Category News

Conferences, conferences!

Can you build your own MT engine?

Recently, I’ve been quite busy attending several virtual conferences, presenting at some of them, and recording videos to be presented at upcoming conferences in the near future.

Two weeks ago I attended and presented at the wonderful virtual conference Together Again (from afar) organized by the Oregon Society of Translators and Interpreters (OSTI). The title of my presentation was “Bias in Neural Machine Translation,” loosely based on this blog post here.

Tomorrow I am honored to be part of a panel discussion “Ask the Experts” at the Innovation in Translation Summit. My pre-recorded presentation entitled “Can you build your own MT engine?” will be featured tomorrow, October 6, and will be live for 24 hours.

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Free Webinar – Don’t Fall for It! Scams Targeting Language Professionals

My webinar “Don’t Fall for It! Scams Targeting Language Professionals” is now available on demand for free. Click here to watch now. Click here for this webinar’s resource handout. A list of questions that were asked during the Q&A at the end of the webinar is answered here.

Recorded: July 9, 2020
Duration: 60 minutes
Language: Presented in English
Level: All
ATA CE Point(s): 1

Even the best of us have been tempted by a scam.

Technology has given scammers an unprecedented level of sophistication and access, making it easier than ever to be fooled. Names and email addresses can be harvested electronically. Individuals can be targeted by occupation. Job offers can use the right terminology to appear legitimate—at least at first glance.

Attend this webinar for an overview of the various scams targeting translators and interpreters, including the age-old fake check scheme that is still tricking people into losing money. The presenter will also cover newer problems of identity theft and impersonation. Specific real-life examples will be used to demonstrate how each scam works and what concrete steps you can take to protect yourself and your business.

A list of resources will be included with the webinar.

What will you learn?

  • How to identify a scam
  • How to recognize the most common fake check scams
  • How to spot identity theft schemes
  • How to verify a contact’s identity
  • What you can do to protect yourself from scams
  • Where to report scammers

About the presenter

Carola F. Berger is an ATA-certified English>German translator, specializing in patent and scientific/technical translation as well as localization of software and mobile apps. She holds a PhD in physics and a master’s degree in engineering physics.

After being defrauded by an impersonator early in her career, Carola researched online fraud in depth, which led to several presentations and articles on scams in publications such as The ATA Chronicle and Translorial, the journal of the Northern California Translators Association. She is a frequent contributor on ATA’s Business Practices Listserv.

AB5: Do you know your ABCs?

At February’s NCTA General Meeting, two representatives of the language industry discussed the ramifications of AB5 for the industry and suggested what independent language professionals can do to help.

On January 1 of this year, Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) went into effect and brought sweeping changes to California’s labor laws. The intention of AB5 was to simplify the classification of independent contractors and employees in California; however, it brought a host of unintended consequences. AB5 has caused considerable confusion in the language industry. NCTA invited Lorena Ortiz Schneider, founder of the Coalition of Practicing Translators and Interpreters of California (CoPTIC), and Shamus Sayed, vice president of Interpreters Unlimited, Inc., and board member of the Association of Language Companies, to clarify some of this confusion at the February General Meeting.

For more information, read my summary article that just appeared on NCTA.org.

From left to right: NCTA events chair Fernanda Brandão-Galea, presenter Lorena Ortiz Schneider, NCTA president Michael Schubert, presenter Shamus Sayed. Photo credit: Ana Salotti

From left to right: NCTA events chair Fernanda Brandão-Galea, presenter Lorena Ortiz Schneider, NCTA president Michael Schubert, presenter Shamus Sayed. Photo credit: Ana Salotti