CATO survey

Here are my result of my competence self-assessment over time!

As of April 2026

I can…

understand the linguistic and cultural meaning of source texts
→ Definitely more than before studying in an English-speaking country! Though I do not have thorough knowledge of all cultural elements of the source language a native speaker my age would have, I now have contacts who can help me in understanding those.
analyze source texts to spot translation challenges
→ I generally read texts with a “translator mindset”. I can spot issues on first read fairly easily.
find, evaluate, and use reliable information sources to master specialized domains and relevant terminology
→ I have developed a coherent strategy for finding information about the topic I am translating, on top of having taken extra classes on topics such as science, which makes it easier to understand terminology in that field and find specialist resources
revise translations for accuracy, fluency, and conformity with user needs
→ Yes, I can usually write in a way that is clear from the point of view of a typical user.
produce a ