid and providing development assistance. We will be treated to a special performance of Sir Thomas More's speech on immigration by Adrian Lester CBE, from the Royal Shakespeare Company. The anthology will be concluded with a presentation from Shakespeare's Globe, featuring "All the World's a Stage." 

Opening remarks will be delivered by H.E. Dame Barbara Woodward, DCMG, OBE, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations.  On this occasion, messages will be delivered Josette Bushell-Mingo OBE, Principal and CEO of The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey, Co-Artistic Directors of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Michelle Terry, Artistic Director of Shakespeare's Globe, and Michael Dobson, Director of the Shakespeare Institute.

English Language Day at the UN is celebrated annually April 23rd, the date traditionally observed as both the birthday and date of death of William Shakespeare. As well as being the most famous playwright, who wrote in English, Shakespeare also had a huge impact on modern-day English.  Today, every one in four people in the world uses English. At the United Nations, English is one of the six official languages of the Organization.  As we embark on an extraordinary journey into the heart of Shakespeare’s timeless wisdom, the performances in “Shakespeare at the UN” aims to spark reflection, healing, and a renewed commitment to the noble ideals that bind us together as nations under the banner of the United Nations.  Founded at the United Nations Headquarters by Brenda Vongova, the UN Movie Society is committed to championing the goals and values of the United Nations through the universal language of motion pictures. 

PROGRAMME

Opening

Brenda Vongova
President of the UN Movie Society

H.E. Dame Barbara Woodward, DCMG, OBE
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations

Peace and Security

Josette Bushell-Mingo OBE
Principal and CEO of The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London

• Lady Macbeth's speech from Act I Scene 5, from Macbeth, by William Shakespeare
  ~ Performed in American Sign Language by Dawn Jani Birley
  with audio translation by Josette Bushell-Mingo OBE 
• The Chorus' speech from Act III Prologue, from Henry V, by William Shakespeare
  ~ Performed in Mandarin Chinese by Diana Feng
• Shakespeare's Sonnet 19, by William Shakespeare
  ~ Performed in Farsi by Lanna Joffrey, with translation from Farokh Soltani
• King Lear's speech from Act III Scene 4, from King Lear, by William Shakespeare
  ~ Performed by Danny Sapani 

****

• Troilus & Cressida (Act I, Prologue) (Excerpt), by William Shakespeare
  ~ Performed by Issei Keith (in English)
• Henry IV, Part 1 (Act I, Scene I) (Excerpt)I, by William Shakespeare
  ~ Performed by Richard Keith (in English)

Delivering Humanitarian Aid

• Pericles (Act I, Scene 4), by William Shakespeare:
  Pericles' speech as he arrives in order to bring humanitarian aid to the famine-hit Tarsus
  ~ Performed by Béla Czuppon (in French), La Baignoire company, Montpellier, France

In collaboration with the Institute for research on the Renaissance, the Neo-Classical Age, and the Enlightenment (IRCL) in Montpellier, France

Development and Climate Action

• Titania's speech to Oberon in Midsummer’s Night Dream (Act II, SceneI), by William Shakespeare
  ~ Performed by Paula Rodriguez (in Spanish)

Refugees

Remarks by Tamara Harvey & Daniel Evans
Co-Artistic Directors of the Royal Shakespeare Company

• An extract from Sir Thomas More by William Shakespeare
  ~ Performed by Adrian Lester CBE

Closing: All the World’s a Stage

Remarks by Michelle Terry
Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe

• All the World's a Stage, in As You Like It (Act 2, Scene 7), by William Shakespeare
  ~ Performed by Sophie Stone (in British Sign Language)

Professor Michael Dobson
Director of The Shakespeare Institute

****************************

SPECIAL THANKS

UN Department of Global Communications

Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom to the United Nations

Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Josette Bushell-Mingo OBE, Principal and CEO
Megan Hunter, Head of Press and Public Relations 
Shaun Northover, Head of Alumni Engagement

Kate McCurdy, Digital Content and Social Media Manager

Thomas Butler, Communications Officer

Shakespeare Globe
Michelle Terry, Artistic Director

Royal Shakespeare Company
Tamara Harvey, Co-Artistic Director
Daniel Evans, Co-Artistic Director

Adrian Lester CBE, Sir Thomas More

Julia Walter, Producer & Operation Lead Digital Development
Daniel Raggett, Consultant
Thank you to St. Martin-in-the-Fields

RSC’s Film Produced by Graded Films:
Freddie Hill, Producer
Adam Fox, Director of Photography

Jack Gould, Gaffer
Tom Colli, Steadicam Operator
Kelsey Rushworth, Sound Recordist

Shakespeare Institute
Professor Michael Dobson, Director of The Shakespeare Institute

La Baignoire company, Montpellier, France
In collaboration with the Institute for research on the Renaissance, the Neo-Classical Age, and the Enlightenment (IRCL) in Montpellier, France. 
Special thanks to IRCL’s director Florence March, Sonny Merchat and Janice Valls-Russell for literary counsel and technique
With the support of the French Ministry for Culture
The French National Centre for Scientific Research
University Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3
Text translated into French by Jean-Michel Déprats

Dr. Richard Keith
Actor, Director, Acting Tutor

Royal Academy of Dance, London
Aud Jebsen Studio Theatre

Artwork in the Poster:
Procession of Characters from Shakespeare's Plays
Unknown artist (manner of Thomas Stothard)
Yale Center for British Art, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Ziad Ayad
Firas Kayal

Rebecca Dixuan Bai
Video Editor
Cameraman for the UN Movie Society"

#metaglossia_mundus

• Du 7 Juin 2024 au 8 Juin 2024Publié le 17 Avril 2024 par Faculté des lettres - Université de Lausanne

Le Centre de Traduction Littéraire a 35 ans !

