<p>Tom Alwood is an adjunct assistant professor at the Center for Publishing, Writing, and Media at NYU SPS. He has 25 years of experience working in multilingual communications, translation project management, operations, and technology management roles. His focus is on the interaction of technology with translators and project managers. He has served as the technology lead for the translation department at Bowne, RR Donnelley, and Merrill Communications, as well as multiple independent language service providers (LSPs). He consults with LSPs and organizations on both technology adoption and production automation.</p> <p>Alwood's areas of specialization include technology development, implementation, and integration for business management systems, workflow tools, CAT and machine translation tools, and interactive client solutions. In addition, Tom focuses on optimizing translation project management through the use of technology. Though translation is his passion now, he was working toward a PhD in Roman History when he was introduced to the field.</p>

<p>&quot;I responded to an ad from a start-up translation company looking for English language editors. I started getting involved in all areas of the business and found I really enjoyed project management,&quot; he recalled. &quot;That, and the worsening academic market in the early '90s, meant that I basically drifted into the translation field full time.&quot;</p> <p>When Alwood started in the field in the 1990s, there wasn't much translation technology yet. &quot;We tracked projects in Excel and all translations were done in Microsoft Word or WordPerfect,&quot; he remembered with a chuckle. &quot;But as the company I was with grew, so did the need for internal project tracking systems and translation memory tools started appearing.&quot;</p> <p>According to Alwood, he actually got into the technology of translation because no one else in the company was interested. &quot;Again, by happenstance, I found that I enjoyed working with developers and tools,&quot; he divulged. &quot;This led me to pursue a specialization in developing translation management systems, as well as implementing translation memory (and other CAT tools) into workflows.&quot;</p>

<p>Fast forward to today—Alwood has run with those skills. But his work is highly variable depending on the clients he is consulting for. &quot;For some, I help them develop their own internal technologies, which means working with developers and doing testing and debugging,&quot; he explained.</p>

<p>Alwood urges anyone who is interested in pursuing a similar career to become familiar with translation technologies as soon as possible—especially translation memory tools.&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;Clients will expect translators to know how to use these tools and translators need to know them to maximize their own earning potential,&quot; he asserted. &quot;It’s odd, but even though right now, translation services have never been more in demand, consumers are less willing to pay for it. So translators have to work more efficiently, using technology to counter this downward pressure on pricing.&quot;</p> <p>Another piece of advice from Alwood is to be aware of the range of jobs available in the translation industry. &quot;Some students are shocked to learn that most professional translators work freelance and very few have full-time staff positions,&quot; he cautioned. &quot;But there are full time jobs to be had in translation companies if you can broaden your skill sets to include project management, quality control, and, yes, technology.&quot;</p>

<p>At the end of the day, technology is hard to learn and sometimes the mindset of people attracted to translation is more artistic than technology-oriented. According to Alwood, this makes it especially hard for them to embrace. &quot;Just like learning a language, once you learn how to use a tool it makes learning additional tools that much easier,&quot; he concluded. &quot;Don't go in resenting technology; see it as a necessary professional [skillset].”</p> <p>An <a href="/content/sps-nyu/explore/degrees-and-programs/ms-in-translation.html" title="MS in Translation and Interpreting">MS in Translation and Interpreting</a> can open doors that you may have never imagined were possible. See where you can start the next chapter of your career with a degree from the Center for Publishing, Writing, and Media.</p>