New Technology for Professional Communication

Recently, I had the opportunity to join a webinar on the topic of Microsoft’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) machine translation. Machine translation is the use of programing and machine to electronically translate language. Generally, this translation is from one language into another. Until the advent of AI, translations were slow and often mistranslated, lacking proper grammar and/or spelling. The biggest advantage of using this technology is the precision of the translation.

According to Microsoft’s own page on the topic, “new NMT [neural machine translation] packs produce higher quality translations, which are up to 23 percent better, and about 50 percent smaller than the previous non-neural offline language packs”. This is a quote referring to the use of offline apps available for mobile OS, such as Android and Apple iOS.

During the webinar, a product was shown that was a standalone translator, physically smaller than a mobile phone. The ability to instantly, and precisely, translate language will bring unprecedented accessibility across the globe. Looking specifically at professional communication, this means far less language-barriers to overcome when discussing business matters or any other type of professional communication. Tasks such as subtitle localization and instructional/informational documents will be completed like never before.

Another exciting avenue of this technology is through the use of speech-recognition. From the webinar, cellular switchboard word-error rate from 2009 was approximately 40%. Microsoft’s switchboard word-error rate in 2017 (using NMT technology) was 5.1%. This also leads to a vastly improved Text-to-Speech system, allowing for greater accessibility.

The current process of localization requires the text to be auto-translated (usually a direct translation, lacking any proper grammar), then having a person or team look over the text to ensure quality control. With new NMT technology, the process can be instant and include grammar translation. Below is a graphic from Microsoft’s informational page:

Image source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/translator/business/machine-translation/

Here we can see the process in the most basic outline. The cloud represents the electronic “cloud” of data hosted on servers, which passes the text to the Web API (application program interface), then back through the system with the translated text. The web API is referring to a system like Microsoft’s own Azure web API.

The webinar also discussed the formation of the technology and the challenges the team had to overcome. As with any neural-network framework, the NMT took hundreds of thousands of words, phrases, and sentences and “learned”. This learning occurs through a process as described by the picture below.  

Image source: https://towardsdatascience.com/how-to-build-your-own-neural-network-from-scratch-in-python-68998a08e4f6

 This image details the process of a neural network. It begins with an expected result (dog) and multiple inputs. The framework then works through repeated tests (the “hidden” column) until the outputs are narrowed, and the correct result is obtained.

Here is a more specific NMT illustration:

Image source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/translator/business/machine-translation/

The uses of similar AI technology are limitless for professional communication. For instance, adapting this technology to correct grammar and punctuation for documents would not be far off. Many text programs already have basic auto-correct and word choice. Using neural networks would advance this to enable a standalone proof editing.

Granted, while this all an exciting new horizon, this is yet another step in automation that will doubtless put many people out of current jobs. At least, that is the worry of many that tend to overlook the factor of an industry paradigm shift.

This paradigm shift is the progression to fewer formal positions, such as text localization or proof editor, and more machine programmers. We’ve already seen this in other career fields, such as accounting, why not in professional communication?

For more information regarding Microsoft’s AI NMT technology, visit the links here:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/translator/business/machine-translation/

https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/translation/2018/04/18/microsoft-brings-ai-powered-translation-to-end-users-and-developers-whether-youre-online-or-offline/

If you’re interested in building a neural network from scratch, check out this tutorial:

https://towardsdatascience.com/how-to-build-your-own-neural-network-from-scratch-in-python-68998a08e4f6

Social Media Case

One thing is for sure: the way President Donald Trump uses social media will go down in history. In general, the likeness of Trump’s tweets is that of a young adult. Informal, unapologetic, and seemingly uneducated. Narrowing the view to two Twitter posts, both regarding kneeling during the National Anthem at a sports event, the evidence is quite clear.

In Trump’s tweet on 23 Sep 2017, he wrote, “Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team.Stephen Curry is hesitating,therefore invitation is withdrawn!” You get the sense that Trump is enjoying teasing and flaunting his position as President. Not to mention the lack of correct punctuation, which would be fine if it wasn’t coming from the President of the United States of America. This only adds to the opinion that Trump should not be POTUS.

While this first tweet was brash enough, his later posts are far more controversial. Not three hours after that first tweet, Trump decided to reinstate his position on the issue of kneeling between two tweets:

“If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL,or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect....” and “...our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem. If not, YOU'RE FIRED. Find something else to do!”

