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Scooped by
Charles Tiayon
Today, 1:49 AM
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Translation is a mutation of language, but not direct replication; something happens in the process that shifts the direction of the ideas "Along with her novels, Vlady Kociancich worked on a translation of Joseph Conrad’s The End of the Tether, which according to her obituary by Daniel Gigena in La Nación, “había sido muy elogiada” (was highly praised). This translation is present in The Eighth Wonder, explicitly given that the narrator is working on a translation of this book, as well as in more hidden forms. Alberto Paradella, the lawyer-turned-writer-turned-translator-turned-journalist-turned-scriptwriter at one point refers to the journey between the Spanish and English versions of the text he is working on as a “double itinerary”; the metaphor of the journey as a bidirectional translation, where the very process of moving alters the elements in movement, carries through the book in many ways. In the novel, Paradella cannot seem to finish the translation, due to distractions, heartbreaks, travels, and misplacements of the manuscript. In “real life,” Kociancich did finish the translation, which she worked on at the same time as she wrote The Eighth Wonder, and which was published as Con la soga al cuello by Emecé in an edition with a noose on the cover, later reprinted in an edition by Hyspamérica together with Sergio Pitol’s translation of El corazón de las tinieblas (Heart of Darkness) and a prologue by Jorge Luis Borges. There are multiple Spanish translations of The End of the Tether—En las últimas, Situación límite, El cabo de la cuerda—but Kociancich’s title Con la soga al cuello, which can be more literally translated as With the Rope Around the Neck, is my favorite. It slightly shifts Conrad’s title, just as Borges’ title Otra vuelta de tuerca (Another Turn of the Screw) gave a further swivel to the novella by Henry James. Which makes me think: maybe Paradella did finish his translation. The entirety of The Eighth Wonder could be read as Kociancich’s translation of Conrad’s The End of the Tether taken to its extreme, where the translator has entered so deeply into the book that what she translates are not just words, phrases, and ideas, but scenes and atmospheres, so that the book journeys from the colonial world of Singapore to the contemporary world of Buenos Aires. This is something different from “rewriting,” The dizzying movements in The End of the Tether across land and sea, from the English boardinghouse to the Malaysian coastline, with stops at temporary ports and the only home one’s boat, are mirrored in the Argentine travel journalist’s movements from Villa del Parque to the Berlin metropolis, passing through airports with only books and dreams as one’s home. Transition and movement become the only constant, until it becomes impossible to return or even locate home. There is disquiet in the absorption that translation requires, the way the self enters another world at the possible expense of the current one. An endless journey, a trip one cannot escape, which might be a synonym for nightmare... Language travels and shifts through time just like the characters in the book. And for those attentive to them, these shifts can be as world-configuring as external events..." Via Seven Stories Press Jessica Sequeira August 26, 2026 https://lithub.com/translation-as-a-journey-jessica-sequeira-on-vlady-kociancichs-the-eighth-wonder/ #metaglossia #metaglossia_mundus
"Charles Tiayon, cartographer of the translation world
Charles Tiayon is a translator, lecturer and consultant whose Scoop.it activity reflects the professional universe named in his bio: translation, terminology, lexicography and intercultural issues. Through METAGLOSSIA, his public selection tracks language as a field of work, a field of rights, and a field being altered by AI.
A systems view of language
Tiayon looks at translation as a living system. His selections connect interpreters, translators, dictionary makers, universities, publishers, language activists and software companies, rather than treating them as separate worlds.
Technology with memory
AI is a recurring concern, but it is not treated as the whole story. Real-time speech translation, OCR and voice AI appear alongside older and slower forms of linguistic work: dictionaries, terminology, literary translation and language education.
A multilingual compass
The geographic spread is notably international, with attention to French, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Maltese, Breton, Ukrainian, Filipino, Indigenous languages in Canada and Indian language politics. No single country dominates the map.
What defines this selection
Archive-scale attention
With 99,235 posts analysed in a single topic, this is a long-running, high-volume observatory of the translation world. The account dates back to 2011, giving the selection the feel of an archive as much as a live feed.
A broad professional lens
The material moves easily between AI translation tools, national dictionaries, literary translation, terminology work, market news and language policy. That range reflects a professional view of language work as both craft and infrastructure.
Mixed-source reliability
The sources span institutions, universities, technology companies, mainstream media and regional outlets. UNESCO, university sites, DeepL, Mistral, CBC, Ouest-France and other sources create a mixed diet of policy, research, product news and local reporting.
Specialist reach, public scale
The audience numbers are substantial, with more than 567,000 views and over 424,000 unique visitors across all topics. The reach suggests sustained interest beyond a narrow specialist circle.
Topics
◍
Metaglossia: The Translation World
This flagship topic covers translation, interpreting, intercultural communication, terminology and lexicography as they unfold in public life. It is especially strong on AI language tools, institutional language policy, minority languages, literary translation and dictionaries.
99.2K posts
en
Deep dives
Where language becomes infrastructure
Charles Tiayon’s main topic reads like a newsroom for the language professions, but with a wider lens than trade news alone. Translation, interpreting, terminology and lexicography appear beside minority-language rights, literary circulation, dictionaries, competitions, and the fast-moving world of AI speech and OCR tools.
Metaglossia: The Translation World
The strongest thread is the collision between language as culture and language as system. A new Maltese digital dictionary, a Doha historical dictionary with text-to-speech, UNESCO and Unicode cooperation, and First Nations language translation all sit in the same frame as DeepL, Mistral OCR, and real-time speech models.
Metaglossia: The Translation World
His editorial voice is not silent aggregation. The analysis points to regular INSIGHT notes, often substantial and quote-based, with an explanatory tone and occasional sharper framing when language politics or AI consequences are at stake. The result is a practical map of a field being reshaped by institutions, software, markets and communities at once."
Courtesy
Scoop.it
06.07.2026
#metaglossia_mundus
#metaglossia
Google is reportedly testing a new ‘Listening area’ mode for Google Live Translate on Android XR, something that sounds like a headlining feature for the company’s upcoming fleet of smart glasses.
Google has always said it’s bringing real-time translations to its Android XR, so no surprise there, as the company promises its slate of smart glasses will serve up both translated audio matching the tone and pitch of the speaker’s voice as well as the ability to translate text from things like menus and signs.
Now, digging into the 10.32.66 version of the Google Translate app, Android Authority has discovered Google Live Translate is reportedly being developed to offer two distinct listening modes: ‘Front only’, which translates speech directly in front of the wearer for one-on-one conversations, and ‘Surrounding area’, which translates speech throughout the nearby area, potentially using the glasses’ full microphone array.
Granted, the feature was found in apk code, which means there’s no guarantee it will ship. It does however seem to fit into Google’s broader effort to expand Android XR ahead of upcoming smart glasses, which thus far include a variety of frames shipping this fall from Gentle Monster and Warby Parker. Additionally, frames from Gucci parent company Kering are also reportedly in development.
Considering Google’s strength in live translation, it’s a good bet the company will be looking to pack in every bit of functionality as it seeks to compete with Meta’s fleet of smart glasses, which also feature a live translation feature.
Notably, live translation on Meta’s smart glasses is more akin to the ‘Front only’ one-on-one interactions described above, which work by serving up translated speech to the user through the glasses’ open-ear speakers as the other participant can see translated transcript on a user’s smartphone."
Google Reportedly Working on New Live Translation Feature for Android XR | Road to VR
Scott Hayden
August 26, 2026 https://roadtovr.com/google-live-translation-android-xr-feature/
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
ENCO to Feature Captioning, Translation, AI Tools at IBC2026
The company will also demo its automation and virtual production offerings
"ENCO will demonstrate five areas at IBC 2026 in Amsterdam: captioning, translation, AI production tools, automation and virtual production.
At the forthcoming IBC Show in Amsterdam, ENCO will unveil its latest products that it said help media organizations achieve more with fewer resources.
The company is highlighting five areas: captioning, translation, AI production tools, automation and virtual production.
September’s show will mark the European debut of ENCO’s enSpeak real-time voice solution. It will also showcase new AI tools for TV and radio, while its Qimera Virtual Production offering will make its IBC debut.
“Together, ENCO’s IBC showcase reflects an expanding technology ecosystem designed to make sophisticated broadcast workflows easier to deploy, operate and scale,” a release said.
For captioning, ENCO will demonstrate its enCaption suite, with an emphasis on its enCaption Sierra platform.
Sierra offers on-premises and cloud deployment with improvements in language support and accuracy, the company said. ENCO will also demonstrate its Raptor cloud captioning encoder, which the company said is designed for IP and cloud-based broadcast setups.
ENCO will also feature its enTranslate, which takes live captions and turns them into multilingual text translations. Its enSpeak, meanwhile, offers low-latency voice translation that the company describes as natural sounding.
The company will also preview an AI-based video solution that identifies and extracts segments from long-form programming for repurposing across digital and social media platforms. It will also feature SPECai, its AI-based radio advertising platform for producing commercials, designed to assist in meetings with potential advertising buyers.
It will also demonstrate aiTrack, its cloud-based platform for generating, localizing and scheduling AI-based audio content for radio.
ENCO will also return to IBC with its DAD radio automation system, along with its VDESK system for visual radio and video production applications."
By Nick Langan ⋅
August 25, 2026
https://www.radioworld.com/tech-and-gear/products/enco-to-feature-captioning-translation-ai-tools-at-ibc2026
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
Inside Cal Poly Humboldt’s Center for Translation & Interpretation
When families... hear their first language spoken clearly and confidently, the impact is immediate. What might otherwise feel inaccessible becomes welcoming and personal
...
"Launched in 2019, the Center operates at the intersection of experiential learning for students, community service, and institutional transformation. Its work includes live interpretation at major University events like fall and spring commencement, translation of essential materials, and hands-on student learning embedded in real-world contexts.
Partnership is central to the Center’s approach. It collaborates closely with Cal Poly Humboldt’s Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (ODEI), as well as community organizations and events like El Centro del Pueblo and the Latino Film Festival. These collaborations highlight the Center’s purpose to serve students and families in meaningful, culturally responsive ways and elevate Cal Poly Humboldt's commitments as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Latinx students make up approximately 30% of the student body.
The Center has recently finished an ambitious new project translating fact sheets into Spanish for all 87 of the University’s academic programs. These materials, often a first point of contact for prospective students and their families, play a crucial role in college access. By making them available in Spanish, the Center is helping more families engage with academic offerings, understand pathways, and support their students’ decisions.
“Language isn’t something students should feel they have to leave behind when they come to University,” says Center Director Agustín Amaro. “Maintaining and developing their first language is a strength that connects them to their communities, families, and futures. Our goal is to create spaces where that knowledge is valued and cultivated.”
That philosophy shapes the Center’s role in teaching and learning. Housed within the Department of Applied Humanities, the Center is closely integrated into the curriculum. Students engage with foundational principles of translation and interpretation like accuracy, ethics, and cultural nuance, and then apply those skills in real-world settings.
