We hear a lot about literary, audiovisual, and technical translation, but we often overlook those texts in translation that do not fall — at least not squarely — into any one of these categories. Zakiya Hanafi wrote a compelling piece about the art and craft of scholarly translation in a 2024 article for The Northwest Linguist. Now we’re featuring David Houston-Hill, a prolific verse translator based in Vancouver, Washington. 

The Joys and Challenges of Verse Translation
by David Houston-Hill

I have always felt excited to translate verse, ever since my first commission in the 1990s. I relish exploring an unfamiliar text and figuring out how to render it into English verse. I also like the fact that someone is paying me to furnish this service for a project they are eager to bring to the public.

WORKING WITH VERSE

I translate songs and poems into English from German, Hungarian, Romanian, and Russian. Combining linguistic precision and artistic creativity, I endeavor to emulate the original meaning, style, and tone, as well as formal elements such as rhyme and meter.

That’s unless, of course, the assignment is to produce something a bit different. For example, I have taken on some jobs that were defined as adaptation rather than translation.

Though I aim to deliver translations that are both accurate and stylish, I welcome clients scrutinizing my work from those points of view before using it. Most of my clients do. Good improvements have resulted!

IMPORTANT — AND ENJOYABLE

Verse translation lets talent cross borders, enabling people to experience powerful writing that they otherwise wouldn’t. You’ve enjoyed the results if you've ever tapped your feet to Mack the Knife (Marc Blitzstein translating from Bertolt Brecht) or Let It Be Me (Manny Curtis translating from Pierre Delanoë). Beyoncé and Roxette have reached wider audiences by re-recording their English lyrics in Spanish versions (Rudy Pérez and Luis Gómez Escolar, respectively).

For me, translating verse means a chance to indulge both my love of languages and my fascination with the art of a well-turned lyrical line.

COLLABORATING WITH TALENTED PEOPLE

I’ve been lucky enough to work on varied and interesting projects with many talented people over the years.

Composer Gregory Vajda has invited me to work on texts for three vocal compositions. One involved translating Attila József’s Medáliák (Medals), as Vajda wanted it to be singable in either Hungarian or English. The other two saw me developing libretti based on the stories of Frigyes Karinthy. One of the resulting compositions is on a CD.

The rock musician Loui’s album Solid Solo Songs includes both English lyrics he had me translate from Hungarian and others, like in the song Hold On, that I wrote or co-wrote in English. He recently credited me as co-writer when he wrote Hungarian lyrics for one of the songs I had written in English, since his new version drew on my ideas.

I was commissioned by the Hungarian singer Vilmos Gryllus to translate a selection of children’s songs, including The Witch (see below), so he could re-record them in English.

For the Hungarian band Kistehén (Little Cow), I co-wrote a song in English — How Could You Follow Me? — and translated lyrics for two albums so they could be released in dual Hungarian and English editions. The translated songs include Time Takes Patience.

I also translated lyrics for two Baltazar Theatre productions. And then there was a seven-year period when I was frequently called upon to translate poetry for The Hungarian Quarterly.

Additionally, I’ve translated verse and prose, mostly from German, for several volumes of The Persecution and Murder of the European Jews by Nazi Germany 1933-1945. The material is documentation from the Holocaust — often harrowing accounts.

SPECIAL CHALLENGES

When translating for singers, it is not enough to be true to the meaning and structure. It must be singable. This means, for example, making sure there are long, open vowels on the soaring notes. With the Vilmos Gryllus translations, the songs were accompanied by animated videos; I had to ensure the same details were mentioned at the same moments, so the visuals matched the words.

LITERARY LUMINATI

I’ve had the honor of being commissioned to translate multiple acclaimed writers. From Hungarian, these include Ádám Nádasdy, Krisztina Tóth, Ottó Tolnai, István Kemény, Orsolya Karafiáth, Zoltán Halasi, Anna T. Szabó, and András Gerevich. From Romanian, they include Ioan Vieru, Șerban Foarță, Gheorghe Ene, Mircea Cărtărescu (who recently won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for fiction and the International Dublin Literary Award [tr. Sean Cotter]), Mircea Ivănescu, Costache Olăreanu, Florin Iaru, and Leonid Dimov. The poet I have translated the most is Attila József, with four assignments … to date!

PRO BONO

I have had the privilege of organizing events where writers and translators can present their work and cooperate. For example, Converging Lines, which has since broadened into a Hungarian<>anglophone creative forum on LinkedIn (open to interested people), started with a 2004 festival. The event brought together Hungarian and English-language poets for readings and workshops to “see what ideas, affinities and collaborations are sparked off” (as we organizers wrote in the booklet). It led to publications such as the 2010 anthology New Order, edited by George Szirtes.

Poet Clare Pollard cited Converging Lines as her initiation into translation. She later edited Modern Poetry in Translation, created the translation book Ovid’s Heroines, and went on to edit Hungarian translations for Seagull Books. Translator Ottilie Mulzet referred to Polland’s inclusion in New Order as one of her “first big breaks.”

