How to Prepare Myself Best for the Job (2/2):
Continuation from my last post: Let’s take a deeper dive into the question of whether AI truly makes interpreting preparation easier or faster.
My answer is both yes and no. AI undoubtedly saves time when gathering large amounts of information from multiple sources. For example, what do you do when a client sends you a long list of companies to visit at a trade fair just a few days before it opens? With well‑crafted prompts, AI can quickly generate vocabulary lists far more efficiently than conventional internet searching.
However, preparation for interpreting does not end there.
First, the accuracy of AI‑generated terminology must always be verified ✔️.
More importantly, I need to digest the information myself. This goes beyond simply memorizing keywords – it is about internalizing concepts and making them truly usable in context.
Paradoxically, the more efficient information extraction becomes, the more tedious the process of digestion can feel.
Imagine interpreting for a delegation of academic researchers studying European legal regulations and practices. Working through EU regulations, national implementing laws, and related guidelines is undeniably laborious. AI can help by identifying key terms and providing definitions.
Yet this shortcut can also deprive me of valuable clues to the legal concepts behind those terms.
For this reason, I sometimes choose the more time‑consuming path. Instead of relying entirely on AI, I return to the original legal texts, reading them, underlining key passages, and adding my own annotations. This deliberate effort provides context for retaining and retrieving terminology.
❗The same applies, in my view, to the use of AI in education. While efficient summarization is convenient, it can hinder the mental process of internalizing knowledge.
This is not to dismiss AI. On the contrary, it is a valuable tool for interpreters, especially when it comes to quickly extracting relevant information and compiling glossaries. Yet the core process of truly absorbing knowledge has not fundamentally changed.