This experiential approach will expand further with the launch of a new minor in Spanish Healthcare Interpretation - the first of its kind in the CSU system. The Center will play a key role in that program, helping prepare students to work in medical and clinical settings where clear, accurate communication can directly impact care and outcomes. As demand grows for trained interpreters in healthcare, the program positions students for meaningful careers while addressing a critical statewide need.
The Center’s influence extends well beyond campus. It regularly provides pro bono translation and interpretation services to local organizations, including the Humboldt County Office of Education, the City of Arcata, and the City of Eureka. These partnerships reinforce the University’s role as a regional resource, supporting communication and access in public institutions that serve diverse communities."
Aug 25, 2026
CAHSS
https://now.humboldt.edu/news/bridging-languages-expanding-access-inside-cal-poly-humboldts-center-translation
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"How AI is Turning Accessibility into a Customer Experience Advantage
26 August 2026
Sarah Backhouse
For years, organisations have expected people to learn their language. Whether it’s council terminology, healthcare jargon, financial services language, or internal company labels, users are expected to know what they’re looking for before they start searching.
Websites are typically structured around departments and processes, rather than the way people naturally think.
Most people arrive at a website with a question, not a category. They don’t know which department owns the answer or the organisation’s terminology. They simply want information quickly and easily, using their own words. Yet many digital experiences still place the burden on the user. If they get the wrong search term, they need to navigate multiple pages, try different phrases, or abandon their search altogether.
As digital becomes the primary channel for customer interaction, the gap is becoming costly and hard to ignore.
Expectations have shifted too. Conversational AI has conditioned people to expect digital experiences to work in the same way they communicate. They want to ask questions naturally, use voice input, and receive direct answers. They don’t need to understand how an organisation is structured behind the scenes.
This shift presents a significant opportunity, particularly when it comes to accessibility and digital inclusion.
Moving beyond compliance
Accessibility has traditionally been viewed as a compliance issue. Organisations have rightly invested significant effort in meeting standards and making digital services available to as many people as possible. That work remains important, but it has a ceiling. Today, accessibility is becoming part of the overall experience people have with an organisation. A service can meet every technical standard and still be practically unusable, because the terminology is opaque, the journey is convoluted, or the search requires insider knowledge to operate.
Digital inclusion addresses what compliance misses. A non-English speaker, someone who finds typing difficult, a user unfamiliar with industry jargon, or someone lacking confidence to navigate complex digital journeys.
Different scenarios, with the same results. People cannot find what they need, and organisations fail to serve them effectively.
Why AI changes the conversation
Much of the discussion around AI focuses on productivity gains, automation, and efficiency.
Less discussed is AI’s potential to make information genuinely accessible to more people. Instead of expecting users to think like organisations, organisations can use AI to start responding to the way people naturally communicate. Someone can ask a question in their own language and receive a relevant answer without having to understand the structure sitting behind the website.
Conversational search, natural language processing, voice interaction, and real-time translation allow users to engage with digital services in a way that feels natural to them, rather than a list of links that assumes they already know where to look.
Traditional keyword search relied on users to guess the right phrase, understand organisational structure, and refine their searches until they find something that works.
AI-powered search, on the other hand, interprets intent and context. The practical difference is significant. Instead of asking people to search across multiple pages or systems, AI can bring trusted information together and present a single, relevant answer.
Digital inclusion by design
The organisations getting this right treat digital inclusion as a foundational design decision rather than a retrofit. That means considering there is no single user journey that works for everyone and building accordingly.
For example, in organisations serving increasingly diverse communities and customer bases, language can be as much of a barrier as accessibility. AI-powered experiences can reduce that barrier by allowing people to ask questions in their preferred language and receive answers they understand.
Voice interaction is another way of improving inclusion, with improvements rarely confined to the group they were designed for. It helps users with physical difficulties such as visual impairments, as well as busy people on mobile phones or with literacy or learning difficulties. Another group to benefit is the elderly, or those less confident with digital devices, as they often find speaking a request quicker than typing. Meanwhile, real-time translation supports non-native speakers but also improves access for international customers. Conversational search helps users unfamiliar with jargon, whilst creating a faster experience for everyone else.
This is why digital inclusion should no longer be viewed as a niche concern. For many industries, including the public sector, accessibility has become a legal requirement, with guidelines becoming more prominent in others. Ultimately, it is becoming central to the way organisations design modern customer experiences, whilst also helping them make better use of their resources.
As Simon Fletcher, Chief Executive at Lichfield District Council, explains, “By introducing AI-driven search, we’re able to deliver tailored, accurate answers, making it easier for residents to get the help they need, quickly and efficiently.
“Our key aim is to ensure those customers who are happy to self-serve can find what they need quickly and remain online, without the need to phone us, leaving us more time to provide tailored support to customers who need extra help.”
Designing around people, not processes
The next step for customer service organisations: make digital services work better for the people using them. Reducing friction and lowering the barrier to finding information means a more effective experience for a broader population, not just those with accessibility needs.
In a world where customer experience and digital inclusion are becoming increasingly connected, AI offers organisations the opportunity to rethink how people access information and services. Those that use it to make interactions simpler, more intuitive, and more inclusive are likely to see the greatest value.
fend, explain, and scale. That’s how you move faster – without compromising what matters most.
Over 600 organisations in financial services, insurance, local government and healthcare use Netcall’s Liberty platform to make life easier for the people they serve.
Liberty Converse is the next-generation, AI-powered contact centre solution that redefines how businesses engage with their customers. The cloud-native platform extends its robust contact centre software capabilities to harness the power of intelligent process automation and rapid application development, setting Netcall apart in the competitive landscape.
Liberty Converse is part of Netcall’s Liberty platform which provides cut-through process automation and communications solutions, helping organisations to achieve their business goals faster in a rapidly changing world. Liberty offers user-friendly, AI-driven tools to create business applications that automate processes, streamline workflows and enhance both customer and employee experiences."
https://contact-centres.com/how-ai-is-turning-accessibility-into-a-customer-experience-advantage/
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"VerbumSDK On-Prem / Edge - OneMeta's translation and transcription architecture can now be trained on a client's own data and run entirely within a client's own infrastructure: private servers, air-gapped environments, or edge and desktop devices
Market size: The global sovereign AI market is projected to grow from $40.0 billion in 2025 to $148.0 billion by 2032, a 20.6% compound annual growth rate, according to MarketsandMarkets (August 2026)
Fastest-growing segment: MarketsandMarkets identifies on-premises AI infrastructure as the fastest-growing deployment mode within that market
Enterprises are already moving: According to Broadcom's Private Cloud Outlook 2026, a global survey of 1,800 senior IT leaders, the share of enterprises using public cloud as their primary environment for production AI fell from 56% to 41% in a single year, while 56% now run or plan to run production AI on private infrastructure
Primary buyers: Healthcare, finance, government, and other organizations with strict data-security or compliance requirements
Why This Matters
Enterprises have reached a turning point in how they deploy AI. According to Broadcom's 2026 survey of senior IT leaders, more than half of enterprises now run or plan to run production AI inference on private infrastructure rather than the public cloud - a reversal from near-parity just a year earlier. Independent analysts at MarketsandMarkets project the sovereign AI market will more than triple by 2032, and identify on-premises infrastructure as growing faster than any other deployment model within it.
The reasons are consistent across industries: enterprises want the benefits of real-time AI without giving up control of their data, their models, or their compliance posture. For OneMeta's own client base - regulated organizations in healthcare, finance, and government - this has meant asking a direct question: can real-time translation run without any conversation ever leaving the building.
OneMeta's answer is architectural, not just operational. The same translation and transcription technology the Company runs in the cloud can now be trained on a client's own data and operated entirely within a client's own environment - a private data center, a fully air-gapped server with no internet connection, or a desktop or edge device.
Leadership Commentary
"Our clients and their clients have been asking us to bring our tech stack and CX inside their own walls," said Saul Leal, Founder and CEO of OneMeta. "That's a substantially different problem. Nevertheless, we now deploy in the cloud or on-premises. Allowing the model itself to be trained on a client's own data and operated entirely within an environment they control, from end to end. The market data backs up what we're already hearing directly from clients: enterprises are prioritizing to have full control over their own data, as they move towards real time AI deployments. And, we built OneMeta to carry those objectives as a turn key vertical solution."
"Clients are increasingly asking: do we have the option to run the Verbum platform entirely inside our own walls," said Tim Fisher, Senior Vice President of Sales at OneMeta." Doing so it's becoming a strategic differentiator. Now our clients don't have to sacrifice accuracy and speed for control - and that shift, with a promising ROI trajectory, is opening doors for OneMeta that simply didn't exist a year ago."
Availability
VerbumSDK On-Prem / Edge is available now to enterprise and government clients.
About OneMeta Inc.
OneMeta is the real-time understanding company™. Its Verbum technologies deliver secure, real-time translation, transcription, and interpretation across 140+ languages. OneMeta's mission is to create a more understanding world.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding product availability, client demand, third-party market projections, and anticipated business impact. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions, including third-party research the Company believes to be reliable but has not independently verified, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including but not limited to market adoption, competitive developments, the Company's ability to execute its product roadmap, and general economic and industry conditions. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise them except as required by law. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements and should review the risk factors described in the Company's filings with the SEC, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.
Media Contact: PR@onemeta.ai
Investor Contact: investors@onemeta.ai
#
OneMeta Inc.: We create a more understanding world™.
OneMeta, Verbum, VerbumSuite, VerbumSDK, and "We create a more understanding world" are each trademarks of OneMeta Inc. All other trademarks, if any, are the property of their respective owners.
SOURCE: OneMeta AI"
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/computers-technology-and-internet/onemeta-launches-verbumsdk-for-secure-real-time-translation-and-t-1211628
#metaglossia #metaglossia_mundus
"Deaf interpreters translate hours of Netflix content into ASL because closed captioning isn’t a fix
Former San Diego and Alpine resident, Scott Keller, is one of the certified Deaf interpreters who worked on the project between SignUp Media, an entertainment company focused on accessibility for the Deaf community, and Netflix
Scott Keller, a Certified Deaf Interpreter, is seen here translating the children’s program “Llama Llama.” (Photo courtesy of SignUp Media)
Any time his children want to watch a movie, Scott Keller stands next to the television in the family room to translate what they’re watching into American Sign Language.
“I have the subtitles on for myself to understand, and I sign the content real-time. My children get the benefit of the movie’s content in American Sign Language and English, simultaneously,” he said via email. “Deaf people are naturally bilingual, and I know that what I am doing for my children, not many other children have the same opportunity.”