Et la fête se déroulera les 7 et 8 juin 2024: de 14h30 le vendredi à 22h le samedi, retrouvez nos nombreux·ses invité·es. Avec Dominique Nédellec, lauréat du Programme Gilbert Musy 2024, Yla von Dach, Marion Graf, Dorothea Trottenberg, Gaëlle Cogan, Carlotta Bernardoni-Jaquinta, Marina Skalova, Maud Mabillard, Francesco Biamonte, Josée Kamoun, Muriel Pic, Thierry Raboud, Vincent David, Lucie Tardin, Benjamin Pécoud, Anthony Prezman, Alexandre Grandjean, Sandra Amodio, Isabelle Vonlanthen, Véronique Walzer, Fanny Mossière... et vous!

C'est La Grange qui accueillera les festivités, sur le campus de l'Université de Lausanne. Deux jours riches de rencontres, d’échanges, de jeux en traduction et en musique, sans oublier un prix de consécration et la découverte de nouveaux talents.

Découvrir tout le programme…

Inscription souhaitée, via le formulaire d'inscription…

—

Le Prix lémanique de la traduction, créé en 1985, est un prix d’excellence dans le domaine de la traduction littéraire. Doté de deux fois CHF 10’000.- et d’un séjour au Collège de traducteurs Looren près de Zürich, il récompense tous les trois ans deux personnes, dont l’une traduit du français vers l’allemand et l’autre de l’allemand vers le français. Cette année, le quatorzième Prix lémanique de la traduction est décerné à parts égales à Lis Künzli (vers l’allemand) et Françoise Toraille (vers le français), deux traductrices contribuant depuis de nombreuses années à stimuler les échanges littéraires et intellectuels entre ces deux langues. La qualité de leurs traductions a déjà été honorée en d’autres lieux.

Cette année, la remise du Prix lémanique se déroulera à l’occasion des 35 ans du Centre de traduction littéraire les 7 et 8 juin 2024 à la Grange. Rendez-vous donc le vendredi 7 juin à partir de 19h dans l’espace culturel de la Grange à l’Université de Lausanne, inscriptions sur la page dédiée du Centre de traduction littéraire. La cérémonie se composera notamment d’une lecture scénique bilingue par Véronique Walzer traversant l’œuvre des lauréates, et des allocutions en l’honneur des lauréates seront prononcées par Marion Graf et Isabelle Vonlanthen. Une production du labOpera du Conservatoire de Lausanne accompagnera en musique les festivités. Un apéritif attendra naturellement les invités et le public à l’issue de la soirée.

Lis Künzli, née près de Willisau, a étudié la germanistique, la littérature comparée et la philosophie à Zürich, Aix-en-Provence et Berlin après avoir obtenu son diplôme d’enseignante. Depuis, elle traduit entre autres Amin Maalouf, Atiq Rahimi, Camille Laurens, Pierre Baillard, Pascale Hugues, Marivaux, S. Corinna Bille. Elle est également active dans la formation de la relève en traduction littéraire. Aujourd’hui, elle vit à Toulouse. En 2009, elle a reçu le prix de traduction Eugen Helmlé.
Le jury germanophone (Angela Sanmann-Graf, Isabelle Vonlanthen et Andreas Jandl) salue son sens fin de la nuance, le plaisir que ses textes prennent au jeu de langue et au jeu de mots, et le caractère de son œuvre toujours souligné par un grand soin et un souci du détail. Ils relèvent en outre l’engagement constant de la lauréate dans la traduction et le transfert de la littérature francophone contemporaine.

Après des études de littérature (germanique et française) et parallèlement à sa carrière académique d’enseignante-chercheuse à l’Université Paris XII, Françoise Toraille s’est tournée dès 1989 vers la traduction littéraire, qui correspondait à la fois à son amour des langues et à sa pratique de l’analyse textuelle et stylistique. Parmi les auteurs qu’elle a traduits figurent Saša Stanišić, Melinda Nadj Abonji, Terézia Mora et Galsan Tschinag.
Dans sa motivation, le jury francophone (Marie Fleury-Wullschleger, Marion Graf et Stéphane Pesnel) fait l’éloge de la lauréate en ces termes : « Nous saluons dans l’œuvre de Françoise Toraille la cohérence de ses choix ainsi que ses qualités de précision, d’inventivité et d’humour. »

• Url de référence :
  https://unil.ch/ctl/35ans
• Adresse :
  La Grange, Campus de Dorigny, Université de Lausanne - 
  voir sur une carte 

#metaglossia_mundus: https://www.fabula.org/actualites/120269/le-centre-de-traduction-litteraire-fete-ses-35-ans-lausanne.html

 

"Les traducteurs littéraires menacés par l’intelligence artificielle

Les logiciels de traduction commencent à bouleverser ce maillon de l’édition essentiel mais fragile.

