Menu

Author Archive

Outlooks at tekom, AMTA and AsLing 2023

Posted on: November 7th, 2023 by Frank Wöhrle No Comments

The future of AI in language technology

Now we know what you’re thinking: Not another article about ChatGPT… Social media is already full of experience reports, and words of praise as well as criticism. And the initial hype has long since died down. Is STAR not a little late to the party here? In short, the answer is no – because we’ve been partying along with everyone else the whole time! 2023 is coming to an end and over the last few months we have been taking an in-depth look at the question of what place large language models (LLMs) should have in today’s language service industry. In June 2023, we reported on the EAMT conference in Tampere and took a little look at the future of this topic.

AI – Friend or foe? The moderate and sustainable use of modern AI technology in the translation process

The most important question we are currently trying to answer is how we can integrate modern AI technology into the current translation process in moderation, intelligently and sustainably. As a result of the technologisation of translation work, the job description of language experts has also changed over the past few decades From the introduction of CAT tools to the development of MT systems, and right through to the continually growing popularity of LLMs, translators have already been able to experience a technological leap in one way or another. You can read about everything that has happened over the past 35 years in the interview with our experienced STAR translator Fabienne Chapron.

AI – with the right know-how. Contributing to the improvement processes and overall quality

As has already been asked with the advent of the technologically-related NMT systems: Have we now finally found the Holy Grail? The uncomfortable answer to this admittedly not entirely simple question is that it depends entirely on how we use the technology and what we do with it in the future. Will LLMs replace the already established NMT models entirely and make the work of language experts superfluous? It’s unlikely. But can the modular integration of these technologies in modern CAT tools contribute to the improvement of processes and overall quality? We think so, yes! In the areas of terminology extraction, keyword searches and quality assurance, we can see great potential for reducing manual workloads and increasing the granularity of QA tools.

AI – The topic of industry events in 2023

The AMTA 2023 virtual conference, the tekom annual conference in Stuttgart and the AsLing TC45 conference in Luxembourg are three key events taking place in November at which the future of AI and machine translation and their importance for language services will be a hot topic of discussion. We think this is extremely important in view of the error rates of the systems, data protection, raising awareness amongst users and ethical responsibility.

Are you just as keen to find out more about this topic as us? Then get on and book your ticket for the tekom annual conference now. You can visit the exhibition free of charge! To do so, simply drop us an e-mail and we will send you the exhibition code you need to register straight away.

Amongst other things, you can look forward to the talk by our MT expert Julian Hamm on current topics and challenges relating to CAT tool development and the use of AI technologies as part of Augmented Translation.

What might the technology look like in 10 years’ time

As an experiment, we asked ChatGPT directly for a self-assessment:

ChatGPT message

Is it all just hype? What do you think about the future of AI technologies?
We are keen to find out your experiences and we can help you – simply get in touch.

tekom annual conference 2023 in Stuttgart

Posted on: October 26th, 2023 by Frank Wöhrle No Comments

Visit us at the tekom annual conference in Stuttgart!

Find us on stand 2D38 in Hall C2 from 14th to 16th November. There, you’ll find out more about our language services, enterprise technologies and all the latest developments.

You can visit the exhibition free of charge! To do so, simply drop us an e-mail and we will send you the exhibition code you need to register straight away. If you want to meet to discuss something in particular, we are also available beforehand to book an appointment for you. As with every year, there are some fascinating presentations and workshops lined up:

So erstellen Sie technische Dokumentation in Rekordzeit
(How to produce technical documentation in record time)

Speakers:

  • Dominik Faupel (Hilti Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH)
  • Dr. Matthias Gutknecht (STAR Group)

 

Reusing content saves time, money and effort. Component Content Management solutions facilitate reuse at a topic/sentence level. STAR GRIPS also features structure assistants for the reuse of complex semantic content structures. Hilti utilises this to generate operating manuals in just one or two hours. This talk will look at their approach to content, explained with a practical example.

When? As part of Technology Days – Monday 6th November, 9.10 a.m.– 9.50 a.m.