Keller is a Certified Deaf Interpreter through the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, a nationwide licensing body. He, his wife, and their three children (a fourth is on the way) are all deaf, and his kids attend the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin. His work includes translating entertainment content into ASL through SignUp Media, an entertainment company focused on accessibility for the Deaf community. They have a global network of hundreds of Deaf interpreters who translate hundreds of hours of content into multiple sign languages. Recently, Keller was among a number of interpreters involved in SignUp Media’s partnership with Netflix to do this work on dozens of the streaming platform’s original programming for kids and families, and licensed titles, available through SignUp. The ASL translations by the interpreters is overlaid directly onto the streaming content, and viewers can resize or reposition it next to the video as they wish. Titles include “Pokemon Horizons,” “The Magic School Bus Rides Again,” “Cocomelon,” and “Stranger Things: Tales from ’85,” and interpreters are all Deaf and native signers, and were matched by language, character, and lived experience—a Cuban Deaf interpreter worked on “Vivo,” while an Asian Deaf interpreter worked on “Wish Dragon,” keeping the translations culturally relevant and accurate.
Keller, who lived in San Diego and Alpine before moving to Austin, Texas, in 2023, previously worked at Deaf Community Services of San Diego. He’s currently working toward a Ph.D. from the University of San Diego in leadership and organizational management, with plans to establish a nonprofit advocacy center.
“As a disabled individual, specifically with my Deafness, I constantly have to prove myself. To represent myself and my community well, I feel that a doctoral degree in the area I have a passion for will be able to shine a light to my community,” he says. “I chose organizational management because my passion has always been helping others in my community and the nonprofit field opens doors to that.”
(This interview has been edited for length and clarity. )
Q: You’re one of the Deaf interpreters in SignUp’s partnership with Netflix to translate dozens of children’s programs to American Sign Language. Which programs did you translate and how long did it take you to complete the translations?
A: I have done “Hotel Transylvania 3,” “Train Dreams,” “Frankenstein” (Guillermo Del Toro’s version), among others. The time it takes me to translate the content is equivalent to the duration of the film. If the film is 60 minutes long, I translate 60 minutes of content in real time. Although, there are more hours invested in the project such as prep time (watching the film beforehand, especially if it’s the type of film to win an Oscar), my home studio setup and break down (I have my studio set up in the kids’ playroom, so you can imagine the extra time it takes me to clear out their mess every time). I have post-production time that includes ensuring the data I record gets transferred to the laptop and then to the cloud. I would say anywhere from 60 to 90 more minutes extra, on top of the duration of the film.
Q: Walk us through your process for this kind of ASL translation work. How did you prepare and execute this project? What were some of the challenges, or tricky spots?
A: When I am assigned a project, I can choose to take or pass on it. While I have yet to pass on a project, I will review the content and see if it’s something I need to research, perhaps specific jargon that will require more time translating. Then, I set up the studio when my kids go to bed, and I begin translating in real time with my camera recording myself, and my laptop running the content. The challenges vary; sometimes it’s the content, sometimes it’s the mess my kids leave, and sometimes I’m just really tired! I would say the challenges are in translating characters. I mean, I’m an individual translating the entire movie’s content that could range anywhere from two, to five, to maybe 10 different characters. Sometimes more than several characters are displayed on the same screen, and it gets hard to differentiate between which character is speaking a message. I address this by shifting my shoulders to the left and the right, matching the position of characters on the screen. If one character is on the left, and another character is on the right, I will translate while leaning to the left and then to the right. In a perfect world, I would like to see one interpreter for each character! That would be amazing.
Q: Are you comfortable talking a bit about your background and how you became deaf?
A: Absolutely! I was born proudly genetically Deaf! Deafness spans four generations in my family, and that equates to about 100 years. My children are the fifth in the generation, being naturally, genetically Deaf. We carry the gene Connexin 26, which is known to cause deafness. Connexin 26 is a protein produced by the GJB2 gene. Variants in GJB2 are among the most common genetic causes of congenital, nonsyndromic, sensorineural hearing loss. Although, this is not the case for many other Deaf kids; research has it that between 90% to 95% of Deaf kids are born to hearing families, which means they are the only family member that’s Deaf and, more often than not, the only person left out linguistically and culturally. My family has no issues with communication as each member is Deaf.
Q: How has your lived experience shaped your approach to this work?
A: My mother used to do this for me when I was growing up. She did not have the same educational opportunities as I did, but she made sure that her kids would get better access. She would attempt to translate what she knew when watching TV/movies, and as little kids, that was enough. While growing up, my mother would fight for our accessibility rights at school, after school, even at the doctor’s office. She would not give up until each of us had equal access. I think that played a big role in the reason why I continue to do community work, and ensuring accessibility is not an afterthought for the Deaf community.
Q: Can you talk about what’s missing from closed captioning, and why it’s not the fix that other people might assume it would be?
A: With subtitles and closed captioning, a lot of things get missed. Sometimes, it’s a technical glitch, sometimes it’s a grammar error, and most of the time it is simply a written representation of the spoken words. To accurately understand the captions, it takes understanding the spoken word, understanding the innuendos, tone, rhythm, sarcasm, and a lot of other things that are hidden in the message. Basically, captioning provides access to words, while interpreting provides access to the message’s linguistic, cultural, emotional, and contextual meaning.
Q: What’s most exciting or gratifying for you about this project, and having these programs include ASL now?
A: I’m excited and grateful that Netflix is on board, because I think each title in Netflix’s database should be accessible in American Sign Language, or at least just those titles that already offer subtitles in other languages. American Sign Language is often overlooked, missed, or simply never accounted for. To include ASL, it takes extra time in locating the right talent (interpreters, actors, performers, what have you) and it takes technical time (recording, editing, set up/break down, uploading, etc.). Although we live in a tech-paced environment in America, and it’s 2026, I think it’s time that movies and TV shows are automatically accessible..."
By Lisa Deaderick | lisa.deaderick@sduniontribune.com
PUBLISHED: August 16, 2026
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/08/16/deaf-interpreters-translate-hours-of-netflix-content-into-asl-because-closed-captioning-isnt-a-fix/
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"Academic quest brings new, full translation of ancient classic to English-speaking world
Remco Breuker, a professor of Korean Studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands, holds his book "Vestiges of the Three Kingdoms of Ancient Korea" at Gyeongbok Palace in Jongno District, Seoul, July 28. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
A few decades ago, Korean studies was often treated as an afterthought and viewed as a sub-discipline to Chinese and Japanese studies. Today, a landmark complete English translation of one of Korea’s most important medieval texts is proving how dynamic and indispensable Korean history is to the global literary landscape.
At the heart of this milestone is Remco Breuker, a professor of Korean Studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands and a leading European authority on pre-modern Korean history. He, together with two other scholars — one of whom was his own teacher — to translate "Samguk Yusa," also known in English as "Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms."
Published by the University of Hawaii Press, his translation is titled "Vestiges of the Three Kingdoms of Ancient Korea." The 570-page work is the first complete and fully annotated English translation of the 13th-century classic.
Compiled primarily by the Buddhist monk Iryeon during the late Goryeo period, "Samguk Yusa" is a collection of forktalkes and legends of the Three Kingdoms period and before.
The newly released volume stands as the fruit of over six decades of dedication spanning three generations of Dutch scholars. The pioneering project was initiated at Leiden University decades ago by Frits Vos (1918–2000), who helped lay the groundwork for Korean studies in Europe.
It was subsequently carried forward by his student, Boudewijn Walraven, before being brought to fruition by Breuker, Walraven’s own student and academic heir.
Translating 800-year-old living classic
Unlike previous English translations, this edition was painstakingly translated in full directly from the original text, which is primarily in classical Chinese, with some elements of "hyangchal" — an archaic writing system that used Chinese characters to represent vernacular Korean. The new book has over 2,000 footnotes, reflecting modern scholarship.
"'Samguk Yusa' is written 99 percent in classical Chinese and one percent in Old Korean poems, preserved through Hanzi phonetics," Breuker, 54, said during an interview with the Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul on July 28. "Older translations were not annotated like this. More importantly, they were translations of translations. If you want to make a proper translation, it needs to be from the original."
Reflecting on his 16 years of effort to finalize and annotate the draft originally started by Vos, Professor Breuker admitted the undertaking was intricate. "Because professor Vos had translated about 90 percent of it, I initially thought we could finish in three years, but that was a miscalculation," he said. "It is personally meaningful to complete the translation, started by the mentor who opened the path for Korean studies."
Beyond its academic significance, he stressed the book remains an important work within contemporary Korean society. "It is a living text; it still matters," he observed. "Almost every year, new translations into Korean appear because people look at the text to decide what their ancestors were like and what the future should look like."
"Vestiges of the Three Kingdoms of Ancient Korea" by Remco Breuker / Korea Times by Choi Won-suk
Diversity of Goryeo and Dangun myth
Professor Breuker’s research highlights the Goryeo period's rich culture and open-mindedness.
"The interesting thing about Goryeo is that whether you talk to scholars of Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism or geomancy, each will tell you their field is the most important," Breuker explained. "All those things coexisted together in Goryeo. In Goryeo, it was seen as different choices to look at the world."
"Samguk Yusa" is also famous for containing the earlist known record of the Dangun legend, which tells the story of the founding of the mythical first Korean kingdom of Gojoseon. Dangun was the son of a heavenly figure and a bear who turned into a human woman after living in a cave while consuming only garlic and mugwort.
According to Breuker, this myth fundamentally reshaped how Koreans viewed their lineage under foreign pressure.
"By starting with the Dangun myth, you completely rewrite Korean history," Breuker noted. "Whether people actually believed Dangun had existed doesn't matter as much as the fact that now you could refer to a common ancestor — one country as the origin of all people on the peninsula."
From ancient storytelling to hallyu
Breuker sees a direct connection between Korea’s ancient storytelling traditions and the modern global wave of Korean pop culture, films, and dramas.
"For the K-pop generation, it shows you how long before BTS or 'Squid Game,' there was a long history of literature worth knowing," Breuker said. "It shows that people are people, no matter the period."
He credited Korea's intense 20th-century history as the incubator for its creative explosion, noting that once censorship lifted, artistic expression surged. He added that Korea's history as a colonized country rather than a colonial power makes its culture non-threatening and uniquely accessible worldwide.
Reflecting on the field's evolution, Breuker celebrated the shift in European academia: "Korean studies used to be the little brother of Japanese and Chinese studies. Now, people can start directly with Korean. I hope this book quenches the long-standing thirst for a deep academic understanding of 'Samguk Yusa.'""
By Park Jin-hai
Published Aug 15, 2026 7:00 am KST
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/lifestyle/books/20260815/dutch-scholar-completes-landmark-translation-of-samguk-yusa
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"AI is flooding the online book market with poor translations: Here’s how to spot them
AI translations push the crafted work of real translators – with qualifications, genuine language skills, experience – to the back of a very busy marketplace.
Terry Bradford, The Conversation
Aug 16, 2026 · 05:30 pm
If you’re buying literature in translation online, buyer beware. You may unknowingly be buying low-quality AI-assisted translations presented as the work of a professional.