TIPS FOR OTHERS?

I hesitate to offer tips for would-be verse translators because there are many ways into this work. Some befriend writers and earn their personal blessing to be their authorized translators. Some work as academics and find it a natural fit to translate the same writers they study. Some opt to pay submission fees to have their work considered by editors. I’ve mostly just been lucky that people who had this kind of work to commission somehow came to know about me — through the grapevine or after seeing work someone else commissioned. As with most creative translation work, it’s all about networking and building a solid reputation. If you are interested in this type of work, I have no doubt that you too will find both joys and joyful challenges. ❒

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David Houston-Hill writes and translates lyrics, poetry, and journalism. His site is www.davidhill.biz

Hello! NOTIS is seeking several member volunteers to help organize its social and professional events.

Member engagement is the very bedrock of NOTIS’s activities. This was true in the beginning, when a small but enterprising group of language professionals banded together to establish our Society in 1988. It remains true today, 37 years on, with our Board of Directors and all committees and divisions run entirely by us.

Are you a proud community member with a genuine passion for your profession? Can you spare just a few hours a month to lend a hand, putting your skills to good use while collaborating with your colleagues to make a tangible difference? If so, read on…

HOW CAN YOU HELP? ‍♀️ NOTIS is seeking volunteers to help with our annual conference, serve on committees, and possibly even join the Board of Directors!

The following committees and divisions are seeking volunteers:

• The Social Events Committee is seeking event planners. We especially need a small but dedicated team to organize the holiday party (December 6), NOTIS's biggest annual social gathering. If you like to organize fun get-togethers, this committee is for you!
• The Community Interpreters Division (CID) organizes events and trainings for interpreters. Do you have some great programming ideas? Want to promote excellence in interpreting to enhance the provision of vital health, social, and educational services to our region’s diverse communities? Join us!
• The Advocacy Committee is seeking another member or two to aid their efforts to promote and inspire positive change for interpreters, translators, and the people they serve. We could really use a medical interpreter and a translator.
• The Legal Division supports language professionals who work in legal settings with valuable talks and continuing education courses. They are looking for at least one more active volunteer to attend meetings and help generate ideas.
• NOTIS’s Translation Division organizes practical and intellectual events for translators and those in adjacent fields. Recent offerings have explored topics including AI and CAT tools, subtitling, translating comics and kids’ books, time and money management, and more. They can always use help generating novel ideas and recruiting speakers.
• The Member Care & Development Committee was formed last year in response to feedback received on our 2025 Member Satisfaction Survey. Their main initiatives this year are practice groups for exam prep and skills building, and grants for conference attendance, training, and certification. Do you have ideas about how NOTIS can best support you and your colleagues? Want to help organize some of these activities? Join MC&D!

Are you ready to join our team and help shape NOTIS from the inside? Let us know! To express your interest, please email info@notisnet.org with your full name, contact information, and volunteering preferences. Not sure where your skills would be most valuable? No worries! Tell us a bit about your passions and interests, and we will work with you to ensure a good fit.

Thank you for your membership and for the vital role you perform in our diverse, multilingual community. In the wise words of Judy Langley, our inaugural president (1988!), “There undoubtedly is much we can learn from one another.” (See here, pg. 9.)

With gratitude,
Maria Lucas, NOTIS President

POEMS by Daniela Hendea | TRANSLATIONS by Ileana Marin
NOTE: Original poems printed below with author’s permission; bios below

The day I become older than my mother (I) 

The success of such a day 
relies on tools essential for survival, 
all, with no exception, 
in their usual place.

No wrench in the system means 
no screwdriver grinding between the teeth 
of the cogwheel.

The thriving panic that feeds on lethargy 
won’t slow us down.
Tested over time, reflexes
replace autopilot. 
Even though I grope for the keys 
in the dark, I find them in the little chest 
next to the door. The backpack, 
on the hook of the coat rack. 

I’ll be ceaselessly afraid, 
but, but, but, 
we’ll get out of the house 
on time. Between 
7:30 and 7:33 AM. 
You’ll get to school 
on time. 
I’ll get to the swimming pool; 
that’s what matters. 

This thought gets me through, I grip 
the dish sponge in my hand, soap  balloons filled with 
warm air gush out and fly, 
green, purple, and orange reflections 
which glue themselves to the kitchen  window, and then, 
poof! As if they never existed. 

The kitchen is squeaky clean. It shines and 
peeks at me. 
The success of tomorrow 
begins with a clean slate. 
A clean cloth. 

Tomorrow is the day I become older
than my mother.

I leave the cap off the dish soap, 
knowing perfectly well 
that someone will close it 
when someone passes by it 
to close the bamboo blinds. 

Make-up Tutorial for Women over 40

you look nothing like your mother 
you look everything like your mother ..........Warsan Shire

I sneaked it into my room 
without her knowing. 

