The Studious Translator, a pen-and-ink illustration inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s style, depicts a student immersed in the world of translation and localization at a University participating in the RWS Campus academic programme. Just as the Vitruvian Man embodies the ideal human proportions outlined by the Roman architect Vitruvius, this diligent student exemplifies the harmonious balance of linguistic mastery, cultural understanding, and technical acumen required for success in the field. The drawing showcases the student in two (hidden) overlapping positions—one representing the precision of translation within a square, and another showcasing the adaptability of localization within a circle. This intriguing illustration not only highlights the student’s dedication to comprehending essential concepts but also their aspiration to innovate and refine them. Although not the first to capture the essence of translation and localization, the Studious Translator gains iconic status as a symbol of the modern Renaissance in language and technology. It serves as a testament to the interdisciplinary nature of these fields, weaving together mathematics, linguistics, and art. The original drawing is carefully preserved in a climate-controlled archive at RWS Campus, exemplifying the programme’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of translation and localization professionals.
A genuine lie as created by GPT-4 alongside an image of the Studious Translator created by DALL·E… a lie but quite a creative one and almost certainly representing the true character and personality of the future of our industry.
In this article I am shamelessly advertising the RWS Campus online event that takes place on the 25th and 26th of April. This event is the second one we have run, the first being just last year, and it is one that proved such a success that we have already exceeded the registrations we attracted last year. I think the main reason we have been so successful is that despite this being an event aimed at academia it actually covers such a wide range of topics around careers and technology in the industry that has to be of interest to anyone professionally employed in this space today.
NOTE: THE EVENT IS OVER, BUT YOU CAN FIND RECORDINGS FOR ALL THE SESSIONS IN THE VIDEOS SECTION OF THE RWS CAMPUS COMMUNITY PAGES.
You can register for the event here:
The full agenda is visible if you scroll down a little below the registration form, but to make it simple for you to see at a glance I created an easy table of the topics based on the titles and a link to each one.
Last year I had the privilege of hosting a panel discussion with some really brilliant guests… this year I’m lucky enough to do it again. The topic is this:
Very topical anyway, but with the speed at which technology has moved in the last decade and in particular the last few months I’m really looking forward to the discussion.
Feel free to add any topics you’d like to see discussed… and definitely feel free to register and attend even if you are just a lifelong student… like the rest of us!
| Title | Description |
| Welcome to RWS Campus Online 2023 | Welcome session. |
| Growing global: cultivating the next generation of localization talent | The keynote presentation discussing how customer experience is central to language experience delivery, the changing roles of linguists due to technology, and the importance of RWS Campus in supporting the next generation of talent. |
| Introducing RWS Campus – the path to a great future in localization | Partnering with universities around the globe to support localization education through innovative technology, workshops, training, presentations, and internship programmes, emphasizing sustainability and professional development for students. |
| Trados Studio: work smarter, not harder | This session will cover how to maximize productivity using Trados Studio and its cloud capabilities, including the app store and new cloud features that enable browser-based work. |
| Career paths in localization – translator | This session focuses on the role of a translator, potential career pathways, required skills and qualifications, and a glimpse into the typical day of an in-house linguist. |
| Post-editing – helping you succeed in an AI driven world | This session covers new possibilities in machine translation with linguistic AI, including post-editing and industry trends that will shape future translation careers. |
| Working with Trados Team | This session provides a detailed walkthrough on how to support teaching objectives by utilizing neural machine translation (NMT) with translation memories, referencing terminology, and managing custom project workflows. |
| Transcreation – a creative path beyond words | Silvia Sanchez, Language Creative Director, will speak about transcreation, providing examples of her work, tips for getting started, and related projects of interest. |
| Spotlight on the medical and pharmaceutical vertical | This session covers the skills and qualifications required to become a medical and pharmaceutical translator, types of medical content, and potential pathways for entering the industry. |
| Training MT – and industry-aware undergraduates | This session presents a practical course that familiarized 100 undergraduate students with machine translation at the University of Vienna, simulating an internship in an LSP with Trados Studio and OPUS-CAT MT. It will cover achievements, challenges, and future implementation plans. |
| Exploring eLearning | This session discusses the growth of the eLearning industry and the challenges of eLearning localization. It will explore opportunities for linguists to contribute to the creation and localization of eLearning content for companies, schools, and universities. |
| Opportunities and roles in multimedia localization | This session covers RWS media services through two case studies with insights from team members, a display of finished products, and Q&A with Senior Producer and Senior Translator. |
