AI can produce a translation in seconds. What happens between that first draft and a translation ready for delivery is where the real work—and the real skill—now lies. This workshop puts into practice the shift from producing to directing, building on ideas introduced in the companion presentation If AI Can Translate, What Do Linguists Do?.
The session opens with a brief look at how the translator's role is evolving into that of post-editor and AI director, and the skills this shift now rewards. Participants then get practical examples from three core skill areas: using AI for terminology-related tasks, such as research, extraction, and the selection between alternative renderings; crafting prompts that shape tone, register, and style rather than accepting the first output; and calibrating how much intervention a text actually needs based on its purpose, audience, and domain.
The final part of the workshop examines the shift in mindset that the role itself demands. Most linguists today are not handed a rough machine-generated draft, but a fluent, ready-made AI translation. For them, the shift is not necessarily about steering how the translation is produced; it is about deciding how to work with it afterwards: using AI to research, compare options and fix only what's needed, then feeding that back so mistakes aren't repeated. Other times, there's no draft waiting at all, and the same expertise turns into choosing the terminology and prompts that shape a translation from the very first word.
Either way, participants leave with a clearer understanding of where their linguistic judgement matters most, as well as with practical strategies for working faster and more effectively with the AI tools available today.
Beti Marina Pagourdaki is a Localization Project Manager and Language Lead in the Localization Department at ORCO S.A., where she brings together linguistic expertise, project coordination, client communication, and quality assurance. With eight years of experience across different roles in the language services field, she has worked extensively with legal, marketing, and web consumer-facing content—domains where “good enough” is rarely good enough, and where context, audience, and purpose make all the difference.
She holds a Degree in Law from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and has completed additional professional translation trainings. Her background gives her a particularly sharp eye for the practical decisions behind translation quality: terminology, tone, risk, workflow, and final validation. In the context of AI-assisted translation, Beti’s work reflects the modern translation industry’s central question: if AI can produce a draft, what does human expertise still contribute? Her experience positions her at the intersection of project strategy, linguistic judgement, and reliable delivery in a rapidly changing localization landscape.
Ioanna Chatzintavidou is a Linguist and Junior Localization Project Manager at ORCO S.A., with hands-on experience as a localization specialist, translator, reviewer, and copywriter. She has worked across a range of language and content environments, including marketing, gaming, websites, and digital content, as well as literary and audiovisual translation.
She holds an MA in Science of Translation from the Ionian University and a BA in Russian Philology and Slavic Studies from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Her professional background has given her insight into different stages of the translation workflow, from terminology research and post-editing to proofreading, quality assurance, and project coordination. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in translation workflows, her focus is on the skills that allow linguists to work with these tools critically and effectively: researching and evaluating terminology, shaping tone and register, assessing the level of intervention a text actually requires, and using AI to support rather than replace linguistic judgement.
