METM26 presentation

Trends in translating and editing for universities

Sandra H. Lustig, Hamburg, Germany

Universities have traditionally relied on the services of translators and editors for academic publications, public relations, and administrative texts. In recent years, the nature of the work demanded by universities has been changing along with the translation and editing landscape in general.

This interactive discussion session addresses current developments in translating and editing for universities that affect in-house or freelance language professionals. For each of the two topics—internationalization and artificial intelligence—I will first briefly share my experience and the experiences of university translators in the northern German network of university translators. Then, attendees will be invited to contribute their experience and questions to the discussion.

Internationalization of universities

  • Which (new?) target audiences are there for our translations? What are their needs? Are universities currently meeting those needs?
  • Do universities have internationalization policies? What do (or don’t) they address, both generally and in terms of translation?

Artificial intelligence

  • Who makes the decisions about AI tools and how (and how not) to use them? Are translators involved in those decisions?
  • How is AI used in practice at universities, by translators/editors, by academics, by non-academic staff?
  • How has this affected our work as in-house translators/editors and as freelancers?

Participants can expect to come away with a better understanding of the impacts of these trends at various universities and in various countries, and how translators and editors are approaching them.

About the presenter

Sandra Lustig Sandra H. Lustig is an in-house translator for Leibniz University Hannover. She is a member of a Germany-wide network of university translators and coordinates a network of university translators in northern Germany. As a freelancer, she works for numerous universities, academics, and other clients.