Little aluminum box with a plastic lid:
purple-blue eyeshadow. 

Brass lipstick tube:
burgundy traces on the toothpick. 

my mouth is a wound ..........Warsan Shire

You’re doing very well.
Too much lipstick.
Her voice behind me.
We stare at each other’s image
in the mirror.

Don’t forget.
What you want to disguise → you darken.
What you want to enhance → you lighten.

The day I become older than my mother (II)

I wait my turn at the same plastic table on the edge
of the swimming pool. 

I shiver
in my red-and-orange swimsuit and
semi-transparent hem dress,
my arms crossed.
I should have worn practical clothes, not so
revealing. I didn’t come to the beach; I came
to confront my greatest X.
It’s serious, swimming, I argue with myself.
The swim coach wears shorts and a tank top.
The student in front of me, shorts and a t-shirt.
I’m freezing.
I’m shivering with X. 

I cannot stare at the surface of deep water without
X. It doubles the space which envelops me:
The sky, the clouds, the wall, the door of the opposite building,
the clock measuring the paid lesson time.
Not one of them would change its essence submerged under water.

It doubles my face, which looks
one day older than the age when I last
saw my mother.

Therefore,
I don’t think I have the means to survive
this year. It’d be
unjust. However,
I continue breathing.

The coach calls my name, waves at me, urges me to go down the steps to the pool. We begin to grow used to the water temperature, kept constant by the floor heating. In order to accommodate, to reach our comfort level by exhaling under water. First, we submerge only our mouth. The air is visible and rolls out in slow bubbles. Then, the nose. Breathing is clear/visible/intentional, not automatic. 

Under water I am aware of the available air. The air fights its way out, then it wants back. I exhale. Blub blub blub blub. Five times at regular intervals. With ears under water, I hear the noise amplified by the little engines which bring water to the splashing water fountain from the nearby pool, the one for kids. Water circulates through pipes, cleaning filters. The water amplifies the sound. 

A wild pansy was blown by wind off the flower beds. I raise it with the tip of my index finger. Its petals hang, soaking wet. I put it back on the mirror of the water, its petals open up again, the arms of a small octopus freed from X by stretching its tentacles to all the cardinal points. 

Escapade

I dive head-first
out of my memories with you. 
I’m able
to hold my breath close to
fainting. 

The day I become older than my mother (I) 

Succesul unei zile ca acestea 
se bazează pe uneltele esențiale 
supraviețurii, fără excepție 
la locul lor prestabilit. 

No wrench in the system. Adică 
fără vreo șurubelniță scrâșnind 
între roțile dințate.

Panica ce prosperă-n letargie 
nu va putea să ne încetinească. 
Reflexele rodate cu timpul 
vor prelua automat controlul. 
Chiar și de-aș bâjbâi pe întuneric 
după chei, le-aș găsi: în dulăpiorul 
de lângă ușă. Ghiozdanul, 
pe cârligul lui din cuier. 

Îmi va fi frică tot timpul, 
însă, însă, însă 
vom ieși din casă 
la vreme. Între 
7:30 și 7:33. 
La timp 
tu vei ajunge la școală, 
eu voi ajunge la bazinul
de înot. Tot ce contează. 

Gândul acesta mă animă, sugrum 
în pumn buretele de vase, balonașe 
cu aer cald țâșnesc, își iau zborul, 
reflexii-n verde, violet, portocaliu, 
se lipesc de geamul bucătăriei, și-apoi 
puf! Ca și cum n-ar fi fost. 

Bucătăria e lustruită lună, sclipește,
parcă-mi trage cu ochiul.
Succesul unei zile ca aceea de mâine 
începe cu a clean slate. 
O pânză curată. 

Tomorrow, the day I become older than my mother. 

Las capacul sticlei cu detergent de vase 
deschis, știind bine 
că cineva-l va pune la loc 
când va trece mai târziu pe acolo 
să coboare storurile de bambus. 

Tutorial de machiaj for women over 40

you look nothing like your mother 
you look everything like your mother ..........Warsan Shire

Le-am strecurat fără să știe 
în camera mea.

Cutiuța de aluminiu cu capac din plastic: 
fard albastru-violet pentru pleoape. 

Tubul de ruj din alamă: 
rămășițe grena pe scobitoare. 

my mouth is a wound ..........Warsan Shire

Te descurci foarte bine.
Prea mult ruj.
Vocea ei în spatele meu.
Scrutăm imaginea celeilalte
în oglindă.

Nu uita.
Ce dorești să deghizezi → întuneci.
Ce dorești să scoți în evidență → luminezi.

The day I become older than my mother (II)

Aștept să-mi vină rândul la aceeași masă de plastic de pe buza piscinei.