Peggy Rolland, présidente de l’Association des traducteurs littéraires de France, craint les effets délétères de l’intelligence artificielle.

Ouest-France Florence PITARD.Publié le 14/04/2024 à 07h25

 

« C’est du sabotage, c’est un poison. » Présidente de l’Association pour la promotion de la traduction littéraire Atlas, Margot Nguyen Béraud n’a pas de mots assez durs pour décrire les effets de l’utilisation de l’Intelligence artificielle. Le traducteur littéraire, c’est celui qui met toute sa sensibilité à comprendre l’intention de l’auteur afin de ne pas dénaturer son œuvre.  « C’est un métier d’art et de création, alors les traducteurs ont mis du temps à comprendre qu’ils allaient être touchés. »

 

Seulement l’ennemi avance, sous les traits de logiciels de traduction dont le plus connu, nommé DeepL est déjà largement utilisé dans le domaine de la traduction de notices techniques. Or, en cas d’intervention d’un logiciel, le risque est de se voir proposer un contrat, non de traduction, mais de post-édition. « Le texte généré donne l’illusion d’une traduction, mais il est truffé d’erreurs et d’inexactitudes. Il faut passer derrière. Cela prend autant, voire plus de temps que de partir de la version originale, qu’il est en plus préférable de consulter ! C’est désagréable et laborieux. »

Une « pratique clandestine »

Les traducteurs littéraires, qui seraient au nombre de 3 000, craignent que les éditeurs en profitent pour donner des délais plus courts, payer moins et changer le mode de rémunération. Car les contrats de traduction prévoient une rémunération au feuillet, plus des droits d’auteur. En post-édition, le risque est de privilégier des contrats d’autoentrepreneurs, moins favorables.

De telles pratiques ont probablement déjà cours, mais il est difficile de les chiffrer, car ni ceux qui fournissent le travail, ni ceux qui sont contraints de l’accepter ne s’en vantent. L’Association des traducteurs littéraires de France a mené une enquête auprès de ses adhérents. « Elle a révélé qu’il s’agissait d’une pratique largement clandestine », déplore Peggy Rolland, présidente de l’ATLF. Vraisemblablement, elle s’est déjà démocratisée pour les livres pratiques.

 

En octobre 2023, les organisations ont lancé un collectif de traducteurs, En chair et en os, qui a lancé une pétition signée par 6 000 personnes. Celle-ci demande que les éditeurs refusent le recours à l’IA dans la traduction et qu’ils soient en tout cas obligés de le signaler aux consommateurs. « Au final, prévient Peggy Rolland, si les traducteurs utilisent un logiciel, ils seront influencés par la machine. Il y a un risque d’uniformisation de la langue. »

#metaglossia_mundus: https://www.ouest-france.fr/culture/livres/les-traducteurs-litteraires-menaces-par-lintelligence-artificielle-06c51bba-f81b-11ee-b61a-805a85d39d9d

 

 

"In our increasingly AI–driven world, innovation is in short supply. We need a human-centric innovation culture: one that embraces neurodiversity

By Wayne Deakin 17/04/2024

The world is hungry for innovation. People want it to make their lives better. Businesses want it to stay relevant. Yet despite all the technical advances that characterise our increasingly AI-driven world, innovation is in short supply.

Innovation is a top three priority for over 80% of executives, one recent study found. Yet fewer than 10% believe they do it well. Why? The answer is culture. Or, to be more specific, the prevalence of what’s lacking in today’s top innovation cultures: herd thinking.

To understand the causes of this problem and how best to solve it, let’s begin with what innovation is. Innovation is novelty – a new idea, method, or device. And as such, it is something only achievable when we are free to think differently..."

#metaglossia_mundus

"Amidst seemingly never-ending essays, midterms and internship applications, many students in college dream of never having to write a single original word again. Yet, Wordshop, the College of William and Mary’s fast-growing creative writing club, provides students with a unique opportunity to write not for the sake of reaching that 1,500 word mark by the 11:59 deadline, but rather for creativity, enjoyment and self-expression.

In its weekly meetings, Wordshop brings students together to develop their creative writing skills and share their pieces with others in an open, non-judgemental and stress-free artistic space. They explore a variety of different genres including fiction, nonfiction, prose and poetry, and seek to welcome students at the College with all levels of writing experience. The club also hosts a myriad of guest speakers and social and workshop-based events to build a tight-knit community of student writers. 

At its core, Wordshop aims to keep the art of creative writing alive and thriving within the student body, framing the skill as an enjoyable and revered one rather than one that is mandated by academic commitments.

“Stories and writing are not only about creative expression, they also come to shape our social reality and historical narratives,” co-president of Wordshop Yannie Chang ’25 said. “What is canon and what is not, what narratives and perspectives are preserved and which are not; all these things matter. Wordshop aims to embody the spirit that writing is a valuable and privileged tool to share and preserve ideas and stories.”