| Unleashing your potential: becoming a software developer with a global vision | This presentation explores the roles and skills required for successful software development, emphasizing collaboration and career growth opportunities. It also introduces translation, content, and machine translation products developed by the team. |
| Everything you ever wanted to know about AI | This session covers the importance and applications of AI, with examples of tasks managed by RWS Group’s AI community. It also explores opportunities for joining the AI community and starting a career as an AI trainer for RWS Group. |
| The last defenders – the RWS testing team | This session discusses the importance of product testing for successful launches and introduces the team responsible for it, describing them as a diverse group of nerds, bean counters, and innovators. |
| CLEAR Global’s Mission to Start 4 Billion Conversations: Insight about our Impact of Translation and Localization in the Humanitarian Sector | This session highlights CLEAR Global and Translators Without Borders’ work on AI-powered language solutions for marginalized languages, emphasizing their importance and inviting attendees to learn more on May 31st, 2023. |
| Mastering Trados Studio: tips, tricks, and techniques for streamlining your translation workflow | This presentation provides tips and tricks for optimizing the use of Trados Studio, including working with translation memories, essential apps from the RWS AppStore, file types, and regular expressions to enhance translation workflows for all skill levels. |
| Spotlight on RWS internship programmes | This session highlights RWS’s internship and graduate opportunities across various roles and locations, inviting attendees to learn about the programs and hear from previous interns and coordinators. |
| Working with terminology | This session discusses various ways of managing terminology in the Trados product portfolio, focusing on the new cloud offering, Trados Terminology, to provide attendees with up-to-date information on terminology management products. |
| The secret diary of a Project Manager | This session offers a glimpse into the daily tasks of a Project Manager, necessary skills, and various career paths in the dynamic role that provides individuals with diverse opportunities to fall in love with, highlighting the rewarding and varied nature of the job. |
| Harnessing the disruptive nature of AI | This session explores how RWS teams are using AI to address translation formality, style, bias, and technical content, as well as providing community forum support, demonstrating its potential for unlocking innovative solutions beyond the box. |
| Career paths in localization – Interpreter | This session delves into the role of an interpreter, the skills and qualifications required for a successful career, the importance of networking and collaboration, and the varied nature of work in interpretation, spanning corporate conferences, legal proceedings, and medical training. |
| Career paths in localization – Talent Manager | Poppy Smith, Talent Manager for English at RWS, will share her experience and provide insights into the daily work and responsibilities of a talent manager, as well as the role of talent management in a language service provider. |
| Lean education: discover your dream job in localization | Andrej Zito, who stumbled into the localization industry without a degree, founded Localization Academy with a mission to help people find their dream jobs and will discuss how they are accomplishing this goal. |
| Quality matters – measuring and reporting quality in the localization process | In this session, we discuss best practices in translation quality, how to measure it, and the role of customer quality specialists in ensuring long-term linguistic success for clients, from onboarding to ongoing monitoring. |
| Career paths in localization – DTP and localization engineering | Discover the distinctions between DTP and localization engineering, and explore the various processes and software applications involved with Marta Salamon, DTP Line Manager. Ideal for those interested in the technical aspects of localization. |
| Helping yourself… making the most of our resources. | Learn how to join the RWS Campus Community, use the forums and earn the new Trados Studio certification, to connect with other students and professionals in the field and advance your career in translation. |
| Spotlight on financial translations | This session provides an overview of the finance industry, how localization fits in it, the roles linguists can play, and tips on getting specialized. |
| Breaking down language barriers: accessible neural machine translation for academia with Language Weaver | Language Weaver is offering free access to neural machine translation with trained engines for academic use, and in this presentation, you’ll learn about the benefits of this tool and how to use it to streamline your academic translation workflow. |
| Translation in Intellectual Property – Protecting amazing ideas globally | Insight into the world of intellectual property (IP) translation and linguistic revision teams at RWS IP Services, discussing the profile and role of an IP translator and reviser and the potential pathways for aspiring linguists to join the industry. |
| Panel discussion: “Do courses in universities today give students all the knowledge, tools and expertise needed for them to move into roles in the modern localization workplace?” | Join six experienced professionals and academics in the localization industry as they discuss the relevance of university courses in preparing students for careers in modern localization workplaces. Expect valuable insights and perspectives on the skills and knowledge needed to succeed, as well as a thought-provoking exploration of the current state of localization education. |
Far too late I discovered that this was something completely different from RWS ELEVATE, and much more interesting. I suppose there is now no way to watch the events on-line, but I thought I should ask anyway.
Hi Mats, yes you can watch them. Same as last year we put all the recordings for every session in the RWS Campus Community here – Videos
And I did not even know about last year! Thank you so much for this valuable information!