Tremur de frig
într-un costum de baie roșu-portocaliu, peste el
o rochiță semi-transparentă de in,
brațele încrucișate peste mijloc.
Trebuia să vin echipată mai practic, nu atât de
vulnerabil. Doar n-am venit la plajă, am venit
să mă confrunt cu cea mai mare X.
E treabă serioasă, înotul, mă cert.
Instructoarea poartă pantaloni scurți, maiou sport.
Eleva dinaintea mea, pantaloni scurți, tricou.
Tremur de frig.
Tremur de X.

Nu pot privi suprafața unei apei adânci fără
X. În ea se dedublează spațiul care mă cuprinde:
cerul, norii, zidul, ușa clădirii din partea opusă,
ceasul care ține evidența timpului plătit pentru lecții.
Niciuna nu și-ar schimba esența, scufundate. 

În ea mi se dedublează fața
la mai mult cu o zi decât vârsta
la care mi-am văzut ultima oară
mama. 

De aceea
nu cred că am mijloacele de-a supraviețui
acestui an. Ar fi
nedrept. Și totuși,
continui să trag aer în plămâni. 

Instructoarea mă strigă pe nume, îmi face cu mâna, mă îndeamnă să cobor treptele-n piscină. Începem prin a ne obișnui cu temperatura apei, păstrată la o valoare constantă de încălzirea din podea. Prin a ne familiariza, a ajunge la nivelul de confort cu expirația sub apă. Mai întâi scufundăm numai gura. Aerul devine vizibil, se rostogolește în sfere molatice. Apoi și nasul. Respirația devine clară/vizibilă/intenționată, nu ceva automat.

Sub apă devin conștientă de aerul la dispoziție. Aerul care se luptă să iasă, ca apoi să vrea să se întoarcă. Expir. Bluc bluc bluc bluc. De cinci ori la intervale regulate. Cu urechile sub apă aud zgomotul amplificat al motorașelor care alimentează fântâna arteziană din piscina alăturată, cea pentru copii. Circulația prin conducte, filtrul de curățare. Stratul de apă amplifică fiecare sunet.

O panseluță a fost purtată de vânt din tufele de flori. O ridic cu buricul degetului arătător. Petalele ei atârnă, ude leoarcă. O depun înapoi pe suprafața apei, petalele i se desfac din nou, brațele unei mici caracatițe, debarasată de X prin întinderea la maxim a tentaculelor spre toate punctele cardinale.

Escapadă

Plonjez cu capul înainte
din amintirile cu tine.
În stare
să-mi țin respirația până aproape
de leșin.

ABOUT THE POETS

Daniela Hendea is a Romanian-born poet, translator, and editor who lived in the U.S. between 2008 and 2023. Author of two poetry volumes: one in Romanian (Acordor de teremin / Theremin Tuner, 2018), and one in Romanian and English (H2X, 2023), Daniela has published poems and translations in journals such as Asymptote, Entropy Magazine, Fragmented Voices, and Word City Monthly. Scientist by day and poet by night, she received her doctoral degree in chemistry, continuing her education in wildlife forensic sciences. She is an unusual poet who mixes scientific knowledge with emotions, thoughts, and autobiography. 

Ileana Marin teaches interdisciplinary courses at the University of Washington, Seattle, and at the University of Bucharest. She has published books on tragic myths, Pre-Raphaelite artists, and Victorian aesthetics of erasure; and several of her conference papers on the de-humanizing power of art, the artistic legacy of communism, and the materiality of texts have been published in prestigious journals and collective volumes. Since 2020, Ileana has taken on translating Romanian female writers who are underrepresented in English.  

-------------------------------   

* NOTE: Express permission was granted by the author, Daniela Hendea, to reprint the original poems alongside their English translations.

A note from the NOTIS Advocacy Committee

Hello court interpreters!

Last year, a bill was presented in the State House of Representatives (HB 2006) to update the Washington Court Interpreter law, RCW 2.43. This bill expands language access in the courts to ensure all court users can fully communicate regardless of the language they use. Unfortunately, the bill died in committee. 

It has now been revived as HB 1174. It is in committee and needs to be moved out of the policy committee into the fiscal committee. We need the court interpreter community to express its support for this bill! A summary is linked here for your review. Please note that the deadline to comment is February 21.

There is a simple and quick process by which you can express your support online:

1. Go to this website: https://leg.wa.gov/bills-meetings-and-session/
   
   
   
   
2. Near the top, where it says “Search for a Bill,” type in “1174“ and click on “Search.“ This will take you to this page, where you will click on the link that we’ve marked.
   
   
   
   
3. Fill out your address, and click “Verify District.” Click next to all of your legislators’ names. You can let them know if you’d like them to respond to your comment or not. Then complete the section with your name and contact information. 
4. In Step 3, you’ll click on “support” (we hope!). Your comment can be simply something like, “I am an interpreter. Please support this bill,” if you wish, or you can write more. Then click “Comment” at the bottom. 

The important thing is that our legislators see that their constituents are interested in this bill and that they should pay attention to it.