Wordshop co-presidents Chang and Malvika Shrimali ’24 emphasized that Wordshop requires no prior writing experience and that anyone with an interest in creative writing can join club meetings. 

“We also always encourage newcomers and don’t want people to be intimidated by the notion of never having been to a meeting before,” Chang said. “Even if you’ve never been and you find yourself wanting to write or simply hear some beautiful stories, you will always be welcome.”

At each Wordshop meeting, members are given around twenty minutes of writing time on a themed prompt, which was voted on at the previous meeting, and they are subsequently offered a chance to share their work with the group. Past prompts have ranged from “misunderstood monsters” to “love poems.” Additionally, a “follow your heart” option is always provided for those who wish to write whatever they would like.

Given that writing is often situated in a stressful academic context in college, Wordshop aims to operate in an entirely different low-stakes sphere of creativity and artistic freedom.

“Wordshop has always been intended to be a low-stress environment for writers. Many clubs require high degrees of commitment, and even within the creative writing space, workshops elsewhere are often formalized in ways that scare away aspiring writers,” member Charlie May ’24 wrote in an email to The Flat Hat. “At its core, Wordshop is a place that focuses on writing as a way to decompress, which is something I think a lot of us could use.”

Wordshop aims to reframe writing in a positive light for students, providing an escape from the drudgery of certain academic writing requirements. 

“Writing isn’t a chore or an obligation here; it is a means to destress,” Treasurer Iman Hersi ‘27 wrote in an email to The Flat Hat.

Club members also pinpointed how Wordshop helps maintain constant writing practice amidst the many different aspects of a busy college life. 

“We’re so focused on classes or other clubs and responsibilities that it can be hard to focus on writing for fun or to further your own personal projects, and Wordshop has helped me sit down and write every week to keep my skills sharp,” Outreach Chair Phebe Gentlesk ‘27 wrote in an email to The Flat Hat.

In addition to honing their creative writing skills, other members highlighted that writing in a shared, communal setting was more appealing to them than working individually.

“People come and go over the months and years, but the club has always retained a uniquely chill vibe that makes sharing work more comfortable,” May wrote in an email to The Flat Hat. “It’s a very relaxing feeling that beats typing away alone in a dark, drab dorm room a million times over.”

Social Chair Angelina Joa ’25 shared a similar sentiment, underlining that Wordshop is unique compared to other clubs at the College in its ability to successfully build an environment that is extremely welcoming and non-intimidating for all members, new and old. 

“Wordshop is the first club where I feel comfortable and content. It’s the first club where I feel like I don’t have to force myself to be there out of necessity,” wrote Joa in an email to The Flat Hat. “Rather, I’m there because I really want to be there. Wordshop for me is a place of comfort.”

Considering the overwhelmingly positive experience relayed by Wordshop members, the club has sought to expand and strengthen its student writing community through a multitude of new initiatives in the last year and a half. The club has created a social media presence on both Instagram and Discord, increased social events, fostered collaborations with other groups at the College and invited various guest speakers. The organization has also recently expanded its executive board team and started fundraising events in the hopes of growing its presence on campus.

“I would love more people to get involved,” Shrimali said. “Writing does not have to be stressful and I want to encourage people to explore the arts.”

For anyone who has ever considered doing some writing just for the fun of it, Wordshop offers an easygoing environment to do that during its weekly meetings on Mondays at 7 p.m. in Chancellors 133."

#metaglossia_mundus

"The faculties of Science and Arts introduce a new theatre and performance course tailored to Science students

By Sarah FullertonFaculty of Science

   

While it is often believed that art and science fall on opposite sides of the left- and right-brain divide, history shows that some of the brightest minds are versatile in both. Leonardo da Vinci, celebrated for his artistry, was also a scientist and inventor. Today, figures like Brian May, the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen with a PhD in astrophysics, and actresses Natalie Portman (Black Swan) and Lisa Kudrow (Friends), who are contributing authors in scientific research, exemplify the intersectionality between art and science.

Alumni from the University of Waterloo, such as Azeezat Adeyoyin Oyawoye (BSc ’21), illustrates this multidimensional talent. Oyawoye, known as  Àbíkẹ́ The Artist  on Instagram, has established herself as a visual artist and a project manager at Huge, a creative consulting agency with various clients including McDonald's, Google, Pantone and Lego.

In a technology-driven world, it is no surprise that employers seek individuals with technical expertise and creative thinking skills. As the demand for STEM graduates continues to grow, there is a notable movement to incorporate arts into the mix to encourage diversity of thought by attracting students with different backgrounds to gravitate toward STEM learning. 

Waterloo has always been known for approaching challenges differently. Our faculty, students and alumni effectively unlock barriers by working together to develop creative solutions across disciplines. Building on this strength, the Faculty of Science at Waterloo strives for students to graduate with the skills to think creatively and approach work with passion, purpose and an innovative mindset. To address these needs, the faculty has introduced the Science Meets Art (SMArt) initiative to help students reach their full potential and empower them to explore interests including painting, graphic design, music and acting with other science students also looking to flex their creative muscles.  

