The Computers Are COMING!

Posted on: September 27, 2023

The computers are well and truley coming.

There are two possibilities here for us translators:

1. New technology makes us say 2x faster, so we can reduce prices by 50% and still make same profit. 2. New technology “disrupts” and now reviewing is seen merely as an hourly task paid at as close to minimum wage as possible.

I would be really happy to see option 1 being taken, but I’m afraid there are really clear signs we are heading into option 2.

Groups like the ITI are totally unable to help with these problems (mainly because the leadership is totally made up of the wrong people, that’s a longer talk for another day!), and in fact may even be making things worse. They are insisting on saying “humans this and humans that” and trying to pretend computers aren’t already here, whereas we need to be nudging things to ensure we go down pathway 1, not pathway 2.

My advise would be to start reducing rates, with the understanding that we can now work faster.  It’s a new world and we need to be brave about it.