Semantische Produktinformationen – der Schlüssel zur digitalen Prozessunterstützung
(Semantic product information – the key to digital process support)

Speaker:

  • Dr. Matthias Gutknecht (STAR Group)

 

Find out how semantic single sourcing with GRIPS opens the doors to personalised digital process support.

Where and when? Tuesday, 14th November, 2 p.m., room C10.2

Alles im Griff: Wie steuere ich Projekte in der Content Factory
(Everything under control: How do I manage projects in the Content Factory)

Speaker:

  • Dr. Matthias Gutknecht (STAR Group)

 

With GRIPS project management, you can automate routine tasks, keep an overview and save time and money. Get to grips with GRIPS using a real example.

Wednesday, 15th November, 10 a.m., room C10.2

Augmented Translation – CAT-Tool-Entwicklung in Zeiten von MT und LLMs
(Augmented Translation – CAT tool development at STAR in the age of MT and LLMs)

Speakers:

  • Julian Hamm (STAR Deutschland)
  • Judith Klein (STAR Group)

 

We will be showing what opportunities MT and LLMs present when it comes to quality assurance, terminology work and other functions across the entire translation process, as well as providing insight into the challenges of developing STAR Transit NXT in the context of Augmented Translation.

Wednesday, 15th November, 11.30 a.m., room C10.2

Customer Interaction über das Projekt hinaus: von In-Country Review bis Quality & Risk Management
(Customer Interaction beyond the project: From in-country review to quality & risk management)

Speaker:

  • Birgit Maria Hoppe (STAR Deutschland)

 

STAR CLM, the platform for Corporate Language Management, provides the best possible support for quality management through maximum customer integration. Discover how easy in-country reviews can be using CLM WebEdit alongside intuitive application of all relevant CAT features. The new Quality & Risk Management Module (QRM) also enables you to evaluate completed projects not only in communication with all stakeholders but also to define and track quality measures.

Wednesday, 15th November, 3 p.m., room C10.2

Die Content-Factory: Rezepte entwickeln für digitalen Mehrwert
(The Content Factory: Developing recipes for added digital value)

Speakers:

  • Roland Schmeling (Schmeling + Consultants GmbH)
  • Dr. Matthias Gutknecht (STAR Group)

 

Digital applications and services relating to complex products require a high standard of information quality: These need to be structured, standardised, highly granular, free of redundancies and semantically linked. For this standard to be achieved, the technical editing must have the right infrastructure and process maturity. What exactly are the requirements of data models, systems, interfaces, processes, roles and skills? Which recipes are worthwhile and when do they start overshooting? Using an application example for digitalisation, we will together derive the specific requirements of the processes and data. In turn, these requirements provide sound justification for the necessary investment.

Thursday, 16th November, 11.30 a.m.–1.15 p.m., room C9.3

 

See you there!

 

For appointment booking and/or a trade fair code, please send us a short e-mail.

The changing face of the translation profession

Posted on: October 23rd, 2023 by Frank Wöhrle

A report based on 35 years of experience

Digitalisierung, Automatisierung und Künstliche Intelligenz bestimmen immer mehr Branchen nachhaltig. In this context, and with the development of machine translation (MT), the translation profession has also changed significantly.

Let’s take a look at the past and future of the translation profession in an interview with Fabienne Chapron.

Thick specialist books, dictionaries and copious reference works

“When I started my career as a translator 35 years ago, translation and the research associated with it were tedious and time-consuming. Slow PCs, massive screens, an operating system called MS-DOS and floppy disks were part of everyday life back then.

With globalisation, the volume of translation from our international customers grew rapidly over time. The variety of topics and the complexity of the content also increased significantly. The development of the translation profession continues to be extremely dynamic. Nowadays, information is changing virtually on a daily basis, both in the source and target languages.”

