The Third Translation Revolution

Although it may seem that the low geographical dispersion of the Spanish language is a disadvantage, in the field of translation it is an opportunity, as it offers a very broad market for professionals in this industry.

It's often thought that translation is only necessary for cultural or advertising products, but many types of media are translated in the Spanish-speaking market, such as patient information leaflets, lists of ingredients, instructions, agreements between companies, and so on.

A translation professional is someone who makes communication easier, builds bridges between languages and cultures, and uses these bridges to convey knowledge and make it accessible in different languages.

We use digital tools that streamline translation and speed up work, and we can also implement them to guarantee the quality of the translation. These include virtual dictionaries, glossaries, style guides, text processors, translation memories, etc.

If we want AI to work in our favor, we need to feed the databases of these engines with a good lexicon, a rich vocabulary, and correct grammatical structures typical of Spanish.

Some of the challenges AI will have to face in the coming years to position itself as a good translation tool are specialization in technical sectors, understanding nuances and cultural references, and avoiding biases.

The human is and will always be necessary in translation. The translation professional will have the criteria to decide on the quality and accuracy of the text being translated.

Translation is a necessary tool today. It helps us receive knowledge and culture from other countries, as well as taking Spanish output to all corners of the globe. And as for translators, we're still necessary.