GALA Rising Star 2025 - Translators and AI: Partners in the Localization Journey

This article received the 2025 Rising Star Scholarship. Applicants were asked to create an original essay and video answering the question: "How are you, as a future translation and localization professional, preparing to adapt to these significant changes [AI, remote work, workflows, client expectations, etc.] in the industry?" 

There is a massive demand of translation and localization in the current market. Many companies, including emerging start-ups, require localization work (texts, magazines, websites, apps, social medias, etc) for selling their services or products. How does the translation market has answered? Faced with this scenario, translation tools have significantly improved, but how future translators and localization professionals can adapt to those changes?  

The arrival of Artificial intelligence has represented a key to this adaptation. Machine translations are offering every time more accurate translation―it is incredible how DeepL has evolved. The big CAT tools as Trados Studios1 and memoQ2 have integrated AI in their software. In the same way, many tools are now powered by AI, enhancing precision and productivity.  

On one side, I am very aware many universities teach CAT tools—including mine—, but I also consider enhancing personal technical skills is key. I studied CAT tool in my second year of the degree, but even before I was “playing” with the free version of memoQ, watching tutorials, and learning by myself. When I started the CAT tools subjects, I already knew a lot. Then, I embarked the task to translate some texts that I like—articles, tourist browsers, short stories. Just for the sake of translation. Thankfully, universities can offer free license to students, and I have tried to get the most out of it. 

Suddenly, some translation assignments came. Here I realized one thing: Clients want their translation more tailored. We live in a very fragmented world into specific niches. Many business owners want their translation for their specific niche or target customers (sometimes specific cities)3 . Translators are the only qualified people to provide this tailored translation to them. 

My biggest translation assignment was a business book for an entrepreneur. He just wanted a quick work. His words were “just put everything on ChatGPT and correct some grammar.” The book was a masterpiece, so I could not accept those suggestions. However, I convinced him to get a better translation and assured him that I would use AI to translate faster.  

I applied all the approaches that I learned at university—Christiane Nord and Venuti theories and previous documentation. Then, I come up with the idea of asking ChatGPT to give me many options of translation: Literal, conversational, inspirational, and formal. My professors at university were unhappy for this, but the result was amazing. I got alternative translations, then I select, add, and correct the ones that I considered most accurate. I even understood more the role of the human oversight in localization.  

The more tools you know, the better your work is. For instance, I learned how to design layouts. The client did not ask me to translate the book cover, but I did it. He was surprised when he saw it translated into the target language and with the same font. I did the same with the graphs, images with texts, and tables of the book.  

I started to master more tools: specialized corpora texts, Sketch Engine and Antconc have helped me a lot with terminology, Multiterm with the creation of termbases. The most valuable lesson was the localization per se. That book was full of American cultural references (famous people, entrepreneurs, baseball and basketball allusions, places, expressions, slangs, etc). The most challenging part was indeed to adapt those specific cultural items into the specific socio-cultural reality of my client, by using various translation techniques.  

Personally speaking, I consider that we can offer more than what some companies expect. I visualize being able to translate in short time massive material into exclusive content for country and regions (with their specific-cultural items). 

In conclusion, preparation is key to thrive in this landscape, not only in terms of what is traditionally taught but also in learning continuously the emerging AI-powered tools. Always maintaining a balance with the human touch. Additionally, it would be interesting to improve the visualization of translation professionals on social medias or other channels. This way, clients do not despise it or even think that hiring a professional is pointless. On the contrary, translators and localization professionals are more relevant than ever. 

View past Rising Star contest entries and interviews with the winners.