Please consider doing this at your earliest convenience! The deadline for comments is February 21.

Thank you so much,
The NOTIS Advocacy Committee

It is with sadness, and with much reverence for a life well lived, that we announce the passing of Judith Kushner Langley—a foundational member of NOTIS and a giant in our field.

To highlight just one of her many accomplishments, Judy was the very first President of NOTIS! We are forever grateful for the role she played in establishing our beloved society, and for her dedicated service to the industry and its practitioners. 

The published obituary (originally posted here) follows. Please also leave any notes or memories of Judy you would like to share in the comment section below or via the link above. 

JUDITH KUSHNER LANGLEY
September 11, 1942 - November 28, 2024

Judith Kushner Langley died peacefully at the Whatcom Hospice House in Bellingham, Washington on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 2024; she was 82. Judy is survived by her beloved husband of 48 years, Jim Langley; her children Litav and Jonathan; daughters-in-law Lindsay Wells and Katie Dunsmoor; and grandchildren Jonathan Earl (Jack), Aniel Dazze, Sivan Hale, Ellis Nora Kay, and Orilev Ahren.

Judy was a lover of languages, people, and our big, vibrant world. Born to Anna (Sims) and Daniel Kushner in Manhattan on September 11, 1942 and growing up in Queens, her family spoke Yiddish and English. As a youth, she and her father found a French dictionary when getting on the bus, and her curiosity about languages blossomed. Judy attended Queens College and then Penn and McGill University for graduate work, studying French and Spanish literature. Her career as a translator – working from French, Spanish, and later Portuguese too – began before she finished college, and in 1966 she began working as part of the United Nations’ English Translation Service. Judy relished her work, the relationships she built at the UN, and opportunities to travel on UN missions to Rio de Janeiro, Kiyoto, New Delhi, Tokyo, and Vienna.

When Judy’s young family lived on Bainbridge Island in Washington’s Puget Sound, she started her own translation business and was the first board president of the Northwest Translators and Interpreters Society. Judy kept a small sign on her antique desk at home – “A woman’s work is never done, especially when she owns the company.” From Bainbridge, Judy returned to the east coast regularly to work at the UN, treasuring these times to do the work she loved and be with her dear, lifelong New York friends. When she accepted a position at the World Bank in the late 1990s, Judy, Jim, and Jonathan relocated to the Washington, D.C. area. In 2004, she and Jim returned to Washington State, living in Anacortes with a view of the San Juan Islands that they had fallen in love with on their first trip there in 1975.

Judy’s enjoyment of language extended to a level of delight in puns that her family appreciates but does not fully grasp. She was also a ruthless Scrabble champion, a gift she passed on to Jonathan. Later in life, she adored participating in a Yiddish Ringele in Bellingham, schmoozing with other Yiddish speakers, growing friendships, and visiting her Bellingham grandchildren before driving home to Anacortes. (As a toddler, Judy’s youngest grandchild, Ori, developed his own version of Yiddish peek-a-boo inspired by his Nanny.)

Judy’s love for her family was profound. As we look back at pictures from our lives with our dear Mom and Judy’s time with her grandkids, her proud and joyful smile radiates a warmth we will always feel. Not one to hold back her thoughts, Judy would proudly tell strangers in the grocery store line or at a restaurant that she was a grandmother, generously offering to show pictures of her brood. She did not tire of being earnestly loving and silly. As her children, we are so very grateful for all that she gave us, including these deep inclinations towards goofiness, love, and humaning together in our shared global community.

A Celebration of Judy's Life was held on Sunday, January 12, 2025, 2:30PM at Congregation Beth Israel, 751 San Juan Boulevard, Bellingham, WA.

Donations in honor of Judy’s life may be made to the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp reveals how AI is affecting literary translators
Originally published in The Author (see details below)

" A third of literary translators have already lost work or income because of generative AI, according to a recent Society of Authors (SoA) survey of members. But this is not the only impact that generative AI has had. It is raising new issues for translators around working methods, copyright, credit and transparency. It may even change how we think about the act – and art – of translation.

Illustration © Yuji Takahashi

A help or hindrance? 

In the SoA survey, 37% of translators reported having used some form of generative AI in their work. The leading technologies for automated translation are neural machine translation (NMT), such as DeepL, and large language models (LLM), of which the best known is ChatGPT. NMTs have been used for years by professional translators. They’re based on neural network architectures, and were trained using bilingual documents and texts found online in two-language versions. LLMs were developed more recently, and while they are based on a similar architecture, they are trained to predict the next word in a sentence and to generate text based on statistical likelihood.