Certain online retailers are being used to flood the book market with AI-assisted “translations”. Amazon is one such example, though the company seems to be aware of the problem and claims to be addressing it.
I’m a published translator of French and Belgian literature and I teach literary translation to MA students. So I know from experience how much time and effort go into translation. Like many translators, I’m wary of the impact of AI on translation quality, not least because AI is not ideologically neutral. This means AI translation is more likely to reproduce outdated racial stereotypes (rife in colonial-era literature, alas) rather than handle them with sensitivity.
I first became aware of the practice when I purchased a Jules Verne novel in English online. The book presents as the work of a human translator and styles itself as “for a modern readership”. Within three minutes of opening the book, I had got my money back. Why? Style-wise, there was nothing “modern” about the “translation” – the style was as archaic as the first translation in 1877. And the presentation of the text was woeful by industry standards. It was clear AI had been used, but not disclosed.
The phenomenon seems to be expanding, and it raises serious ethical concerns regarding translation as a practice.
Why does it matter?
AI translations push the crafted work of real translators – with qualifications, genuine language skills and experience – to the back of a very busy marketplace.
What galls professional translators like me is that it might take months or even years to read, research and translate just one piece of literature. The AI-assisted pulp being churned out just cannot compete with a professional, human translator in terms of quality.
Translators can do their bit by increasing their visibility. They can offer well-researched forewords, for example, that explain their strategy, illustrate their appreciation of the text and its historical context and demonstrate the value they have added as human translators. But readers will also have to learn to be canny.
Expert interpreters evaluate AI translations.
Your guide to spotting AI translations
Technology (including machine translation), copyright laws, easy online access to published “classics” (for example through Project Gutenberg) and user-friendly self-publishing platforms mean that anyone can publish and market a text as a translation. But if you’d rather not read AI translations, here are some tips and telltale signs for spotting it:
Do judge the book by its cover. The design won’t be very sophisticated or professional – probably because AI has been used for that too
The original author is a well-known name – such as Fyodor Dostoevsky, or Niccolo Machiavelli. In any case, the author will be long dead, and their work will be in the public domain. This means the work is probably available online as a cut-and-paste text, which makes it easy to snatch and run through machine translation
The title is a familiar classic, like The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Alternatively, the title is an obscure work, but it’ll be by a famous author (see above)
The name of the “translator” is a “ghost” on the internet – meaning there’s next to nothing online (like a bio) to back up their credentials as a translator
Usually, there is no photo of the translator
Similarly, there is often no given publisher as the work has been self-published without the expert assistance of a professional editor
The author has published an inordinate number of books since the advent of AI
The range of their work would appear to point to (questionable) mastery of several languages. Most commonly, the original works are in French, Russian, German and (Medieval) Italian
Simply click on the sample. One dead giveaway is the absence of indented paragraphs – conventional formatting and presentation are jettisoned
While you’re there, just read the sample. Does it feel like a “modern translation” to you?
Terry Bradford is Lecturer in French and Translation, University of Leeds."
https://amp.scroll.in/article/1094919/ai-is-flooding-the-online-book-market-with-poor-translations-heres-how-to-spot-them
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"The Literature Translation Institute of Korea will mark its 30th anniversary with a two-day international conference on Korean literary translation, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Wednesday.
The 2026 World Congress for Korean Literary Translators and Alumni Homecoming Day will take place Aug. 28-29 at the Grand Mercure Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Residences Imperial Palace in Seoul. The event will also be livestreamed for participants unable to attend in person.
The first day's World Congress will center on the theme "Moving Together: The Future of Global Korean Literature and Cultural Translation."
Anders Karlsson, a Korean studies professor at SOAS University of London who translates Korean literature into Swedish, will deliver a keynote address, followed by four panel sessions covering literary translation aesthetics, artificial intelligence's impact on the field, translator training and the publishing industry.
The rise in global interest in Korean literature — spurred in part by novelist Han Kang's 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature — has heightened attention on translators who bring Korean-language works to international readers.
The second day, a homecoming event for graduates of LTI Korea's Translation Academy, will feature a keynote by Brother Anthony of Taize, an emeritus professor at Sogang University who has translated more than 40 volumes of Korean poetry and fiction, along with alumni career panels, mentoring sessions and public readings. Registration is free.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times."
By Jhoo Dong-chan
Aug 19, 2026 1:53 PM KST
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/amp/lifestyle/people-events/20260819/koreas-literature-translation-institute-to-host-global-translators-conference
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"Harvey taps DeepL to power legal-grade AI translation for global law firms and legal teams
DeepL supports Harvey's enterprise translation engine, powering highly secure, context-aware document translation and handling over a third of Harvey's total volume
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- DeepL, a global leader in Language AI, today announces that Harvey, the leading AI platform for law firms and legal teams, has selected DeepL to power fast, accurate and secure document translation directly inside its platform. The integration reflects growing demand for specialized AI tools built to handle the complexity of legal work, where accuracy, speed, formatting, terminology and security matter.
"Harvey customers work with complex, high-stakes documents all the time and document translation is one of our most-used workflows" said Lauren Oh, Product Manager at Harvey. "By integrating DeepL's AI document translation capabilities directly into the Harvey platform, we're giving legal teams an even faster, more seamless and reliable way to work across languages, while also making sure content stays highly precise and accurate."
Harvey serves more than 200,000 lawyers across 2,400+ organizations in 70 countries, including many of the world's largest law firms and in-house legal teams. For many of these customers, language is not just a side issue but a daily challenge. Cross-border legal work depends on translating contracts, filings, briefs, evidence, reports, and client materials quickly, accurately and reliably even when documents are long or highly complex.
With DeepL embedded directly into the Harvey platform through its translation API, customers can now upload any document, select a target language, and receive a precise, customized translation that preserves its original structure and formatting, all without ever leaving Harvey. The integration currently supports over 100 languages, and will handle over a third of Harvey's total document translation volume.
"Working with Harvey brings our specialized Language AI capabilities to even more legal teams around the world, who work across borders every day," said Jarek Kutylowski, Founder and CEO of DeepL. "Legal work usually means dealing with a lot of documentation, whether that's contracts, filings or case documents that span hundreds of pages, in dozens of different formats and unique contexts. Our platform is built for exactly this level of complexity, and Harvey choosing us for it is clear validation of DeepL's leadership in the Language AI market."
DeepL was selected as one of Harvey's AI translation vendors for its ability to preserve the structure and formatting of complex legal documents, while also delivering context-aware translations powered by specialized language models purpose-built for translation. DeepL's custom glossaries functionality and unmatched file-format support help legal teams maintain approved terminology and document integrity across languages, no matter the topic, complexity or length. The company's strong security and compliance standards, including no permanent data retention for enterprise and paid users, GDPR compliance, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 certification, and more, are also central to this work and Harvey's requirements for handling confidential and high-stakes materials.
This news builds on DeepL's broader momentum worldwide as businesses increasingly embrace Language AI as a core infrastructure for global work. DeepL's platform spans written and spoken translation, from text and documents to real-time translation for virtual meetings, in-person conversations and live events, and is used today by over 200,000 business teams and millions of individuals across nearly every industry, from legal to healthcare, manufacturing, financial services and technology. It also comes as DeepL continues to expand in the US, where nearly 50% of the Fortune 500 are users."
News provided by
DeepL
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/harvey-taps-deepl-to-power-legal-grade-ai-translation-for-global-law-firms-and-legal-teams-302854446.html
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"Library Celebrates America’s 250 Years Library of Congress
U.S. Poet Laureate Arthur Sze to Launch “Words Bridging Worlds” National Tour
Release Date: 17 Aug 2026
U.S. Poet Laureate Arthur Sze to Launch “Words Bridging Worlds” National Tour
Tour Invites Audiences to Engage More Fully with Poetry Translation
“Words Bridging Worlds,” Arthur Sze’s signature project as the nation’s 25th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry will launch in September with a national tour encouraging Americans to engage with poetry written in foreign languages.
“Words Bridging Worlds” invites anyone who has been curious about poetry from international cultures to become poetry translators. Graduate students from New York City’s Queens College MFA program in creative writing and literary translation will partner with Sze during poetry translation workshops. Sze will also hold a public reading and conversation about his signature project in each of the four cities on his tour. Sze’s events empower readers to dissolve the boundaries between reading, writing and translating poetry.
“We live in a challenging world that is increasingly interconnected,” Sze said. “Poetry is for everyone, and it bridges our differences by showing us that our experiences of what it is to be human reach across languages..."
https://newsroom.loc.gov/news/u.s.-poet-laureate-arthur-sze-to-launch--words-bridging-worlds--national-tour/s/82695209-8f36-4714-b030-8cdeeae529f1
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"Aug 17, 2026 Research & AcademicsStudent edition
Bridging the health gap between language and culture
Good healthcare is not only about medical knowledge, but also about human connection. Understanding patients’ needs and histories goes a long way toward providing high-quality care. A new undergraduate certificate at NAU aims to give students a unique set of tools to help them succeed in the industry by bridging the gap between language and culture in healthcare.
Juliana Suby, teaching professor, and Jersus Colmenares, associate teaching professor, both in the Department of Global Languages and Cultures, have been working together to design and implement the Spanish for the Health Professions undergraduate certificate. This program is designed for students who are pursuing careers in, or are already employed in, health-related professions. It focuses on Spanish language acquisition for cross-cultural communication and emphasizes cultural and social knowledge necessary for the better development of healthcare practices.
Suby said it all started when Colmenares designed a Spanish for the Health Professions course at the 300 level that minors and majors from their department could take. They were met with overwhelming demand from students.
“We had an explosion of interest,” Suby said. “It was amazing! Almost immediately, native speakers, heritage speakers and non-native Spanish speakers were attracted to this class. It was so popular that we had a waiting list for the course.”
Colmenares taught the class on a more regular basis, and he and Suby explored the idea of expanding the curriculum into a certificate program.
“One of the defining factors that turned the abstract idea of creating this certificate into a reality was an accident that happened on Highway 180, where a little boy from a Spanish-speaking family visiting Arizona was hit by a car crossing the highway,” Suby said. “I was told that one of the first responders said that the grief and the inability to communicate with the family broke his heart. That was the tipping point for me. By then, the class was already taking off, so I told Jersus that we needed to put this idea into action.”
Hands-on training
Colmenares, who has worked as a medical interpreter in the past and has volunteered for the city of Flagstaff, had a personal understanding of the need for Spanish speakers in healthcare and used his experience to help design the curriculum. Both he and Suby did a deep analysis, interviewed faculty members, looked at textbooks and materials and spoke to nurses, physical therapists and other healthcare professionals to get a clear idea of what students needed to learn to be successful and help their communities.