Again with the improper punctuation. What really bothered me here was the use of his old phrase, “You’re fired!” Evidently Trump hasn’t left behind his life as a television star. The comments on this post were quite interesting to read. The top comment provided federal law stating “Per 18 US Code Section 227, it is ILLEGAL for the President of the USA to urge companies to fire private citizens”. The follow-up to this comment provided the penalties that may be imposed. And yet, even though the POTUS is breaking a law regarding freedom of speech, he remains free to continue his character.

            According to a post from The Guardian, Trump held a speech and publicly said “…Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!”

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/sep/22/donald-trump-nfl-national-anthem-protests

Oh dear, here we are again with the reluctance to drop his character as a television star. He really loves hearing those words.

            I understand the point he is trying to make, that people in a position of celebrity and athleticism should be knowledgeable of how their actions speak to the public and reflect on the nation. I do not, however, accept Trump’s refusal to see his own hypocritical stance on the issue. It seems he is blatantly ignorant of how his tweets and actions are in a similar light of unprofessionalism.

            Fast forward to current day, a year after the previous tweets, and the nation has yet to make any headway on the issue. A number of NFL players tweeted the reasoning behind kneeling, and how it has nothing to do with going against the anthem or the military. Rather, it is a move to raise awareness to black oppression in America.

https://www.newsweek.com/nfl-players-know-why-theyre-kneeling-despite-trump-tweets-1068104

This is quite reasonable, and the goal behind the protest is important. But the POTUS remains to put on the blinders and continue spouting out his uneducated opinions.

In terms of professional and technical communication, President Trump has a long way to go. Many professional social media accounts are either run by small team or have some sort of editorial process. It seems quite evident that Trump does not have any such method to regulate his social media presence. Take a look at Elon Musk and his tweets. While Musk approaches social media in a similar informal manner, he still manages to remain professional (until more recently regarding the $420 issue). Here we have a case of a person at a critical seat of power of a company, Tesla Motors, who sent out a tweet joking about his company going private. If this was Trump’s tweet, no one would bat an eye.

            And this is where it gets confusing. Why is the President not held to the same standards? The POTUS has been observed slinging verbal abuse, sexist comments (even before and during the race for presidency), mocking a mentally challenged reporter, among many other cases. But still, with his pervasive unprofessional behavior in communication, there have only been murmurs of impeachment. As far as the public can see, there have yet to be any ramifications to the behavior of the POTUS. But if Musk sends a joke tweet, he is slammed with a court case in less than a week.

Letter to Cousin

Dear Ryan,

           

            You were asking about the major I am graduating in, and I hope to share with you some interesting information. Sure, the degree might be tied to English, however, the field of Technical and Professional Communication (Tech Comm) is quite vast. I used to be under the believe that Tech Comm was just memos and informational documents. I have since learned there is much more depth to the field.

            Knowledge of document design, coding languages (such as HTML, Java), and video/photo editing software are just a few areas that will be used for clients. Speaking of, the ability to understand the needs of the clients and their intended audience is crucial. To do this, there will need to be research in to the backgrounds of both, to deliver successful projects.

            An example of a project for a Tech Comm position may be as follows: You are hired to design and print a brochure of the clients’ products. After obtaining the vital background information (what the product is, who the product is for, deadlines etc.), the document will need to be drafted in a program such as Adobe InDesign. Using InDesign will usually require the use of photo-editing software like Adobe Photoshop, to provide proper images for the document.

            An interesting topic of discussion surrounding Tech Comm is the paradigm shift in the role and tasks of someone like myself in the field. As our society becomes further embedded with technology, many fields of study are requiring knowledge of coding languages, or more advanced computer software in the least. For Tech Comm, along with the example of the brochure, a client may need a website published that is simple enough not to require a standalone team of coders, but effective to capture and retain customers -whether that is for products or information. There is also the scenario where a technical document, such as an instruction manual or other reference material, is needed. Here, the knowledge and understanding of what the product is and how the audience will use it is another key to being a successful Tech Comm worker.  

            All in all, I myself was surprised by the degree of technical knowledge needed for someone in the Tech Comm field. No longer am I dreading graduating with an English degree (for a variety of reasons), rather, I am excited for the possibilities that are open to me and anyone else looking in the same direction. One of those possibilities is a technical writer for companies such as Microsoft, which are hiring technical writers for artificial intelligence!

P.S. 
Here are some websites for more info: 
https://www.stc.org/about-stc/defining-technical-communication/
https://hrdevelopmentinfo.com/top-professional-communication/

Best Regards,

Cory