Many other services and computer-aided translation (CAT) tool plug-ins exist. ‘I use (the CAT tool) Wordfast Anywhere,’ explains Kazakh-to-English translator Mirgul Kal. ‘It offers MyMemory translation, which is mostly inaccurate for my source language, but I find it useful to have a quick look at it before replacing it with my own translation. Sometimes it offers a great word choice that didn’t occur to me, and secondly Kazakh syntax is markedly different from English, so I appreciate any help I can get.’ Noting the pitfalls, Mirgul adds, ‘I’m always chuckling because some MyMemory translations are simply hilarious: they make me want to abandon translation and start writing strangely moving absurdist prose poems.’

For some, using a machine translation plug-in to throw up (only to throw away) possible versions of a sentence has been a game changer. For others, AI is best avoided. French-to-English translator Roland Glasser argues that AI tools can be a hindrance rather than a help: ‘The process of undertaking the first draft, of immersing yourself in the source text, sussing out nuances, wrangling cultural references and specificities, attending to alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia, rhyme and scansion (and sometimes several of the above combined) is integral to the creation of a high-quality translation. Our unconscious brains click and whirr in unimaginable ways as we work on a text. With the best will in the world, working on a machine-translated draft can never be the same.’

‘Machine translation post-editing’

Of rising concern to literary translators is the adoption by some publishers of ‘machine translation post-editing’ (MTPE, or PEMT): hiring a bilingual editor for a relatively light-touch edit of an AI-generated draft, instead of commissioning a professional translator (who might or might not consult AI to some degree).

But it is translators, not their clients, who are best placed to select the appropriate tool to produce an automated draft, and translators have these tools at their disposal already: they don’t need literary agents or publishers to run a text through AI software for them, and there are many dangers inherent to embarking on this approach unknowingly. ChatGPT at least warns you that it makes mistakes; DeepL claims rather optimistically, ‘With DeepL, you’ll never have to compromise on quality again.’ Yet I regularly see that even with German, a language with a vast quantity of high-quality training material, DeepL makes basic mistakes like repeating lines and mistranslating dates and figures.

Quality control difficulties are compounded by time pressure. In similar creative industries such as video games, machine translation post-editing (MTPE) pays very low rates while only offering negligible time gain, warns Japanese-to-English translator Jennifer O’Donnell. ‘This means a translator can either work twice as hard to create a high-quality translation for less than half their normal rate, or they can put in as much work as they’re getting paid for and only perform a cursory glance to make sure the machine translation is at least grammatically accurate, but not whether it’s accurate in meaning, style or consistency.’ The result, she says, is that the vast majority of talented creative translators prefer to translate from scratch rather than do post-editing work. ‘Post-editing creative works that have been machine translated takes just as much time as translating from scratch, and produces a lower quality translation.’ Perhaps translation is no different to any other service or industry: you can have two out of three of speed, quality or low price, but you can’t have all three.

We’re already seeing publishers skimp on professional translation in the case of some supposedly ‘easy’ translations. Literary agents, for example, sometimes provide machine- translated samples of picture books which monolingual editors edit in-house and publish without crediting a translator. But this is at the expense of the nuance a professional translator provides, and at the possible risk to the author of their intentions being misconstrued. It is a dubious approach for short illustrated texts; it can be disastrous for longer fiction, non-fiction or scholarly texts, and yet it’s a tempting strategy for a budget-conscious publisher who’s unaware of the risks. ‘It’s up to us to explain that it takes longer and ultimately costs more,’ says French-to-English literary translator Louise Rogers Lalaurie. ‘In literary translation, publishers embrace popular campaigns to #NameTheTranslator and put #TranslatorsOnTheCover, so they must see that AI can actually undermine their standing with readers. #PutDeepLontheCover doesn’t really cut it...’

At the moment, ‘post-editing’ seems to be a catch-all term that is far too vague and often underestimates the work that’s required, suggests German-to-English literary translator and editor Katharina Hall. ‘There’s the sense that it’s just a matter of “give that a quick final polish, would you?” We need to push back with more nuanced terminology and distinctions between different types of editing work.’

Copyright and moral rights

Another immediate threat associated with a move towards MTPE, for literary translators, is the perception that such work should fall under an anonymous work-for-hire contract rather than one that recognises a literary translator’s claim to copyright and the moral right to be credited. Whether we use NMT to prompt vocabulary within a CAT tool, or whether we ‘post-edit’ a machine translation draft, literary translation is creative work, and a translator has full agency over their creative decisions, as well as culpability for their mistakes. 

Copyright is also essential for quality control, as a safeguard for the intent and meaning of the original author to be respected; without copyright over their translation, a translator risks losing sight of the translation after submission. It could be sublicensed and re-edited, with changes to the text that diverge from the author’s original intention; unless the translator is consulted, and has the contractual right to approve editorial changes, there’s the risk of the author’s intention being misconstrued.

Opportunities

The controversy surrounding AI in the creative industries, and the raising of difficult questions about the author of a translation might have some positive effects. It could boost the #NameTheTranslator and #TranslatorsOnTheCover campaigns. If more editors saw the first draft churned out by an AI provider, they might become more aware of how difficult, and how subjective, literary translation is. And if – as the SoA is lobbying for – we establish a licensing framework for training AI that reassures translators they can legally use it in drafting a professional translation, then automated translation might help make the industry more accessible and inclusive to a broader range of linguists, including from traditionally marginalised backgrounds.