“Science Meets Art is a new initiative that will promote out-of-the box thinking,” says Chris Houser, dean of the Faculty of Science. “Now more than ever, we need scientists who can effectively present and defend science through a range of mediums. The program aims to enrich the science curriculum by creating an engaging learning environment that will provide graduates with a well-rounded education.”

The SMArt initiative includes a new elective course called  Staging Science: Embodying Knowledge Expression in the Sciences that starts in spring 2024. A collaboration with Communication Arts, the course is taught by Dr. Sarah Klein and designed specifically for Science students. 

“In this course, students will delve into plays, performance studies, and the history, philosophy and sociology of science,” Klein says. “By approaching science as an art, students will develop a set of collaborative, representational and embodied skills that are part of many aspects of scientific work, from designing research and interpreting data to conveying complex phenomena.” 

Students will come away with a toolkit of performance skills that they will be able to call upon whether they are presenting research in class, defending a PhD, or sharing scientific findings with non-experts. Students who complete the course will have a whole new set of skills and experience to pull from throughout the rest of their degree and upon graduation. Read the full course description online and register for the upcoming spring 2024 term."

#metaglossia_mundus approves: No science without art, no art without science! (Read on: https://uwaterloo.ca/news/uniting-science-and-art-through-steam-education)

"Research suggests the human brain is wired to distinguish the rhyme and rhythm of verse from ordinary prose, and to react to literary contemplation.

By: Patrick J. Kiger  |  Updated: Apr 16, 2024

Poetry activates parts of the human brain distinct from those affected by other types of literature. SQUAREDPIXELS/GETTY IMAGES

Key Takeaways

• Ordinary speech and prose affect the human brain but not in the same way as poetry, which activates specific areas of the brain that recognize its rhymes and rhythms and contemplate its imagery and layered meanings.
• The brain's reaction to poetry indicates a deep, intuitive connection to verse, suggesting that appreciation of poetry is within our neurological structure.
• Reading or listening to poetry not only stimulates emotional and aesthetic responses but also enhances cognitive functions like flexible thinking and the capacity to understand complex, multiple meanings, which can be beneficial in everyday decision-making.

Whether it's Alfred Lord Tennyson's "Ulysses" or Maya Angelou's "Caged Bird," there's something about reading or hearing a great poem that stimulates our minds, moving us to ponder the world from a new angle. And from a neuroscientific point of view, that's no accident.

In recent years, researchers have used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and other sophisticated tools to study how the human brain reacts to poetry. They've discovered, among other things, that the brain seems to be wired to recognize the rhymes and rhythms that poets use, and differentiate them from ordinary speech or prose. They've also found that contemplating poetic imagery and the multiple layers of meanings in poems activates specific areas of the brain — some of the same areas, in fact, that help us to interpret our everyday reality.

 

 

One reason poetry has such a potent effect upon us is that our brains seem to be wired to recognize it. In one newly published study in the journal Frontiers of Psychology, researchers at the UK's Bangor University read an assortment of sentences to a group of Welsh-speaking subjects. Some of the sentences conformed to the intricate poetic construction rules of Cynghanedd, a traditional form of Welsh poetry, while others didn't follow those rules. Though the subjects didn't know anything about Cynghanedd, they nevertheless categorized as "good" the sentences that followed the rules as compared to other sentences. The researchers also hooked up the subjects to EEG devices, and observed a distinctive burst of electrical activity in the subjects' brains that occurred in the fraction of a second after hearing the last word of a poetic line.

"I believe that our results argue for a profoundly intuitive origin of poetry," says Bangor psychology professor Guillaume Thierry, via email. "Poetry appears to be 'built in,' it is like a profound intuition, every human being is an unconscious poet."

Poetry also seems to affect specific areas of the brain, depending upon the degree of emotion and the complexity of the language and ideas. In a study published in 2013 in Journal of Consciousness Studies, researchers at the UK's University of Exeter had participants lay inside an fMRI scanner while they read various texts on a screen. The selections ranged from deliberately dull prose — such as a section from a heating equipment installation manual — and passages from novels to samples from various poems, a few of which the subjects had identified as their favorites. The subjects had to rate the texts on qualities such as how much emotion they aroused, and how "literary," or difficult to contemplate, they were.

The researchers found that the higher the degree of emotiveness that subjects assigned to a sample, the more activation that the scans showed in areas on the right side of the brain — many of the same ones identified in a 2001 study as being activated by music that moved listeners to feel chills or shivers down their spines. The examples rated as more "literary," in contrast, lit up areas mostly on the left side of the brain, including the basal ganglia, which are involved both in regulating movement and processing challenging sentences. The subjects' favorite poems weakly activated a network in the brain associated with reading, but strongly activated the inferior parietal lobes, an area associated with recognition.

 

"Favorite poems appeared to be 'remembered' as much as or rather than 'read," Adam Zeman, an Exeter professor of cognitive and behavioral neurology, explains in an email.