“When patients go to a healthcare center, a doctor’s appointment or any similar scenario and see that there is a way to communicate that is more comfortable for them, they can express themselves more freely,” Colmenares said. “Addressing this gap, which is huge right now in the United States, is crucial in programs like ours. Understanding what the needs are in the labor market today can put our students at an advantage. This is a skill that will get them ahead.”
In the final class, students are required to do nine hours of volunteer work. Colmenares said it’s a chance for students to use the medical vocabulary they are learning while gaining hands-on experience.
Kai Taras, a graduate student in speech-language pathology, said this component was the one of the most rewarding aspects of the course since she had the opportunity to volunteer at Flagstaff Medical Center as a Spanish interpreter and gained invaluable hands-on experience using medical Spanish in a real clinical setting.
Natalia Canaan, a chemistry, psychology and Spanish junior, saw firsthand the impact the class had in the community as she designed a tool that will make a difference to those who struggle with the English language.
“This certificate has had a huge impact on both my career goals and the way I already serve patients as a pharmacy technician,” Canaan said. “For my final project, I created a Spanish-language pamphlet with step-by-step guidance on how to obtain medication discount cards. More than just improving my Spanish, the class really impacted the way I think about healthcare, advocacy and serving underserved communities.”
More than just language
The Spanish for the Health Professionals undergraduate certificate consists of 19 credits and begins with the introductory 101 and 102 classes. Students then take three series of three Spanish for Health Professions courses, where they get the opportunity to interview experts in different fields and learn to work with artificial intelligence by training chatbots. Colmenares said the class not only teaches students Spanish and medical terminology, but also cultural sensitivities.
“Students learn a lot about disparities and context that comes with immigration, language and cultural barriers,” Colmenares said. “This is not only about language coding or morphology, but also about understanding who the unique person is that we have in front of us and their particular needs that go beyond language but rather entail a very complex background.”
Catherine Garrido, an interdisciplinary studies, health wellness coaching and biology student who graduated this spring, said the certificate helped her home in on her passion for breaking down barriers in health care.
“This class helped me solidify my intercultural knowledge and vocabulary,” Garrido said. “I often felt that many classes I took were separate from patient interaction, but this certificate reinforced why this is such an important certificate and topic.”
To students who are interested in the Spanish for the Health Professionals undergraduate certificate, but feel intimidated by the language learning process, Larissa Axtell, a senior studying nutrition and food with a minor in Spanish, said not to worry.
“When I first heard about the certificate, I was interested but also nervous about taking the classes, but after taking them for two semesters, I can confidently say there is no reason to be,” Axtell said. “So much is covered, yet it does not feel rushed. When I started, I could hardly understand and was struggling. After working with Juliana, I feel so much more confident in my Spanish-speaking skills and in my reading and writing. I also feel more knowledgeable about the language struggle within the medical field.”"
https://in.nau.edu/news/health-language-and-culture/
#metaglossia
"Say it in Sign Language: Hell, No
Appeal seeks to make it harder for disabled people to sue over federal discrimination.
by Mike Ervin The Latest August 17, 2026 12:00 AM
Once again, it seems that the squatter currently occupying the White House is appealing a decision in a lawsuit—and going for the jugular as he does so.
The lawsuit at issue was filed by the National Association for the Deaf and two named plaintiffs in May 2025, when the White House abruptly stopped including American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters at press briefings following the squatter’s return to office. The suit argued that his administration needs to include sign language interpretation as part of its public communications, including press briefings. Choosing to eliminate this, the complaint said, violates Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits federal agencies discriminating on the basis of disability.
U.S. District Judge Amir Ali, an appointee by former President Joe Biden, ruled in November that the White House must provide a qualified ASL interpreter at all publicly announced press briefings conducted by the squatter or his press secretary. But in their appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, attorneys with the squatter’s Department of Justice argued that people with disabilities don’t have the right to sue federal agencies under Section 504. “The Rehabilitation Act’s text, structure, and history,” the appeal states, “does not provide a private right of action against federal agencies in their programmatic capacities.”
Several advocacy groups—including the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, the American Association of People with Disabilities, Justice in Aging, the National Federation of the Blind, and Paralyzed Veterans of America—filed an amicus brief in the case.
“For more than four decades, disabled people have relied on the private right of action under Section 504 to hold the federal government accountable when it discriminates,” the brief states. “Those gains were not won through agency self-policing. They were won by disabled people going to court. A ruling eliminating that right as to executive agencies would close the courthouse door to the many millions of disabled people who participate in federal programs, at precisely the moment when federal enforcement of disability rights is most uncertain.”
A victory by the squatter’s administration, said Amy Robertson, an attorney who filed this brief, “would mean it would be more difficult to challenge discrimination by any federal agencies.
This is not the first time that the National Association of the Deaf has sued the squatter over the lack of ASL interpreters. It did so previously, during his first term, in an August 2020 lawsuit which said the squatter “stands alone in holding televised briefings regarding the COVID-19 pandemic without ever having provided any ASL interpretation.” In response, a federal district court ordered the White House to provide interpreters for all COVID-19-related briefings.
In that case, as in the more current one, the squatter’s administration appealed, but that appeal was dismissed in March 2021 at the urging of the new Biden Administration, which agreed to provide ASL interpreters for all public briefings.
Now, the squatter is again fighting back against a court ruling that upholds the rights of disabled people, instead of just complying with the law. He wants to make it harder for us to sue federal government scofflaws, like him."
https://progressive.org/latest/say-it-in-sign-language-hell-no-ervin-20260817/
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"
Wednesday, August 19, 2026Japan's National Daily
Japanese version
Accuracy and cultural understanding vital as demand grows for Nagasaki police interpreters
August 17, 2026 (Mainichi Japan)
NAGASAKI -- The number of assignments handled by in-house interpreters at Nagasaki Prefectural Police in criminal cases, accidents and other incidents involving foreign nationals has roughly tripled over the past five years. Because police interpreting can have serious implications for human rights, there is no room for error. One police officer who recently qualified as an interpreter spoke about his job.
Interest sparked while working at a police box
"You need to take an interest in their country's culture and national characteristics, and try to help the foreign national in front of you open up, even a little," said a 30-year-old sergeant.
While working at a police box in a tourist area of the city of Nagasaki, he assisted foreign visitors who came seeking help. The experience sparked his interest in interpreting. He subsequently spent two years studying Vietnamese from scratch at the National Police Academy in Tokyo and qualified as a Vietnamese-language police interpreter in February this year.
He was soon assigned to interpret for a Vietnamese man arrested on suspicion of offenses including the use of a forged residence card in violation of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act.
Vietnamese has northern, central and southern dialects, and the pronunciation of the same word can vary by region. The suspect spoke a central dialect.
Because the sergeant had mainly studied the northern variety at the police academy, he initially found the man difficult to understand.
"To interpret every word of the investigator's questions and the suspect's answers accurately, I repeatedly asked him to clarify what he had said so that I could fully understand what he meant," the sergeant recalled.
He listens to Vietnamese-language news during his commute and studies vocabulary every evening after returning home. On his days off, he visits Vietnamese restaurants and makes a point of speaking Vietnamese.
"I am a police officer, but as an interpreter I must remain neutral," he said. "I cannot afford to mistranslate anything."
Assignments nearly triple
The sergeant is one of 86 officers registered as in-house interpreters with Nagasaki Prefectural Police. Together, they provide interpreting services in seven languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Vietnamese, Indonesian and Thai.
The number of interpreting assignments rose from 110 in 2021 to 322 in 2025.
The interpreters are drawn from officers holding the rank of inspector or below. New interpreters must be trained every year to fill vacancies created when existing interpreters are promoted to chief inspector or retire.
Each year, the prefectural police select several officers and send them to the Research and Training Center for International Criminal Investigation and Police Cooperation at the National Police Academy for two years. This year, it also began sending trainees to police departments in other prefectures to gain practical experience.
"Looking to the future, we want to further develop the interpreter system and provide follow-up support to improve interpreters' skills," said Masahiro Kanda, deputy head of the organized crime control division, which coordinates interpreter assignments.
(Japanese original by Naoki Soeya, Nagasaki Bureau)"
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260817/p2a/00m/0na/004000c
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"Errors in automated translation systems used by California courts are raising concerns that residents with limited English proficiency may be denied meaningful access to justice.
The issue is particularly relevant to Korean Americans, as Korean remains one of the most frequently requested languages for court interpretation in the state, underscoring the need for accurate and reliable interpretation and translation services.
Thirty-five legal and community organizations, including California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (CRLA), the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) and the Mixteco Indígena Community Organizing Project (MICOP), recently called on the Judicial Council of California to suspend the use of automated translation in state courts and strengthen language access services through qualified interpreters and translators.
In a joint public comment submitted earlier this month to the Language Access Subcommittee of the Judicial Council’s Advisory Committee on Providing Access and Fairness, the organizations said courts have failed to fully meet language access standards, leaving many residents with limited English proficiency unable to fully understand or participate in critical legal proceedings.
At a public hearing before the subcommittee, residents also voiced repeated calls for interpretation services provided by trained human interpreters.
Korean ranks eighth in court interpretation demand
The scale of language assistance needed in California courts is substantial, according to the Judicial Council’s 2025 Language Need and Interpreter Use Study, released last year.
From fiscal year 2020-21 through fiscal year 2023-24, California’s 58 superior courts recorded a total of 2,534,207 interpretations.
Korean accounted for 14,410 interpretations during the four-year period, ranking eighth among all languages, behind Spanish, Mandarin, Vietnamese, American Sign Language, Punjabi, Cantonese and Arabic. Korean is also among the languages for which the Judicial Council maintains a certification program for professional court interpreters.
Demand for Korean-language interpretation was heavily concentrated in the Los Angeles area. According to the report, 70.8% of all Korean interpretations took place in Region 1, which includes Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.
Region 1 recorded 10,214 Korean-language interpretations during the study period, representing 1.7% of all interpretations in the region. Excluding Spanish, Korean had the second-highest number of interpretations after Mandarin.
Korean interpretation particularly significant in civil cases
The report also found relatively high demand for Korean interpretation in civil cases.
Statewide, Korean was used in 5,315 civil-case interpretations, accounting for 3.7% of all civil interpretations during the study period. Excluding Spanish, Korean ranked second only to Mandarin, which accounted for 6.0%.
Civil cases can include matters such as eviction, domestic violence and civil harassment, proceedings that can directly affect a person’s housing, safety, property and livelihood.
Language assistance needs are significant across California as a whole. As of 2022, about 16.29 million residents age 5 and older, or 43.9%, spoke a language other than English at home. About 6.36 million people, or 17.1%, were classified as limited-English-proficient, meaning they spoke English less than “very well.”
At the household level, 8.4% of California households were classified as limited-English-speaking households. In Los Angeles County, home to a large Korean American population, the share was 12.0%, well above the statewide average.
The report also noted that Korean speakers, along with Chinese and Vietnamese speakers, continue to have relatively high levels of limited English proficiency, indicating an ongoing need for targeted language assistance.