One exciting possibility for me, which publishers and agents could be making more imaginative use of, is the ability to read or get an overview of a manuscript before commissioning a reader’s report or a sample, especially for languages traditionally under-represented in translation. This would only be the case if we can keep low-pay MTPE at bay, though, and if there are cost-efficient but legal means for developers to expand the training datasets for as yet unfeatured languages. DeepL, for example, still only supports 30 languages, of which only Arabic, Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean and Turkish are the only non-European ones.

I don’t see humans being pushed out of translating and editing altogether; I see the human-machine symbiosis as an evolution in professional roles, but in a context where we’ll always need human, bilingual insight, instinct and intuition. Just as fast food exists alongside Michelin-starred restaurants, there may be an emergent cut-price, low-on-quality market for post-edited machine output, but I think there will remain a parallel market for human-crafted translation of international literature. The question for literary translators is where we want to position ourselves. And for publishers: is it worth the risk of getting it wrong? •

Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp is a literary translator working into English from Arabic, Russian and German. Her most recent translations were Brothers by Jackie Thomae (DAS Editions), and a new translation of Wassily Kandinsky’s seminal work Concerning the Spiritual in Art (Penguin Classics). 

The NOTIS Publications Committee secured written permission from the author, Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp, to republish this piece in the Northwest Linguist Blog. The article was originally published in the Summer 2024 issue of The Author (linked here). The Author is a quarterly publication of the Society of Authors, the UK trade union for all kinds of writers, illustrators, and literary translators.

As you may have noticed, scammers seem to be as busy as ever these days! NOTIS would like to remind all members to remain extremely vigilant when reading and responding to emails — even to messages sent to you through the NOTIS directory page.

While we've taken measures to shield our directory from scammers, your directory information is public by default (so that colleagues and legitimate potential clients can reach you). Unfortunately, this means that people with wrongful intentions can email you too.

To further protect yourself, you can easily change the privacy settings on your member profile so that members of the public cannot contact you through the NOTIS system. To do this, click on your name at the top right corner of our home page (you must first log in), go to the “Privacy” tab, and click “Edit profile”; then, set the “Send message form” field to “Anybody,” (NOTIS) “Members” (only), or “No access” (see screenshots below). NOTE: There are several other privacy settings you can edit on this same page, according to your preferences. If you do want to be contacted regarding legitimate work offers, we recommend you keep your email address visible.

Please, in general, exercise caution when reading — and screening — emails from people you don’t know, especially when something about the message strikes you as odd. For example:

• if the person claims to be from a large company but is using a free email domain (such as yahoo.com or gmail.com) 

• if the message is generic and vague 

• if the offer seems too good to be true, or 

• if the person asks you to send them money or share personal information.
  

If anything seems suspicious, the best strategy is not to respond. It can also help to do an online search, inputting, for example, the sender’s email address or the body of the message between quotation marks, to see if others have received the same message and identified it as a scam. Additionally, you can check on the legitimacy of a potentially suspicious offer by asking your colleagues in online forums such as one of the following Facebook Groups:

• Northwest Translators & Interpreters Society (for members)
• Northwest Literary Translators 
  
• Oregon Society of Translators & Interpreters
• Resource Center for Certified Interpreters

Please contact NOTIS at info@notisnet.org if you receive an email through the NOTIS directory and you’re not sure it’s legitimate. We will be more than happy to review it with you and offer our opinion. 

To get an idea of what some of the latest email scams look like, check out these recent social media posts detailing:

• An October 2024 scam targeting NOTIS members via the NOTIS Directory (here on Facebook or here on LinkedIn)
• A June 2023 scam about a Pfizer job (NOTE: It’s not Pfizer!), shown here on Twitter
• A recurring scam aimed at language professionals nationwide, explained here in a 2024 post from CCHI (Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters)

Here are some additional resources for guidance: 

• NOTIS’s on-site guidance for members about known scams and frauds: Scams targeting freelancers

• BBB Scam Tracker is a free tool anyone can use to report suspected scams (from the Better Business Bureau)

• Spot a Scam, from the Better Business Bureau, provides up-to-date information on recent scams and how to identify them.

• A 2023 article from ATA with links to other resources, including a 2020 webinar titled “Don’t Fall for It: Scams Targeting Language Professionals”

• ATA Podcast, Episode 88: Scams (June 2023)

• A Proz.com page describing typical scams, plus a dedicated forum for discussing scams
  
  
  

Attention NOTIS members: NOTIS is now recruiting volunteers to join our Board of Directors!

The Northwest Translators & Interpreters Society is busier than ever. The Board of Directors, NOTIS’s governing body, is seeking 2-3 new directors for terms beginning January 1, 2025, to replace directors who are stepping down at the end of this year.