Yet another recent experiment, detailed in a 2015 article in the neuroscience journal Cortex, University of Liverpool researchers used an fMRI to scan the brains of subjects while they read various passages of poetry and prose, in an effort to find what parts of the brain were involved in "literary awareness" — the capacity to think about and find meaning in a complex text. In half of the examples, the final line was an unexpected twist that Philip Davis, a professor and director of the school's Institute of Psychology, Health and Society, refers to as an "a-ha moment." (One example: William Wordsworth's 1799 poem "She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways," about a recluse who died in seclusion, in which the narrator drops a hint that he may have been her unrequited lover.) The subjects rated the passages on how poetic they seemed and whether or not the last lines led them to reappraise the meaning — a measure of literary awareness.

"We believe that this is the first fMRI that examines the unfolding effects of moving from line to line, and the consequences in terms of what we call literary awareness as compared to more automatic and literal-minded processing of meaning," says Davis in an email. "The poetic work triggered different parts of the brain related to non-automatic processing of meaning, leading to increased lively activation of mind and a simultaneous sense of psychological reward."

But the research also suggests that reading or listening to poetry is useful for something besides just rousing our emotions and elevating our souls. The same mental skills that we exercise in struggling to understand T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock " — i.e., flexible thinking and the ability to ponder multiple meanings — also help us to navigate unpredictable events and make choices in our everyday lives.

"The calling into activation of literary awareness may have a significant effect in challenging our default mind-set," Davis says. He thinks that if more people read poetry and got accustomed to pondering meaning, "it would make a difference to their capacity to think with more alertness to excite surprise and change.""

#metaglossia_mundus

"Highlights

• •

  Both parents from the United Kingdom and France view creativity as a desirable phenomenon linked to originality and problem solving.

• •

  The parents distinguished between two types of creative activities: craft activities like drawing, in which children can develop their competence and ability; and imaginative activities like pretend play, in which children can express themselves.

• •

  The parents reported that members of the dyad needs to be motivated in the creative activity in order to fully be immersed in it and make meaningful moments that can contribute to their bonding.

• •

  The parents used creative activities as a diversion strategy to help their children to regulate their emotions, or promote positive affect and vitality.

• •

  Creative activities appear to be valuable both as a process – for the effects they can yield on children's development – as well as for the products they yield, and they can contribute to hone the child's development of their creative self-concept and personality.

Abstract

Although creativity research increasingly documents how parents support their children's creativity at home, previous work has been mostly quantitative in nature, while qualitative studies almost exclusively report data from mothers. Thus, we conducted online qualitative interviews of 14 parents (9 mothers and 5 fathers) of children aged between 4 and 6 years, who were living in France or in the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a cross-cultural reflexive thematic analysis, we explored questions around what views of early childhood creativity parents shared; whether (and if so why) they are motivated to engage in dyadic home creative activities with their children; and their perceptions of the benefits of these activities, both on themselves, and on their children. The parents shared views and definitions of creativity in line with creativity research. Moreover, they explained how they used creative activities to teach their children social rules, self-expression, independence, and skills development. They also appreciated creative activities as a strategy to help their children vent and calm down or, in contrast, to foster in them a sense of joy and vitality. Parents also reported the extent to which creative activities contribute to parent—child relationship quality. We discuss these findings through the lens of Self-Determination Theory.

Keywords

Creativity support

Creative activities

Early childhood

Self-determination

Home"

Authors

Nicolas B. Verger a, Julie Roberts b, Jane Guiller a, Kareena McAloney-Kocaman a

#metaglossia_mundus

"Intelligent automation can revolutionize business operations but it’s important to recognize its boundaries

 

Michael Hill 04/16/2024  Intelligent automation (IA) combines artificial intelligence (AI), robotic process automation (RPA) and business process management (BPM) to help businesses streamline operations. Organizations report an average 20 percent improvement in operational efficiency following IA implementation. Advantages include workforce augmentation, improved productivity, enhanced accuracy, consistent processes, better customer experiences and compliance with regulations.

However. while the benefits of IA are compelling and the excitement surrounding its potential is understandable, there are limits to what it can realistically offer organizations. “IA has revolutionized how we approach business operations, offering unprecedented efficiency and capabilities. However, it’s vital to recognize the boundaries of what it can achieve,” Racheal Williams, CEO and founder of My AI Courses, tells PEX Network.

Cutting through the hype, here are six things IA can’t do for your business and why.

 

Don't miss any news, updates or insider tips from PEX Network by getting them delivered to your inbox. Sign up to our newsletter and join our community of experts. 

Learn More

 

1. Use emotional intelligence or make ethical decisions

IA improves business efficiency but it doesn’t have emotional intelligence, creative thinking or the ability to make ethical decisions, which are crucial for roles such as sales, client relationship management and product management, says Bill Moseman, head of client relationship management at Inbotiqa. “It struggles with understanding context in human communication and doesn’t adapt well to unpredictable changes with the speed of a focused human being.”

IA operates within the ethical frameworks and guidelines it is programmed with, but it cannot make moral judgments or take accountability for decisions, adds Williams. “The ethical implications of business decisions, especially those impacting stakeholders and society, still require human oversight.”

READ: 7 trends shaping intelligent automation in 2024

2. Fix customer service or build relationships

IA is not a customer service silver bullet – it might help you get to an answer/response quicker, but it doesn’t deliver attitude, culture or a friendly voice, says Peter Evans operational excellence consultant and trainer and PEX Network Advisory Board member. “You need great people and constancy of purpose to deliver that.”

