The Italian Association of Translators and Interpreters (AITI) was founded in Italy on 31 December 1950. In the nearly 75 years since, the world has changed a great deal, and so have the professions of interpreter and translator.
In a landscape now dominated by artificial intelligence and virtual meetings, AITI chose to kick off the celebrations with a large, in-person event hosted by the University of Turin. On 11 April, a Translating Europe Workshop (TEW) event was held in collaboration with the Directorate-General for Translation (DGT) of the European Commission and the University of Turin’s Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures and Modern Cultures. Titled ‘AI and translation: a profession at the crossroads’, the TEW was an insightful afternoon of discussion, with a lineup of distinguished panelists addressing the impact of AI on translation from multiple perspectives.
The main takeaway of the final roundtable was that AI is here, present, and undeniably playing a role in shaping the future of our profession. At the same time, it is more crucial than ever to be part of a network of interpreters and translators to be able to tackle the challenges that lie ahead.
In the same vitally important vein of bringing people together and sharing expertise, the day after the workshop, we held our annual general meeting. Members from all over Italy met to hear the chair’s report on the previous year’s activities, elect the new board for the next four years, and discuss ways to stay at the forefront of innovation in our professions.
Now we are looking forward to the next milestone, our 80th anniversary, with renewed enthusiasm, motivation, and the shade of the FIT umbrella, because strength lies in unity!
Clelia Morigi, AITI