Optimum interaction between man and machine

“As a translator, I have been working with technology on a daily basis for a long time now – CAT tools help us with every new job. Thanks to digitalisation and, above all, using workflow automation, workflows are becoming more transparent and far easier and quicker to manage. I can get all the numerous small administrative tasks done much quicker and concentrate on my actual work – translation. Interfaces to CMS and PIM systems, or to online portals for in-country review, all speed up the translation process: Language technology helps us to reduce both the time and effort to process a job.

At the end of my career, I am now routinely working with machine translation. Through webinars and other further training courses, I have been able to add post-editing to my areas of expertise, a skill which is increasingly important in the translation profession. Machine translation achieves good results for properly formulated texts such as press releases and marketing texts. For technical texts, customer terminology is top priority; here it’s all about populating the engines with customer terminology before automation. In these cases, machine translation is part of the translation workflow in which I always have the final say in the post-editing stage.

With SEO-optimised translations, I can help my customers to gain better visibility in the global universe of search engines. This is another skill I have acquired. When I finished my degree in 1986, I never could have imagined how dynamically my way of working would change. Not only have my own standards been raised, but also those of my customers: Many companies now provide a style guide which stipulates the use of relevant stylistic elements and is updated on a regular basis.”

Translation: Anyone can do it online, can’t they?

“Translating involves much more than a translation tool. Professional translation is not just a word-for-word rendering from one language to another. Even if technology has made huge progress, it cannot replace a human translator because only they have the skills to carry out subject-specific, specialist research and to find the right tone and style. Translators who have specialist knowledge in a specific sector have crystal clear benefits compared with machines: The more specialised the vocabulary is, the harder it is for machine translation to hit the right note.”

Picture Fabienne Fabienne Chapron
Translation Team Leader
Master of Arts in German and Romance Studies, University of Heidelberg
Translator for 35 years
Language direction: German-French
Specialisms: Automotive, machinery and plant engineering, agricultural engineering

 

Stellar service from STAR

Do you want top quality translations that are managed efficiently?
STAR combines outstanding specialist expertise and many years of experience in the industry with intelligent automation.
You receive reliable quality in the language and the tone that your customers understand.

Do you need professional specialist translation?
Our global network of native language experts specialises in your industry – working efficiently and producing top quality.
We can help you – simply get in touch.

 
 

 

 

Clever e-learning localisation in five steps

Posted on: October 5th, 2023 by Frank Wöhrle No Comments

Online courses are multimedia and interactive, and they appeal to multiple senses, which produces better learning outcomes. In this age of independent, digital learning and remote working, e-learning is an ideal tool for transferring knowledge. Countless companies are successfully incorporating e-learning in wide-ranging sectors to continue their employees’ professional development.

Some sectors that typically utilise e-learning courses:

  • Company training: E-learning is a popular method for training employees in new skills or new processes. It can be used to deliver onboarding training to new recruits or to keep existing employees up to date with the latest changes.
  • Compliance training: E-learning is also a great option for compliance courses, such as training on statutory provisions or health and safety requirements. It can be made available to employees on request, so that they can learn at their own pace and around their own schedule.
  • Technical training: E-learning provides a fantastic basis for transferring technical skills, such as how to use a software or remedying faults on machines. It can be used to run training courses at the students’ own pace or to deliver live lessons through webinars or online classrooms.
  • Soft skills training: E-learning can also be used to teach soft skills such as communication, teamwork and problem solving. These skills are often vital for success in the workplace, though they can be difficult to impart in a traditional classroom environment.
  • Academic courses: E-learning is becoming an increasingly popular way of delivering academic courses. It can be used to provide remote teaching for students that are unable to visit a conventional university or to offer online courses for further study.
  • Lifelong learning: E-learning can be utilised to support lifelong learning by providing access to educational content across a wide range of subjects. This can be helpful to those who wish to gain new skills or keep up to speed with the latest trends.

Because the technology is evolving so quickly, e-learning courses will become even more widespread.