‘DUI’ translated as ‘IUD’
Despite the high demand for language services, legal advocates say courts are increasingly relying on machine translation without sufficient review by qualified translators or interpreters.
In 2015, the Judicial Council adopted the Strategic Plan for Language Access in the California Courts, establishing 75 recommendations intended to ensure equal access to court services for people with limited English proficiency.
According to the Judicial Council’s 2025 report, more than 60 of those recommendations have been completed, while several remain in progress. The report also states that the council is developing training and guidance for court staff on the appropriate use of machine translation tools.
The organizations that submitted the joint public comment, however, said key language access measures remain inadequately implemented and criticized courts for using machine translation since 2020 without sufficient oversight by qualified human translators and interpreters.
Their comments included examples of automated translation errors drawn from actual court data.
In one case, instructions from a court staff member were translated as, “Sting the judge to reduce a fever,” a phrase bearing no resemblance to the intended meaning.
In another case, “DUI,” referring to driving under the influence, was translated as “IUD,” the abbreviation for an intrauterine contraceptive device.
The organizations warned that such errors can have consequences far beyond inconvenience. Court users may miss hearings or filing deadlines, lose opportunities to reduce fines or avoid points on their driver’s licenses, or make important legal decisions without fully understanding their cases.
Joann H. Lee, the attorney overseeing language access at LAFLA, said California, as the nation’s most linguistically diverse state and home to the country’s largest court system, has a responsibility to ensure that language does not become a barrier to justice.
“For many people, court proceedings involve some of the most consequential moments of their lives,” Lee said. “Yet too often, they are left unable to fully understand or participate in decisions that affect their families, housing, safety and livelihoods.”
Aging and limited interpreter workforce
Securing enough qualified court interpreters is another growing concern.
As of March 2025, 1,856 certified and registered court interpreters were listed with the Judicial Council, covering 114 spoken languages and American Sign Language. However, 32% of interpreters on the master list were over age 65, highlighting concerns about an aging workforce.
As of 2024, there were 25 certified Korean court interpreters in California. Korean, meanwhile, remains one of the 10 most frequently interpreted spoken languages in the state court system.
Norma Ventura, Indigenous Justice Program Director at CRLA, said safeguards are essential as courts and other public agencies expand their use of machine translation and other AI technologies.
“As we see an increase in the use of machine translation tools and other AI technologies in courts and other public agencies, it is imperative that these entities implement safeguards that ensure accuracy,” Ventura said in the statement. “Safeguards such as qualified human review ensure equal access to services for all communities.”
Vanessa Terán, policy director at MICOP, said the Judicial Council’s 2015 language access plan represented important progress but has yet to fully deliver on its promise.
“More must be done to ensure that everyone, regardless of the language they speak, can fully understand and participate in proceedings that profoundly affect their lives,” Terán said.
The legal and community organizations are urging the Judicial Council to fully implement its existing language access plan before expanding automated translation and to stop using machine-generated translations that have not been reviewed by qualified professional interpreters or translators."
August 16, 2026
By Nicole Chang, originally published by American Community Media
Automated Translation Errors in California Courts Raise Concerns Over Korean Americans’ Access to Justice
https://asamnews.com/2026/08/16/translation-errors-california-courts-korean-americans-justice/
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"Professions showing the biggest increase in job vacancies in recent weeks include authors, writers, translators and actors, according to new research.
In contrast, there was a fall in job adverts for secondary school teachers and undertakers, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) said.
Areas of the country with the biggest increase in job adverts generally included Milton Keynes, Westminster, Solihull and the Orkney Islands, said the report.
There were a total of 1,669,203 job adverts across the UK last month, a 7.7% increase from July last year, thanks to a big rise in hospitality and tourism jobs, recruiters said."
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26468674.uks-top-professions-biggest-rise-job-vacancies/
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"Jianwei Zheng
Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (2026)
Abstract
This study examines the norms governing the production of translated academic books in China, drawing on Chesterman’s distinction between product norms and process norms. Based on a case study of an English-to-Chinese publication project for translated social sciences books, the research triangulates data from statements, interviews, and proofreading manuscripts. The findings reveal that product norms operate as a hierarchical system comprising laws, regulations, provisions, standards, and rules in China. Process norms, by contrast, emerge from the ongoing collaboration between translators and editors, who not only proofread but also monitor the target text for ideological conformity. In this process, they maintain a respectful, formal, and often implicit mode of communication through revision notes and query comments on the proofreading drafts, demonstrating profound reciprocity grounded in their recognition of each other’s roles and in strong situational and cognitive resonance forged through consistent interaction rituals. Regarding relation norms, translators are typically committed to the principle of faithfulness in translation, from which editors may deviate when the target text contains factual misstatements or ideological misalignments, or when it impedes readers’ ease of understanding."
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-026-08717-4
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"Over the past decade progress has been made in expanding financial access across the globe. A key driver contributing to this growth has been the adoption of digital technologies that have helped overcome longstanding geographic and infrastructure barriers, bringing financial services to communities that were once difficult to reach.
Additionally, financial institutions are increasingly using alternative data to assess creditworthiness, enabling individuals with little or no traditional credit history to qualify for financial products that were previously out of reach.
Alongside these efforts to expand access, ensuring consumers have the knowledge and confidence to make informed financial decisions has become a key priority.
Financial literacy has become a growing focus for educators, employers, policymakers, and financial institutions alike. In the U.S. alone, more states now require financial literacy education before high school graduation, while employers are increasingly recognizing financial wellness as an essential employee benefit.
These initiatives are designed to help people understand concepts that are often intimidating even for native speakers. Interest rates, credit scores, debt management, investment planning, and retirement savings all come with terminology that can be difficult to navigate.
Now, imagine trying to understand those concepts in a language that isn't your own.
For millions of consumers, language is one of the greatest barriers to financial inclusion. In an industry built on trust, transparency, and informed decision-making, the inability to fully understand financial information can prevent consumers from engaging with products and services that could improve their financial well-being.
For financial institutions, addressing this barrier is both an inclusion initiative and a business opportunity. Financial institutions that fail to communicate effectively with multilingual communities risk overlooking one of the country's fastest-growing customer segments.
According to the Claritas 2025 Hispanic Market Report, Hispanic consumers now account for more than one-fifth of the U.S. population and are projected to drive approximately 80% of the country's population growth through 2031.
Some organizations are already responding. Old National Bank, for example, expanded its longstanding financial education program with Dinero Inteligente, providing educational resources for Spanish-speaking individuals and families.
Making information available in another language is only the beginning. Successful engagement depends on more than accurate translation. Customers are far more likely to trust and act on information that feels natural, culturally relevant, and designed with their experiences in mind. A message that is linguistically correct but culturally disconnected often fails to resonate. This is where localization becomes essential.
While translation focuses on converting words from one language into another, localization adapts content to reflect the cultural expectations, communication styles, and user experiences of a specific audience. It ensures that financial information is not only understood but also meaningful and approachable.
For financial institutions, localization represents an opportunity to advance both inclusion and growth. Research shows that organizations investing in localization are 1.8 times more likely to increase revenue and 1.5 times more likely to improve profitability. By creating experiences that are genuinely accessible, institutions can strengthen customer relationships while reaching underserved markets that have historically been overlooked.
Whether it's explaining lending terms, account fees, investment options, or retirement planning, clear and culturally relevant communication helps consumers make informed decisions with confidence. That confidence is the foundation of trust, and trust is the foundation of lasting financial relationships.
The financial services industry has made important progress toward greater inclusion, but future gains will depend on removing barriers that technology alone cannot solve. Expanding access is only part of the equation. Ensuring people can fully understand and engage with financial services — in their preferred language and within their cultural context — is what ultimately elevates access into opportunity."
https://financialit.net/blog/financialinclusion/beyond-translation-missing-link-financial-inclusion
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"Walking with a friend in Bruges' Grote Markt. Credit: Anika Austvold
When I moved from the American Midwest to Brussels for the summer, I expected to encounter cultural differences. What I didn't expect was how often conversations would begin with assumptions.
Sometimes, those assumptions appeared the moment people heard my accent. I've been stopped and asked how I feel about US President Donald Trump before even introducing myself.
More than once, I've found myself explaining that no, not every American owns a gun, and yes, many of us travel extensively. Those conversations have made me realise that Europeans often hold simplified ideas about life in the United States.
At the same time, living in Brussels has highlighted some of the assumptions Americans commonly make about Europe.
Despite sharing centuries of history and consuming each other's media every day, Americans and Europeans often understand one another through misconceptions rather than reality. After several weeks living across the Atlantic, I've found that some of the most interesting conversations happen when those assumptions are challenged.
One continent, one country
After telling people in Brussels that I'm from Minnesota, I've often found myself explaining that life there looks very different from life in New York, Los Angeles or Washington DC.
Many Europeans I have spoken with understand that the United States is vast, but American culture is often represented abroad through a handful of major cities.
In reality, food, accents, political attitudes and social norms vary dramatically across the country. A Minnesotan, a Texan and a Floridian may all identify as American, but their experiences can be vastly different.
Living in Brussels has also made me realise how often Americans make similar assumptions about Europe.
Back home, Europe is frequently discussed as if it were a single cultural entity rather than a continent of distinct countries, cultures and political systems. Yet after spending time here, it becomes clear how much can differ from one country to the next, and sometimes even within the same country.
In Belgium alone, language, politics and culture vary significantly across the country. The closer you look, the harder it becomes to treat either Europe or the United States as one uniform culture.
Americans don't travel
Of all the assumptions I've encountered since arriving in Brussels, this is probably the one I've heard most often.
Many Europeans are surprised to learn how much Americans travel within their own country. While it's true that Americans are less likely than Europeans to hold passports and often take fewer international trips, geography helps explain why.
Travelling to another country from the US is rarely as simple as hopping on a train for the weekend. A flight from New York to Los Angeles takes roughly as long as a flight from Brussels to destinations in the Middle East, such as Egypt or Jordan.
The reality is not that Americans travel less. More often, we simply travel differently.
Departure hall in Brussels Airport. Credit: Belga/Nicolas Maeterlinck
Cost is another factor. While budget airlines make international travel relatively affordable within Europe, crossing the Atlantic often requires more planning, time and money.
Living in Brussels has also challenged one of the assumptions that I, like many Americans, grew up with: that Europe is small.
While crossing borders may be easier, travelling from Stockholm to Lisbon is farther than travelling from New York to Miami. Europe may be more connected than the United States, but isn't compact.
Divided America, united Europe
One of the first things people notice about me in Brussels is my accent. More than once, that has immediately led to questions about Trump, American elections and political polarisation.
The interest is understandable. For many Europeans, their understanding of the United States comes through political headlines. Presidential elections and partisan battles often dominate international coverage, creating the impression that Americans fall neatly into two groups: red (Republicans) and blue (Democrats).