One of the key areas where IA falls short is building and nurturing customer relationships on a personal level, concurs Laia Quintana, head of marketing and sales at TeamUp. “While IA can automate many tasks, it lacks the human touch that is often necessary to truly connect with customers.” For example, it can’t understand the nuances of human emotions, empathize with specific customer situations or adapt its communication style to match the customer’s tone. “This is particularly important in the fitness industry, where personal connection and understanding individual needs are crucial for customer retention and satisfaction,” Quintana says.

The cornerstone of any business is its relationships with customers, partners and employees. While IA can facilitate interactions, the depth, warmth and trust that comes from genuine human relationships are irreplaceable and essential for long-term business success, adds Williams.

3. Prioritize physical and mental health

The implementation of IA also cannot sense operator/worker overload and mental health issues, says Chris, marketing coordinator at MATTRESSTEK. “These things should (and need to) be accounted for by managers and individuals in the business.” Whilst many things within a business can be automated, no business can really be fully automated and any system – ERP or production/processing – will need to be supervised for health and safety and capacity perspectives. “If robots could really rule the world, I’m pretty sure they would have by now.”

REGISTER: All Access: Intelligent Automation 2024

4. Cure failure demand

If you think that IA will cure your failure demand (demand caused by a failure to do something or do something right for the customer) be warned – it won’t. “As with RPA and other technologies, there is a real danger we will simply make errors faster,” says Evans. “When RPA became vogue, I heard many people at conferences boasting about how many bots they had created. I fear the same with IA.” Take the time to think through “real root cause” before starting to develop, he adds. “If you don’t know that, how can you possibly know you are really improving?”

5. Be creative and strategic

While IA can generate innovative patterns and solutions within specified parameters, it lacks the capability to think abstractly and strategize outside the box. “The visionary aspect of business strategy, including innovation and long-term planning, remains a distinctly human forte,” says Williams. IA tools are designed to learn from data and improve over time, but their adaptability is limited to their programming and the data they have been trained on. “In highly volatile or unprecedented scenarios, human intervention is critical to navigate complexities and innovate solutions.”

READ: 6 free intelligent automation training courses for business leaders

6. Impart wisdom (or insight)

IA will undoubtedly give you wider and deeper access to data, but it will only take you part of the way from data to wisdom (or insight). “It may take you from data to information and maybe even knowledge, but it will need great and insightful people to do the last part,” says Evans. “I have seen so many businesses and people stop at ‘information’ and believe that is enough. It isn’t.”

As with all new tools, there is a belief that they will answer all the questions you could possibly have. “I doubt that very much; in fact, what I think will happen is it will drive new and better questions,” Evans adds. That needs ‘real’ intelligence to release the full power of the new technologies – something businesses have not been great at in the past."

#metaglossia_mundus: https://www.processexcellencenetwork.com/rpa/articles/things-intelligent-automation-cant-do

 

"As the popularity of French wanes, RobotsMali is using AI to create books in Bambara.

By Rachel Chason

April 13, 2024 at 2:00 a.m. EDT

SAFO, Mali — Most of the students had never seen their native language in its written form until recently. Now, they were eagerly sounding out the words appearing on the ThinkPad laptops before them, sometimes stumbling as they read a story written entirely in Mali’s most popular language, Bambara.

The twist? The story on their screens had been generated, translated and illustrated using artificial intelligence.

 

As Mali’s relationship with French — the language of its former colonial ruler, France — has grown more fraught, an effort to use AI to create children’s books in Bambara and other local languages is gaining momentum. With political tensions high between the two countries, Mali’s military government last year replaced French as the country’s “official” language, instead elevating Bambara and 12 other native languages, though French will still be used in government settings and public schools.

 

 

That change has meant there is more political will behind efforts like that of RobotsMali, a start-up that has used artificial intelligence to create more than 140 books in Bambara since last year, said Séni Tognine, who works in Mali’s Education Ministry and has been helping RobotsMali create its books. Now, he said, both the government and the people “are engaged in wanting to learn and valorize local languages.”

RobotsMali uses AI to produce stories that reflect the lives and culture of regular Malians. Instead of simply translating a French classic like “Le Petit Prince” into Bambara, RobotsMali’s team puts a prompt into ChatGPT such as: “Tell me mischievous things kids do.”

 

The team, whose work was first reported by Rest of World, eliminates examples that would not be relevant to most kids in Mali, then uses Google Translate — which added Bambara in 2022 and employs AI to improve its translations — to do a first round of translation. Experts like Tognine then correct any mistakes. Another staff member uses a variety of AI image creators to illustrate the stories, ensuring that the characters are relatable to Malian kids, and then turns to ChatGPT to create reading comprehension tests.

Sitting in the classroom in Safo, a dozen students who had dropped out of public school or never attended one were following along as their instructor led them in reading a story about the things children should not do, including wasting food, picking on their siblings and talking back to adults. At various points, the instructor called on individual students to read aloud, which they did eagerly, sometimes gently correcting each other.