As a NOTIS Board member, you will enjoy professional prestige and camaraderie while helping to shape the future of our society, including our professional response to an ever-changing work environment. This is also an excellent opportunity to learn new skills and develop leadership potential.

Board members serve two-year terms (for a maximum of six consecutive years). Duties include attending monthly meetings and actively participating in at least one committee or division. Board members are also strongly encouraged to help organize and attend major events, such as the annual conference, picnic and holiday party.

To apply, please submit your CV, as well as a brief statement explaining why you would like to volunteer to info@notisnet.org. If you know someone who may be interested, please pass this along!

Thank you for your ongoing support and for all the good work you do for our thriving T&I community.

Best regards,
The NOTIS Nominating Committee

by Charlotte Schwennsen, 2023 NOTIS Grant recipient

This year, I attended the UK’s ITI Conference thanks to a generous NOTIS conference grant.* I was a first-time attendee at the UK’s largest translation and interpreting event. It was a whirlwind experience! If you haven’t had the chance to attend, I hope this short post will give you an idea of what it was like.

The two-day hybrid conference (in Edinburgh, Scotland, and online) attracted around 400 attendees, including 120 who joined the hour-long sessions and networking chat rooms through the Canapii event app. For the in-person attendees, there were lunch and tea breaks as well as “fringe” events like singing, dancing, and city tours (side note, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the host city’s annual arts and culture event). A few days before the conference, I noted the sessions I would attend synchronously. Attendees also have asynchronous access to the app so they can take part in continuing education throughout the year..

The topics I focused on were: AI for T&I professionals: skills, ethics, and the changing landscape; business skills; career pathways and journeys; English grammar and style; and health and wellness. 

Day 1:

• Welcome Address by ITI CEO Sara Robertson and ITI Chair Nicki Bone
• Selling Human Tech Skills in an AI World: Brainy Things a Robot Cannot Do
• How (Not) to Make £100k as a Translator: Five Pitfalls of Starting Out and How You Can Help a Newbie
• Keynote (by Joanna Drugan): The History of Training Professional Translators and Interpreters in Scotland
• Goodness Gracious Grammar
• Raging Against the Machine: Is Translation Really Dying?
• Spice Up Your Writing with Figures of Speech

Day 2:

• Welcome Address with Nick Rosenthal, CEO Sara Robertson, and ITI Chair Nicki Bone
• Rage Against the Machine: Translating Swearwords – and Everything Else – in the Age of AI
• The Invisible Burden: Managing Cognitive Load in Translation
• Keynote with Sara Robertson: New World, New Work... New You
• Caring for Your Brain and Hearing Health

In her keynote speech, “New world, new work,” Sara Robertson reflected on the changing landscape in the translation and interpreting industry, recommending we as professionals focus on the future, increase our ability and willingness to be adaptable, entrepreneurial, professional, our own marketing team, and a solution for our clients’ problems. Her advice to create a business continuity plan was also relevant.

To conclude, I am grateful to NOTIS for the opportunity to attend this valuable event. I learned from a variety of presenters representing diverse sectors, industries, specializations, and languages. Since the closing session, I’ve started using some of the wellness tips I learned, and I am working toward revising my business plan in light of all the inspiring and practical discussions.

Charlotte Schwennsen is a French-to-English translator and editor based in Seattle. She currently specializes in communications for businesses and non-profit organizations, translation of official documents, and copyediting academic journal articles in the social sciences and humanities. 

*CLICK HERE to learn more about the current round of NOTIS Conference Grants. The deadline to apply is September 1, 2024! 

María Concepción Uribe Ramos Dopps was born in Autlán de la Grana, Jalisco, Mexico, on March 11, 1969. Her parents are Luis Bonifacio Uribe Capacete and Socorro Ramos.

She is survived by her mother, Socorro, three brothers, four sisters and their families, as well as her husband Mike and countless friends and colleagues. Maria graduated High School in Mexico at Escuela Preparatoria Regional de Autlán and moved to the United States at age 18. On October 14, 2000, she was married to Mike Dopps.

As she continued mastering English, she was certified as a Medical Interpreter and in 2011 obtained her certification from the Administrative Office of the Courts in Washington State as a Court Certified Spanish/English Interpreter. Maria participated and belonged to several interpreter associations such as WASCLA and NOTIS and was a pillar in the interpreting profession. She was passionate about her craft and worked hard to move the profession forward.

Maria was a dedicated interpreter, a loving friend, and was kind to everyone she met. She was personable, fun, and loved socializing. She often hosted gatherings at her house with food and sometimes even karaoke. Maria had a great sense of humor, both in English and Spanish, loved singing, and participated in her local church choir. She loved the outdoors, especially beach combing. She was proud of her Mexican heritage and enjoyed sharing it and educating others about it.

Her loss will be profoundly felt on many levels within her family, friends, community, and the interpreting world.