While America's political system has become increasingly polarised, many Americans themselves are harder to categorise. Someone might support abortion rights while favouring stricter immigration policies. Another might support government-funded healthcare while opposing certain taxes. The reality is often far more nuanced than the headlines suggest.
Credit: Belga / David Stockman
Living in Brussels has also made me more aware of a misconception common among Americans. Back home, the European Union can be misconstrued as a "United States of Europe": a collection of countries moving in the same political direction under a common government.
But after spending time here, I've realised that Europe is far from politically uniform. Beneath the 12 stars on the EU flag are 27 governments with their own priorities, interests and political pressures. From migration and defence spending to energy policy and economic reform, member states disagree on many major issues.
Living to work
Before moving to Brussels, one of the stereotypes I heard most often about Europe was that people barely work.
The image is familiar to many Americans: long lunches, month-long summer holidays and generous benefits. It's easy to come away with the impression that Europeans have somehow cracked the code to a stress-free life.
But after a few weeks working in Brussels, that perception feels overly simplistic. On any weekday morning, it's hard to miss the thousands of people heading to offices, meetings and institutions across the city. Work is hardly absent from daily life.
Credit: Canva
Europeans, meanwhile, often view Americans as workaholics who define themselves entirely through their careers. While Americans generally receive fewer days off and often work longer hours, that doesn't necessarily mean they value work more than family, hobbies or leisure. In many cases, those choices reflect economic realities rather than personal preference.
The difference I've noticed is often less about whether people work hard and more about how work fits into their lives. In Europe, there seems to be a stronger emphasis on protecting time outside of work, while in the US, careers are often more closely tied to personal identity.
Armed America
After several weeks in Brussels, I've noticed a pattern: conversations about America often circle back to guns.
The perception is understandable. For many people outside the US, their exposure to America comes through headlines about mass shootings, debates over gun rights and stories about firearms. Those stories can create the impression that guns are a defining feature of everyday American life.
While firearms are far more common in the US than in most European countries, the reality is more nuanced. Many Americans have never owned a gun, and experiences with firearms vary dramatically depending on where someone lives, how they were raised and the communities in which they live.
English-speaking Europe
Living in Brussels has also made me more aware of a misconception many Americans have about Europe: that everyone speaks English.
Before arriving, I knew Europe was multilingual in theory. In practice, however, it has been striking to hear conversations shift seamlessly between French, Dutch, English and countless other languages throughout this city.
In many parts of Brussels, it is entirely possible to get by in English. But that accessibility can create the false impression that English is everyone's primary language.
Credit: Belga
Like many of the assumptions Americans and Europeans make about each other, some stereotypes contain a grain of truth.
During my second week in Brussels, I was buying groceries when someone asked me whether Americans actually cook.
The question made me laugh. There's a reason people associate America with fast food and convenience culture. But standing in a Delhaize with ingredients for dinner in my basket, I couldn't help but think about how easily a country's image can overshadow the everyday lives of the people who live there.
Many of the assumptions Americans and Europeans make about one another work the same way. We often judge entire societies by the most visible things, whether that's fast food, politics, holidays or headlines.
Living abroad has reminded me that the most interesting parts of a culture are often the ones that don't make it into the stereotypes, and those are often the parts you only discover once you leave your misconceptions behind."
Tuesday, 11 August 2026
By Anika Austvold
https://www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/2185219/lost-in-translation-what-ive-learnt-as-an-american-in-brussels
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
languages form the core of personal identity, cultural preservation, and intergenerational connection
"Surrey festival celebrates language, culture and community
Surrey’s Holland Park became a celebration of language, culture and heritage on Aug. 9 as the 12th annual Mother Language Festival brought community members together from across the Lower Mainland.
Hosted by the Mother Language Lovers of the World Society (MLLWS), the festival ran from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. It featured cultural performances, music, dance, art, literature, traditional food and community activities.
The annual celebration is inspired by International Mother Language Day, which normally takes place in late February, and aims to promote linguistic diversity, cultural understanding and preservation of Mother languages.
“The festival was a wonderful success, bringing together community members and performers from diverse cultural backgrounds to showcase their unique traditions and heritage,” said Islam.
For Islam, events like the Mother Language Festival are about more than just celebrating the languages spoken in Surrey and the Lower Mainland.
“More languages form the core of personal identity, cultural preservation, and intergenerational connection,” he explained.
Islam also said the festival aims to draw attention to languages that can be defined as being at risk of disappearing, such as Indigenous mother tongues and other minority dialects.
Islam explained that he believes protecting and revitalizing endangered languages is important to safeguarding human history, traditional knowledge and linguistic diversity.
He says the festival provides communities with a platform to share their languages and traditions while encouraging dialogue and connection between people of different backgrounds.
“By providing a platform for all voices, we promote mutual respect, inclusion, and cultural unity within our community,” said Islam.
Organizers say the festival attracts participants from across the Lower Mainland and beyond, offering an opportunity for people of all ages and cultures to celebrate their heritage while learning about the traditions of others.
Learn more about the MLLWS at motherlanguagelovers.com."
Published 2:30 pm Wednesday, August 12, 2026
By Grace McLeod
https://northdeltareporter.com/2026/08/12/surrey-festival-celebrates-language-culture-and-community/
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"Google DeepMind a lancé un modèle de traduction de la langue des signes en texte, SL2T, dans deux produits Android grand public, la première fois que la technologie de reconnaissance de la langue des signes atteint une fonctionnalité de téléphone expédiée. Le modèle alimente la dictée de la langue des signes à texte dans Gboard et Live Transcribe sur les téléphones Pixel 11, avec une mise en ligne le 12 août 2026, pour la traduction de la langue des signes américaine en anglais.
La fonctionnalité fonctionne partout où un utilisateur taperait normalement. Un signeur sourd peut dicter une recherche Web, rédiger un message ou un document, ou interroger Gemini en signant à la caméra du téléphone au lieu de taper. Dans Live Transcribe, les signeurs peuvent répondre à une conversation signée plutôt que de taper des réponses. Google indique que les testeurs ont constaté que signer en langue des signes américaine était plus rapide et plus naturel que de taper en anglais.
SL2T est le premier modèle que Google décrit comme une avancée en termes de qualité et de généralité pour la traduction de la langue des signes. Il a été formé sur plus de 100 000 heures de données de signes, couvrant plus de 50 langues des signes, dont environ un quart des données en langue des signes américaine. La formation conjointe sur plusieurs langues, dialectes et niveaux de compétence a produit un modèle qui surpasse les systèmes à une langue dans les expériences de l’entreprise, selon l’annonce.
Ce que le modèle voit et comment il traduit
Le système ne traite pas les vidéos brutes du signeur. Un modèle sur appareil, MediaPipe Holistic, suit 130 points clés sur le visage, le corps et les mains, image par image, et seuls ces coordonnées géométriques quittent l’appareil pour la traduction. Le flux de caméra d’origine est immédiatement supprimé, une conception que Google présente comme une garantie de confidentialité.
À partir de ce flux de coordonnées, SL2T génère directement du texte en anglais, en sautant la couche d’annotation intermédiaire appelée gloses sur laquelle la plupart des systèmes de traduction de la langue des signes précédents reposaient. Les gloses attribuent des étiquettes fixes à des signes individuels, ce qui limite le vocabulaire et perd les marqueurs non manuels et les constructions spatiales qui portent un sens grammatical dans les langues des signes. La suppression de ce goulet d’étranglement permet à la qualité de la traduction d’évoluer avec les données de formation plutôt qu’avec un ensemble d’étiquettes construites à la main.
Les langues des signes sont des langues naturelles indépendantes avec leurs propres grammaires, et non des versions signées de l’anglais parlé. Cela rend la tâche une traduction automatique entre deux langues, plus un problème de vision par ordinateur difficile : le modèle doit suivre le mouvement simultané des mains, des bras, du torse, de la tête et du visage à des taux de trames élevés. Les tentatives antérieures de technologie de langue des signes, telles que les gants de capteur, ne pouvaient répondre à aucune de ces exigences.
Résultats des benchmarks et modèles d’erreur restants
Sur le benchmark FLEURS-ASL, qui mesure la traduction de la langue des signes américaine en anglais de langage complexe et abstrait enregistré dans des conditions de studio par des interprètes sourds certifiés, SL2T obtient un score de 70 BLEURT zero-shot, nettement supérieur aux résultats précédemment signalés, selon Google. L’entreprise signale également un score de 74 BLEURT sur une variante de signes à une main du benchmark et de 85 BLEURT sur PRESTO-ASL, un ensemble de données de phrases d’assistant signées à une tablette amarrée. Sur FSboard, un ensemble de données de signes manuels collecté à partir de signeurs sourds sur des appareils mobiles, le modèle atteint une précision d’appariement exact de 64 pour cent. Ce sont des chiffres rapportés par le fournisseur ; aucune évaluation indépendante n’a été publiée.
Google a publié des exemples côte à côte à partir de FLEURS-ASL montrant une sortie fluente aux côtés de modes d’échec identifiables. Le modèle remplace occasionnellement des signes rares et des signes manuels rapides, supprime les constructions passives et les dépeints de classeur, et perd la tension lorsque le contexte est manquant. Un exemple traduit « Ce volatile entièrement emplumé, à sang chaud » par « Cette créature est à sang chaud, mange du gris », une erreur de signe manuel substituant « gris » à « proie ».
Le modèle présente également un comportement résiduel d’hallucination, générant du texte lorsque personne ne signe, comme lorsque une deuxième personne entre dans le cadre ou que le signeur s’arrête. Google indique que la version de sortie a considérablement réduit ces erreurs par rapport aux versions préalables testées par les évaluateurs sourds en juillet 2026, mais ne les a pas éliminées.
Où Google dit que l’outil ne doit pas être utilisé
La sortie comporte une couche inhabituelle de gouvernance. Google DeepMind a réuni un comité consultatif, le Comité consultatif AI de la langue des signes, qui rassemble des organisations sourdes, notamment l’Association nationale des sourds, la Fédération mondiale des sourds, le Réseau professionnel des arts sourds et l’Institut national technique pour les sourds de l’Institut de technologie de Rochester. Le comité a co-rédigé un rapport d’impact conjoint qui définit ce que la technologie est et où elle s’arrête.
Le rapport définit SL2T 1.0 comme un outil d’aide à la génération de brouillons pour des paramètres informels à faible enjeu : messagerie, recherche, navigation, prise de notes et conversations de personne à personne occasionnelles. Il exclut explicitement les consultations médicales, les procédures judiciaires, les interactions avec la police, l’enseignement en classe, les entretiens d’embauche et les déterminations de prestations gouvernementales. Il indique également que l’outil ne satisfait pas aux obligations légales en matière d’adaptations raisonnables en vertu de la loi sur les Américains handicapés ou de cadres équivalents, et qu’il ne doit pas être utilisé par les institutions pour se substituer à des interprètes humains certifiés.
