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XFL, the language coin
Thread poster: Claudia Dornelles
Claudia Dornelles
Claudia Dornelles  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 12:05
Member (2020)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
May 17, 2021

Hi, everybody!

This is my first time in the forums, so forgive if I'm in the wrong place. A job has been posted seeking freelancers in several language pairs, and the application page on the company's website states: "Earn cryptocurrency: XFL (the Language Coin)". Has anyone ever heard of XFL or had a job offer that involved being paid in this crypto?


 
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Stepan Konev
Stepan Konev  Identity Verified
Russian Federation
Local time: 18:05
English to Russian
Nope May 17, 2021

And definitely will not ever accept such jobs until the time that I can buy bread for that currency.

Jorge Payan
Adieu
 
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Adieu
Adieu  Identity Verified
Ukrainian to English
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Most attempts to push unknown crypto are scams May 31, 2021

As are most attempts to push unknown payment services, paid platforms, etc.

If the place you first hear about something is also coincidentally the very place that wants to sell it to you (payment for services in an alternative form = selling you that something), that's usually a grift.

In the best-case scenario, their information is biased and will lead you to overestimate its value and utility. But chances are that it's just a full-on scam.

[Edited at 2021-05-31
... See more
As are most attempts to push unknown payment services, paid platforms, etc.

If the place you first hear about something is also coincidentally the very place that wants to sell it to you (payment for services in an alternative form = selling you that something), that's usually a grift.

In the best-case scenario, their information is biased and will lead you to overestimate its value and utility. But chances are that it's just a full-on scam.

[Edited at 2021-05-31 15:40 GMT]
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Mervyn Henderson (X)
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
 
Michele Esposito
Michele Esposito  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 17:05
Member (2003)
English to Italian
+ ...
Concerns about enhancing NMT engines Jun 1, 2021

Ethically, have you ever thought that by contributing to enhance Neural Machine Translation, you also contribute at the same time to automate the future ‘human activity of translation’ and reduce the circulating work volume available to translators?

I have always tried to stay away from improving NMT engines because they go against our profession, both on an ethical, business and human perspective. Don’t you think so?


[Modificato alle 2021-06-01 16:44 GMT]


Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL
 
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Claudia Dornelles
Claudia Dornelles  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 12:05
Member (2020)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Inevitable? Jun 1, 2021

Michele Esposito wrote:

Ethically, have you ever thought that by contributing to enhance Neural Machine Translation, you also contribute at the same time to automate the future ‘human activity of translation’ and reduce the circulating work volume available to translators?

I have always tried to stay away from improving NMT engines because they go against our profession, both on an ethical, business and human perspective. Don’t you think so?


[Modificato alle 2021-06-01 16:44 GMT]


I'm really torn on this one. I understand the argument against it in the long run, but at the same time I believe it's here to stay and it will increasingly be the translation method of choice for clients who are more concerned with accuracy than style. I hope I'm not being too naive, but I think there'll always be a demand for the type of quality only a human translator can provide.


Jorge Payan
 
Stepan Konev
Stepan Konev  Identity Verified
Russian Federation
Local time: 18:05
English to Russian
Concerns about enhancing NMT engines Jun 1, 2021

Michele Esposito wrote:
NMT engines go against our profession
The same is true for any other sphere of automation. Vending machines go against cashiers. Netfl... Internet goes against cinema and drama theaters. Email programs go against postmen. Marketplaces go against project managers. The list is endless... Sad but true.


Claudia Dornelles
Jorge Payan
Ekrem Dundar
 
Michele Esposito
Michele Esposito  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 17:05
Member (2003)
English to Italian
+ ...
Re: Concerns about enhancing NMT engines Jun 2, 2021

Your rationale is indeed right, but we cannot compare translation automation with selling and/or administering the workflow and processes of any other sort of goods and/or services since languages touches to our DNA (languages are actually coded in human DNA and they are strictly related to mankind imagination and simbolism too). This is why I strongly believe that by automating a highly subjective language activity like translation and above all by contributing to enhance software algoritms, in... See more
Your rationale is indeed right, but we cannot compare translation automation with selling and/or administering the workflow and processes of any other sort of goods and/or services since languages touches to our DNA (languages are actually coded in human DNA and they are strictly related to mankind imagination and simbolism too). This is why I strongly believe that by automating a highly subjective language activity like translation and above all by contributing to enhance software algoritms, in the long run our society will end up by turning languages and translation into a mere mechanical activity and even replace translators with machines (and this is very sad because it will be a defeat of men against machines....). Fortunately, there are still pockets of translation specializations, like creative and/or literature translators who will hardly be replaced by translation machines and/or translation AI since human thinking, ideas, imagination and sensitivity in this area will still play a prominent role against machines, which lack any human idea and imagery.

Stepan Konev wrote:

Michele Esposito wrote:
NMT engines go against our profession
The same is true for any other sphere of automation. Vending machines go against cashiers. Netfl... Internet goes against cinema and drama theaters. Email programs go against postmen. Marketplaces go against project managers. The list is endless... Sad but true.
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Marta Fonseca
Marta Fonseca
Portugal
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Progress is unavoidable Jun 2, 2021

Michele Esposito wrote:

Ethically, have you ever thought that by contributing to enhance Neural Machine Translation, you also contribute at the same time to automate the future ‘human activity of translation’ and reduce the circulating work volume available to translators?

I have always tried to stay away from improving NMT engines because they go against our profession, both on an ethical, business and human perspective. Don’t you think so?


[Modificato alle 2021-06-01 16:44 GMT]


I think we can't simply refuse to accept innovation and expect that our refusal makes it go away. Imagine physicists and mathematicians nowadays refusing to use (non-human) computers for their calculations, postmen fighting against instant messaging and e-mail, doctors refusing to use state of the art surgical techniques of diagnostics.

Our role as translators is to make communication easier and faster in an increasingly globalized world, which is not just a matter of convenience. Faster communication means faster science advancements, faster diplomacy, faster and easier relief provided, etc. Hindering this process on purpose to keep more "manual" work volume circulating, that seems unethical to me.

I do believe MT is here to make human translators' jobs easier and not take them away, and that we have a long way ahead of us before a machine can entirely replace humans in dealing with human language. We have to use this changes to show the true value of our work instead of promoting the idea that machines can do our jobs, because they can't.

Claudia Dornelles wrote:

I've done the interview and you're exactly right. You're free to set your own hourly rate in Euros, which you can convert into XFL if you prefer. There seems to be an additional payment in XFL as well, but I haven't really looked into it as I'm waiting for the results of their (very short) test. Under all the we-are-the-future-style jargon, it's a pretty straightforward MTPE job.


Thanks for the feedback!

[Editada em 2021-06-02 11:50 GMT]

[Editada em 2021-06-02 17:21 GMT]


Jorge Payan
Claudia Dornelles
 
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:05
Member (2004)
English to Italian
Totally agree... Jun 2, 2021

Michele Esposito wrote:

Ethically, have you ever thought that by contributing to enhance Neural Machine Translation, you also contribute at the same time to automate the future ‘human activity of translation’ and reduce the circulating work volume available to translators?

I have always tried to stay away from improving NMT engines because they go against our profession, both on an ethical, business and human perspective. Don’t you think so?


[Modificato alle 2021-06-01 16:44 GMT]


well said!


Michele Esposito
 
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XFL, the language coin







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