Interpreting and AI CPD Course

Cut through the hype and navigate the risks. Explore the evolving role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in interpreting workflows and develop strategies to manage its impact on your profession and business.

An eight-week course presented by the Centre for Translation Studies at the University of Surrey.

To complement its master’s programmes in translation and interpreting, and building on its open webinars and online lectures, the Centre for Translation Studies is now offering this in-depth course for the interpreters’ community, addressing the increasing presence of AI in their work.

The course examines how interpreters can benefit from AI across all stages of the workflow — from preparation to real-time support. Participants will gain a clear understanding of key AI concepts relevant to interpreting, including Large Language Models (LLMs), Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), and Computer-Assisted Interpreting (CAI) tools.

Drawing on current research, the course highlights where AI offers real opportunities and where caution is required. It supports interpreters in developing informed, independent strategies for engaging with AI effectively in their practice.

The academic experience of the instructors guarantees an independent, non-commercial perspective on all matters related to AI. Rather than promoting specific platforms, the course fosters critical thinking, professional reflection, and hands-on experimentation with AI in the context of interpreting.

The course will start on Thursday 5th June and take place each Thursday 17:00-18:30, the final session will be held on 24th July.

The course has five modules, each comprising of either one to two 90-minute sessions. Each session will be followed by an optional 30-minute Q&A.

Course Modules

Module 1: Introduction to AI and how interpreters can benefit from it

Introduction to the main concepts in AI: GenAI, LLMs, NLP, ASR
Explanation of what LLMs are and how they work
Discussion on how LLMs may assist interpreters with reference information and language support
What ASR is and how it works
Demonstration and homework on how to customise an ASR engine to improve its accuracy.

Module 2: AI-assisted interpreting

AI support for interpreters during an interpreting assignment
Computer-Assisted Interpreting (CAI) tools: overview of available options, functions and real-world applications
What is needed to use these tools effectively
Research insights: key findings from CAI research relating to interpreting quality, cognitive load and user experience.

Module 3: Preparing interpreting assignments with AI

Introduction to prompt engineering and different types of prompts
Discussion of how prompting can be used by interpreters for assignment preparation
Demonstration of using LLMs for extracting terms and building bilingual glossaries
Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)
Test of how NotebookLM can be used to help with assignment preparation.

Module 4: AI-enabled real-time multilingual workflows

Discussion of the homework given in the previous week
Introduction to various AI-based workflows: speech to text/speech to speech
What interpreters should know about ‘machine interpreting’.

Module 5: Risks associated with the use of AI in interpreting

Professional risks of AI use in the context of interpreting
Beyond liability: ethical and legal considerations, including maintaining privacy and confidentiality
Data privacy, bias, quality assurance, and the impact of AI on professional roles and standards.

Learning Outcomes

Understand key concepts in language AI and how they apply to interpreting
Recognise different applications and uses of AI tools in interpreting
Evaluate the functions, potential and limitations of different AI tools in interpreter preparation and real-time use during interpreting assignments
Understand the impact of AI on interpreting and related real-time multilingual communication workflows
Assess the risks and ethical implications of using AI tools in interpreting, and identify processes that reduce the risk of using language AI
Confidently discuss the role of AI in interpreting with clients and stakeholders, reducing risk and promoting value for clients, and preserving professional standards in interpreting
Develop a fresh perspective on the use of AI in interpreting contexts, enabling you to adapt to future developments with insight and autonomy.

At the end of each session there will be a short quiz to help you assess your understanding, plus suggested reading materials, to complement the session and deepen your knowledge.

There will also be a post-course assignment based on an interpreting-related task involving AI tools. This is designed to help you analyse the usefulness of AI tools in interpreting contexts and to reflect on how your view of using AI in interpreting has altered over the duration of the course. The assignment will be marked by the tutors and individual feedback will be provided