Virtual Training: Interpreting and Translating Emoji

On Wednesday, March 29th, 2023, at 4:00 p.m. EDT, join the International Institute of Buffalo’s Interpreting & Translation Department for a translation-focused training presented by Dr. Holly Silvestri. Interpreters are also welcome to attend since they could use the course information for sight translating.

Best Practices for Interpreting & Translating Emoji:

This course is language-neutral. Interpreters from any background or level of experience are welcome to join. As a translator, consider not only the kinds of documents you’ve worked on but also the associated environments and industries. 

In the last couple of decades, especially when translating documents for court, such as evidence or for law firms, or any conversation via written or text-based format, you’ve most likely encountered emojis, emoticons, or stickers. The occurrence has only increased in recent years.

Now consider, as an interpreter, when you may have had to sight translate something on the spot – a message someone wrote, evidence in court, a text conversation between two people – and the frequency has most likely only increased since!

What these symbols mean to everyone is not always obvious, especially when crossing cultural barriers. With billions of folks worldwide now using the internet, it’s estimated more than 90% use these symbols in their daily communications. So, what’s a linguist to do?

Join this training to learn more about the difficulty in translating or interpreting these symbols and how to implement some best practices when performing your work at home or in the field.

Learning objectives:

• Identify the factors that go into interpreting/translating emoji
• Understand the issues encountered while interpreting/translating emoji, both within and without a given cultural group
• Recognize the frequency of these images in various types of encounters
• Handle emoji when doing sight translations in legal or medical settings

To register, read additional course details, and learn more about host Dr. Holly Silvestri click here.