To achieve the best possible learning outcomes, e-learning courses need to be made available in the right language for the students. When it comes to highly technical learning content, this is absolutely vital. Converting e-learning content into another language can be a challenge, however, since e-learning translation projects are by their very nature complex. What is the best way to plan localisation and achieve a high quality of translation? Here are five tips from the professionals to guarantee your e-learning project is a success:

1. Choose a suitable e-learning authoring tool

If your company is creating e-learning content for the first time, you are faced with the decision of which software to use. There is a large variety of authoring tools that can be used to create e-learning content, such as:

These tools present different advantages and disadvantages depending on the type of training content. Some of these software packages offer the option of automatically exporting texts for translation and then importing them again, e.g. in XLIFF format. That can be really helpful and save a lot of time!

2. Export the content and have it localised

Texts from an authoring tool like Articulate Storyline can be exported in XLIFF format – which is ideal for formatting and translating within a translation memory system or CAT tool such as those used by professional translators.

The text can also be exported into Microsoft Word. The exported Word document contains preview images of the individual pages of the training course, the source text and placeholders for the target-language text in tabular form, but serves only as an overview and context information for the translator.

Important considerations for translation:

  • Insist on the native speaker principle – guaranteed linguistic quality and consideration of cultural nuances
  • Make sure your customer-specific terminology is followed – company-specific terms and abbreviations (glossary if necessary) in all languages
  • Request a full localisation – adjust the full content to reflect the target culture and target group, e.g. currency, units of measurement, addresses, fonts, country-specific images and symbols, colour symbolism
  • Ask for a translation memory system to be used – brings consistency to translations and reduces costs

3. Get your videos professionally subtitled or dubbed with a voice-over

E-learning courses often feature embedded videos. When transmitting the translated video content, you have a choice of different options: Subtitling, synchronisation, voice-over…

Subtitles into different languages are relatively inexpensive to produce and represent a flexible option.

If you choose to have an audio recording for your video content, we strongly suggest using an experienced voice actor (take care with dialects and accents!). Factor into your schedule the time it takes to select a voice actor (audio samples) and record the audio (studio time). You need THE right voice for your project!

4. Import the translated content into the authoring tool

Once your e-learning course has been translated, it is time to reimport the content into your authoring software.

In authoring tools such as Storyline, editing the text works in a similar way to PowerPoint, however formatting the spoken texts can pose challenges. In this instance, we recommend the use of professional DTP experts for data post-processing. Firstly, they insert the translated texts into a specific field and then adapt it in close consultation with native speakers, e.g. to ensure pauses are a natural length and fall in the right positions. This ensures that the computer voice sounds as natural as possible to the training participants. To ensure that tricky words, such as “deaeration”, are pronounced correctly (“de-aeration” rather than “deration”), corresponding markers are positioned in the spoken text window (e.g. using a hyphen or space).

5. Run the final tests

An absolute must for a high-quality multilingual course is the final testing and quality assurance process, including test runs to ensure your content looks its best online. Plus, it is this step that ensures the audio and videos are positioned correctly and play at the right time.

In summary: Increase acceptance and boost learning outcomes by having all content professionally translated into the native language of the students!

STAR service

Are you preparing e-learning courses?

STAR works with a range of tools, including Articulate Storyline 360, and takes care of the localisation of your e-learning.

Looking for a translation incorporating video localisation for an e-learning project?
Professional translation including review steps – quick and easy. Need more advice? We are here for you.

2023 Flugfeldlauf run – STAR back on the start line and raring to go!

Posted on: September 25th, 2023 by Frank Wöhrle No Comments

This year’s event followed a slightly different and, at 5.3 km, slightly longer course to previous years. Last week, a team of STAR’s sportiest employees took part in the company fun run on the airfield. After finishing their working day, a team of 11 walkers and runners from the STAR Group and STAR Deutschland pulled on their STAR-branded running shirts and, in beautiful late-summer conditions, took a lap of the varied course around the airfield’s long lake – fully embracing the message from organisers Event Service Stahl “Get your trainers on after work and run with colleagues!”
The STAR runners crossed the line tired but in good spirits and swapped stories over a sponsored “finish line drink”.

 

As in previous years, the #STAR management team sponsored the company’s runners with a charitable donation.
Good for health and good for society too!