We are delighted to announce that on 1st February 2023 the SMART project team will be holding a panel titled Embracing the complexity: hybrid practices for interlingual communication in real time within the framework of Surrey’s Centre for Translation Studies (CTS) first Convergence conference – “Convergence: Human-Machine Integration in Translation and Interpreting” (1 – 3 February, 2023)
This panel will present some highlights form the ESRC-funded SMART project (Shaping Multilingual Access through Respeaking Technology), which has focused on a human-centric form of live subtitling via speech recognition, namely interlingual respeaking, and will extend the discussion to other emerging hybrid practices for live interlingual speech-to-text. The term speech-to-text is normally associated with full automation of spoken communication (i.e. technology-driven transformation of spoken input into written output, particularly in real-time). The rapid development of technologies driven by AI, like automatic speech recognition and machine translation, has opened up a myriad of hybrid methods and possible configurations for real-time delivery of speech-to-text. These can be positioned at the crossroads of translation, interpreting, and subtitling and entail different degrees of human and machine input to provide what is ultimately the same product: live text in a different language. However, we still do not know much about the affordances and constraints brought about by different workflows, and how they can match different live communication scenarios. This panel will discuss the current state of the art in terms of speech-to-text interlingual practices, which can be placed on a continuum from human-centric to automated ones. and attempt to systematise the complexity of the current landscape, in a way that will emphasise the hybrid nature of these practices and the role that language professionals play in different processes. To this end, the panel will bring together experts from a variety of backgrounds, attempting to converge on a topical and multifaceted issue that requires input from a variety of standpoints to be addressed in all its complexity. Invited panellists will bring their own unique perspectives (institutional, professional, academic, industry- and user-centred) on how we can bring about an intelligent and responsible integration of human skills and technological capabilities for the benefit of all stakeholders involved.
Here is a schedule of the panel and (provisional) line up of speakers – watch this space for further updates!
1 February 2022
14:00 – 14:15: Start of Convergence conference
14:15 – 15:15: Keynote 1: Dorothy Kenny: Human and machine translation: a meeting of modes and minds?
15:30 – 18:00: Session 1: Embracing the complexity: hybrid practices for interlingual communication in real time
Convenors: Elena Davitti, Tomasz Korybski, Anna-Stiina Wallinheimo, Zoe Moores, Annalisa Sandrelli, Pablo Romero-Fresco
Panellists line up (in progress): Carlo Eugeni (University of Leeds), Susan Daniels (The National Deaf Children’s Society and Disabled Students Commission), Martin Cornwell (Ai-Media), Luke Barrett and Elizabeth Crockett (Sky), Denise Kroesen and Evan Dorrenstein (Substream), Maria Leonardi (Oncall)
Check out the Convergence conference website for other sessions and information!
This event is free of charge but you will need to register HERE
