Launched in April 2024, FairLoc is the brainchild of language-services entrepreneur Tina Julsgaard. On this page, Tina explains in her own words how and why FairLoc came about and where she hopes it will go in the future.
A: For quite a while now, as artificial-intelligence and machine-translation technologies continue to develop, there has been a general sense that human translation will one day be a thing of the past. Now, those of us who work in the industry know that’s not true. We see every day how machine translation is powered by human input, and that even the best systems are unable to replicate the wonders that human translators pull off every day.
But even so, when you hear something repeated often enough, you start to believe it. This was my impression when I was attending a localisation conference in Krakow in May 2023. The closing session was a panel discussion between four localisation experts about the future of the language industry and it felt as if the writing was on the wall. The unspoken starting point for their discussion seemed to be that human translation as we know it will one day be pushed out by the machines.
That’s when I thought to myself that we all need a wake-up call. After all, we were in that room because of our passion for human translation work. We know that MT is a great aid, but it can’t replace the beauty and creative elasticity of the human mind. It seemed to me like we were starting to veer off course, and I began asking myself what could be done. And so as I made my way back from the panel discussion that night, my brain started bubbling with excitement and ideas, and FairLoc began to take shape.
A: FairLoc stands for Fair Localisation – localisation being an industry term for the full translation and cultural adaptation process. The fair part, meanwhile, echoes the principles of the Fairtrade movement. It is intended to be a clear and simple way to support the human translators who create the content we cherish. Our message is that supporting human translation is a fair decision for the localisation industry – fair to the human translators whose work has fuelled MT, fair to the text that deserves to be given the best rendering possible in its new language or languages – and fair to the world, as we all get to live amongst beautiful and human texts that make us feel connected.
A: The introduction of machine translation has enabled a new approach known as machine-translation post-editing or MTPE for short. This means that the text is first pre-translated by a machine and then reviewed by a human translator. MTPE has been around for a while now and it is actually a fantastic service. It enables clients on tight budgets to translate text that would not otherwise get translated, and it broadens access to translation services.
However, MTPE is not the same as straight human translation. The human involved does not actually translate, they only review – and this means they are unable to flip sentence structures or come up with dazzling solutions to tricky problems. If they stray beyond small edits, the efficiency boost from using MT is lost. So while MTPE is great for certain tasks, it is not suitable for all translation work, and using it on a massive scale zaps the creativity out of translation practice.
MTPE is having its moment in the sunshine right now. Clients see the potential to make savings and they are keen to adopt new technologies. But the trouble is they are not always able to assess the output – they don’t have the expertise and resources that we have to analyse MT output across multiple languages. Our job is therefore to help clients recognise when MTPE is a good option and when it isn’t. Like most other LSPs, my translation agency has fully embraced MTPE and we are proud to offer it to our clients, but our concern is that clients often want to order it even when it isn’t suitable. This is something we’re hoping FairLoc can help with.
A: I think translators find it frustrating when they are being asked to do MTPE jobs on texts where it isn’t suitable. In these cases, they feel that they either have to breeze past sections that they know could be improved, or they have to spend inordinate amounts of time fixing up sections that read poorly. In other words, it’s a choice between accepting less pay for the same amount of work or sacrificing their professional pride. I don’t think we should have to do either, and I am pretty sure that our clients would agree with me on that one.
A: I developed the concept internally together with a few colleagues at my company. It took an awful lot of brainstorming sessions as there was so much to discuss and define. We are now very excited to share FairLoc with the world! We believe that FairLoc will be bigger than us and our agency. It is something the entire industry can benefit from, and we hope it will grow and morph to suit changing needs.
A: I hope it will raise awareness around where artificial technologies are taking us and make people stop and think about the choices they make when ordering translations. How things develop from here will depend on the people and companies who order our services, but thankfully they are humans as well. At the minute, many of them are being tempted by cheaper deals and the possibility of reducing their costs, but money is not the be all and end all. I am convinced there will always be companies who value that which is authentic and genuine and that they will want to opt for the sustainable, human solution.
A: I hope it will be an industry that continues to put humans at the forefront. AI is undoubtedly going to play an increasingly important part of our lives and it is likely that in ten years’ time, we will hardly be able to believe we ever lived without it – a bit like how we feel about the internet and mobile phones today. But the nuanced and creative aspects of many jobs, including translation, will remain a human endeavour.
The goal should be for us to use technology to eliminate mundane tasks, freeing us up to focus on communicating and creating art. The last thing I want to see is translators being reduced to mere reviewers, that would be such a sad outcome. So at the top of my lungs, shouting it from the rooftops, my appeal to translation buyers everywhere is:
Have you still got a question about FairLoc we haven’t answered here? Check out our FAQ page for more information or reach out to us via contact@fairloc.com.
FairLoc is a digital seal of assurance for human content created with love. It advocates for human translators and copywriters as well as fair practices in the localisation industry. The FairLoc stamp is a registered trademark ®
*Localisation is a widespread term used in the language industry to refer to the full translation process, including adapting the content to the specific, local context of its target audience.