 

 

Soko Coulibaly, a quiet 10-year-old who had never been to school and now sat in the front row, using her finger to follow along, said that she’d felt “a little scared” when she’d first seen Bambara in its written form, thinking to herself: “How am I going to do this?”

But after a few lessons, she’d found it easy to decipher the words she was so used to speaking at home and had started bringing books back to her mother, who is among the 70 percent of Malians who have never learned to read or write.

 

A challenge for African languages

The vast majority of Africa’s roughly 1,000 languages are not represented on websites, which big generative AI platforms like ChatGPT crawl to help train themselves.

If you ask ChatGPT the most basic questions in Ethiopia’s two most popular languages, Amharic and Tigrinya, for example, it produces a nonsensical jumble of Amharic, Tigrinya and sometimes even other languages, Asmelash Teka Hadgu said. But Hadgu, who created a start-up focused on using machine learning to translate between English and Ethiopian languages, said that specific projects like that of RobotsMali also speak to the potential of artificial intelligence.

“If it is done right,” he said, “the potential in terms of democratizing access to education is enormous.”

 

 

Nate Allen, an associate professor at the Washington-based Africa Center for Strategic Studies, said that although the United States and China are “undoubtedly at the frontier” of artificial intelligence technology, efforts such as those in Mali show that “we are living in an era of AI accessibility.”

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As the RobotsMali team worked in their office in a wing of co-founder Michael Leventhal’s house in Bamako on a recent day, one employee of the Education Ministry was correcting Bambara translations done by Google Translate, while another was querying Playground, a free online image creator, for photos of “an African woman pounding millet.” Leventhal was studying a picture of a father and a daughter that had been created by AI, wondering if the image had made the African man too stereotypically muscular, as he said often happens.

Tognine, who started collaborating with RobotsMali after doing an AI training conducted by the group, said the program has made the ministry’s work more efficient. “There are many things to correct, but it takes seconds to translate what would before take weeks or months,” he said, adding that just that week, he’d already created two books.

A previous effort by Mali’s government to introduce Bambara into public schools largely failed because of a lack of funding, teacher training and parental interest for children to learn a language in school other than French, Tognine said.

 

But he said that in recent years, there has been a growing embrace of the importance of learning to read and write the national languages, which have traditionally been primarily spoken, partly because of the government’s rejection of France and focus on national sovereignty.

“It enriches our cultural and linguistic history,” Bakari Sahogo, another member of the Education Ministry who has been working with RobotsMali, said about the importance of writing in Bambara and other local languages. “And [it] permits us to safeguard and develop our culture.”

 

Building a stronger written tradition

Leventhal, who worked as a tech entrepreneur in Silicon Valley before moving to Mali a decade ago to teach computer science, said the ultimate goal is to use artificial intelligence to help Mali develop a stronger written tradition of Bambara than currently exists. That could happen, he said, as artificial intelligence systems get access to more language data.

But for now, the focus is on efforts like those in Safo, where none of the children in the program knew how to read before RobotsMali launched its nine-week program here in January. By April, when the program ended after funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ran out, 10 of the 11 children were able to read at at least a basic level, Leventhal said.

As instructor Nouhoum Coulibaly handed out copies of a new book on a recent day, the children were focused, despite temperatures that passed 110 degrees.

 

Fourteen-year-old Bourama Diallo had always been nervous at the French-only public school. Now he said he found himself loving learning.

Coulibaly, the quiet 10-year-old who’d started bringing back books to her mother, said her favorite one was about animals, or “bagan” in Bambara. She said she hoped the program would resume. Leventhal said the group has returned a few times since the program ended to bring the children new books, and he plans for it to resume once new funding comes through.

Coulibaly said she had never seen a computer before the program started and had been fascinated when staff explained how the stories were created.

“You can create many things with computers,” she said with a smile. “They know things about the world.”"

#metaglossia_mundus

Reflexive Translation Studies

Translation as Critical Reflection

Silvia Kadiu

ISBN: 9781787352568

Publication: April 08, 2019

Series: Literature and Translation

In the past decades, translation studies have increasingly focused on the ethical dimension of translational activity, with an emphasis on reflexivity to assert the role of the researcher in highlighting issues of visibility, creativity and ethics. In Reflexive Translation Studies, Silvia Kadiu investigates the viability of theories that seek to empower translation by making visible its transformative dimension; for example, by championing the visibility of the translating subject, the translator’s right to creativity, the supremacy of human translation or an autonomous study of translation.

Inspired by Derrida’s deconstructive thinking, Kadiu presents practical ways of challenging theories that argue reflexivity is the only way of developing an ethical translation. She questions the capacity of reflexivity to counteract the power relations at play in translation (between minor and dominant languages, for example) and problematises affirmative claims about (self-)knowledge by using translation itself as a process of critical reflection.

In exploring the interaction between form and content, Reflexive Translation Studies promotes the need for an experimental, multi-sensory and intuitive practice, which invites students, scholars and practitioners alike to engage with theory productively and creatively through translation.

Praise for Reflexive Translation Studies

‘This compelling book presents a method that is flexible and learner-centered for educators as well as accessible and translator-centered for scholars and practitioners.’
Translation Review

#metaglossia_mundus