Le signeur reste dans la boucle tout au long du processus. Les deux applications affichent une prévisualisation du texte que l’utilisateur peut examiner et modifier avant de l’envoyer, et dans Live Transcribe, l’utilisateur sourd contrôle quand le texte traduit est affiché à un partenaire de conversation. Le rapport note que cette garantie suppose une littératie fonctionnelle en anglais pour détecter les erreurs.
Comment SL2T se comporte dans les limites du modèle
Le rapport d’impact recense les limites techniques du modèle en détail. La précision se dégrade dans les conditions de faible luminosité, de contre-jour intense ou lorsque les vêtements réduisent le contraste avec les mains et le visage. Le suiveur de pose ne suit que le sujet le plus grand dans le cadre et ne peut pas gérer plusieurs signeurs. Les performances chutent à des angles de caméra extrêmes ou lorsque le signeur est allongé. Les clips d’entrée sont limités à 60 secondes, et chaque clip est traduit de manière indépendante, sans mémoire des tours de conversation précédents. Le modèle n’a pas été formé ou évalué sur des signeurs de moins de 18 ans. Il ne prend en charge aucune liste de mots personnalisés, aucun nom de signe ni aucune préférence de dialecte.
Les mises à jour à court terme déjà sur la feuille de route incluent la dictée de signes de ponctuation, de nouvelles lignes, d’émoticônes et de commandes de base d’édition, ainsi que la mémoire de conversation sur des clips séquentiels dans Live Transcribe. Les objectifs de recherche à long terme incluent une meilleure sensibilité aux marqueurs non manuels tels que les expressions faciales et la position des sourcils, une prise en charge de plusieurs signeurs et une expansion de la collecte de données sur les dialectes régionaux de la langue des signes américaine et la langue des signes noire américaine.
Le projet a été lancé par Sam Sepah, un Googler sourd, et les perspectives sourdes ont été intégrées dans la collecte de données, les études d’utilisateurs et l’évaluation. Google décrit le lancement de SL2T comme le début d’un effort plus long : des langues des signes supplémentaires, la génération de la langue des signes et des capacités de frontière plus larges sont toutes répertoriées comme travaux actifs. La fonctionnalité est livrée sur Pixel 11 sans frais supplémentaires, avec davantage d’appareils à suivre, dans la collecte de données, les études d’utilisateurs et l’évaluation. Google décrit le lancement de SL2T comme le début d’un effort plus long : des langues des signes supplémentaires, la génération de la langue des signes et des capacités de frontière plus larges sont toutes répertoriées comme travaux actifs. La fonctionnalité est livrée sur Pixel 11 sans frais supplémentaires, avec davantage d’appareils à suivre."
https://www.unite.ai/fr/google-deepmind-brings-sign-language-translation-to-phones-with-sl2t/
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
La Défense nationale nie avoir retiré le statut «bilingue» à certaines unités
Il s’agit d’une question «d’uniformisation», dit le directeur des langues officielles du ministère de la Défense.
« Il n’y a personne à qui on interdit de parler le français. » Changer la désignation linguistique d’une centaine d’unités et organisations de la Défense au Canada a servi à « rectifier le tir d’un système désuet », affirme en entrevue le capitaine de vaisseau Vincent Pellerin, directeur des langues officielles du ministère de la Défense nationale.
Le Devoir révélait au début de la semaine dernière qu’une centaine de bureaux de la Défense nationale avait changé de désignation linguistique en raison d’une « nouvelle approche en matière de langue de travail ». Résultat ? Des employés ont perdu le droit de travailler en français dans leurs unités depuis janvier 2025.
La décision a été prise « pour augmenter la cohérence et la standardisation », affirme en entrevue M. Pellerin. C’est le ministère de la Défense qui a contacté Le Devoir après la publication de l’article, pour expliquer son raisonnement.
« On avait des unités dans la même région géographique, même dans la même base, qui avaient des langues différentes. Puis on avait beaucoup d’unités, en fait, qui n’avaient aucune désignation linguistique. Donc, on avait besoin de rectifier le tir sur ce système-là. On a adopté le système du gouvernement fédéral qui existe depuis 1977. »
Autrement dit, le ministère de la Défense s’est appuyé sur une disposition de la Loi sur les langues officielles lui permettant de désigner la langue de travail selon la région dans laquelle l’unité se trouve.
Vincent Pellerin
« Ce qui est important à souligner, c’est que ça n’impacte aucunement les services qui sont offerts aux Canadiens, aux Canadiennes, les services personnels des membres militaires et de leur famille. » Effectivement, la directive s’applique à l’interne, pour les employés du ministère.
Retirer la désignation « bilingue » de certains bureaux est-il une perte pour ces employés ? « Non. C’est que l’anglais est le minimum, pas que le français est interdit », affirme-t-il sans détour.
« On a pris l’approche que le gouvernement fédéral en entier utilise à travers le pays et on encourage l’utilisation des deux langues officielles, peu importe la désignation de langue de travail, parce qu’on reconnaît que le bilinguisme est une force et une richesse au sein du ministère de la Défense nationale. »
Même que, ajoute-t-il, « le bilinguisme est la clé pour être promu. Quand on regarde nos officiers aux grades supérieurs dans la Défense nationale, [on voit que] les francophones sont très, très bien représentés, parce qu’ils ont tendance à être plus bilingues ».
Vives réactions
Le syndicat de la majorité des employés de la Défense nationale s’est dit cette semaine « préoccupé » par la nouvelle, affirmant qu’il observera de près les effets de la directive sur ses membres.
Différents membres de la sphère politique ont aussi vivement réagi à la nouvelle. Le Parti québécois a publié ceci sur sa page Instagram : « Le Canada ne se donne même plus la peine de faire semblant d’être un pays officiellement bilingue. On s’en doutait, mais c’est maintenant officiel. Il y a maintenant deux réalités linguistiques au Canada. Le Canada anglais, où l’anglais est la seule langue officielle, puis le Québec et l’Acadie, où l’on a… l’anglais et la traduction officielle. »
Le député du Bloc québécois Mario Beaulieu a quant à lui affirmé sur sa page Facebook que le gouvernement enlève « les désignations bilingues pour que les plaintes qui augmentent ne soient plus considérées comme justifiées par la commissaire aux langues officielles »."
10 août
Mathilde Beaulieu-Lépine
https://www.ledevoir.com/politique/canada/1000802/defense-nationale-nie-avoir-retire-statut-bilingue-certaines-unites
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
"Barcelona rolls out a real-time AI-powered automatic translation system to improve citizen services
The pilot project will be introduced at Citizen Service Offices and Social Services to help overcome language barriers during initial administrative procedures.
05/08/2026 - 12:59 h
Barcelona City Council has launched a project based on portable devices that provide instant, two-way translation. The initiative, powered by artificial intelligence, has been designed to facilitate communication in situations where language barriers make understanding difficult. Its aim is to deliver faster, more effective and more accessible public services, promoting equal access to municipal services while strengthening social inclusion.
Greater autonomy for municipal staff
The initiative will enable municipal staff to hold immediate, two-way conversations in multiple languages, improving both accessibility and the quality of public services. It will also enhance the collection of information during initial interactions, reducing reliance on external interpreters at the early stages of communication and increasing staff autonomy when dealing with multilingual situations, ultimately streamlining administrative procedures.
Barcelona City Council emphasises that the device has been designed exclusively as a support tool for non-assessable administrative procedures and will always operate under the supervision of municipal staff. It will neither automate decision-making nor replace the role of public service professionals.
The rollout will begin in departments with the greatest exposure to multilingual environments. Within citizen services, the devices will be introduced at Citizen Service Offices and municipal information points, where they will be used to receive enquiries and collect basic information.
The technology will also be deployed across the direct intervention network of the Barcelona Municipal Institute of Social Services. This includes Social Services Centres, the Office for Social and Economic Benefits, the Social Guidance and Support Service for Homeless People, and other frontline teams operating throughout the city."
https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/institut-innovacio-tecnologia/en/latest-news/news/barcelona-rolls-out-a-realtime-aipowered-automatic-translation-system-to-improve-citizen-services-1651839
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus
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Translation is a mutation of language, but not direct replication; something happens in the process that shifts the direction of the ideas
"Along with her novels, Vlady Kociancich worked on a translation of Joseph Conrad’s The End of the Tether, which according to her obituary by Daniel Gigena in La Nación, “había sido muy elogiada” (was highly praised). This translation is present in The Eighth Wonder, explicitly given that the narrator is working on a translation of this book, as well as in more hidden forms.
Alberto Paradella, the lawyer-turned-writer-turned-translator-turned-journalist-turned-scriptwriter at one point refers to the journey between the Spanish and English versions of the text he is working on as a “double itinerary”; the metaphor of the journey as a bidirectional translation, where the very process of moving alters the elements in movement, carries through the book in many ways. In the novel, Paradella cannot seem to finish the translation, due to distractions, heartbreaks, travels, and misplacements of the manuscript. In “real life,” Kociancich did finish the translation, which she worked on at the same time as she wrote The Eighth Wonder, and which was published as Con la soga al cuello by Emecé in an edition with a noose on the cover, later reprinted in an edition by Hyspamérica together with Sergio Pitol’s translation of El corazón de las tinieblas (Heart of Darkness) and a prologue by Jorge Luis Borges.
There are multiple Spanish translations of The End of the Tether—En las últimas, Situación límite, El cabo de la cuerda—but Kociancich’s title Con la soga al cuello, which can be more literally translated as With the Rope Around the Neck, is my favorite. It slightly shifts Conrad’s title, just as Borges’ title Otra vuelta de tuerca (Another Turn of the Screw) gave a further swivel to the novella by Henry James.
Which makes me think: maybe Paradella did finish his translation. The entirety of The Eighth Wonder could be read as Kociancich’s translation of Conrad’s The End of the Tether taken to its extreme, where the translator has entered so deeply into the book that what she translates are not just words, phrases, and ideas, but scenes and atmospheres, so that the book journeys from the colonial world of Singapore to the contemporary world of Buenos Aires. This is something different from “rewriting,” The dizzying movements in The End of the Tether across land and sea, from the English boardinghouse to the Malaysian coastline, with stops at temporary ports and the only home one’s boat, are mirrored in the Argentine travel journalist’s movements from Villa del Parque to the Berlin metropolis, passing through airports with only books and dreams as one’s home. Transition and movement become the only constant, until it becomes impossible to return or even locate home.
There is disquiet in the absorption that translation requires, the way the self enters another world at the possible expense of the current one.
An endless journey, a trip one cannot escape, which might be a synonym for nightmare...
Language travels and shifts through time just like the characters in the book. And for those attentive to them, these shifts can be as world-configuring as external events..."
Via Seven Stories Press
Jessica Sequeira
August 26, 2026
https://lithub.com/translation-as-a-journey-jessica-sequeira-on-vlady-kociancichs-the-eighth-wonder/
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus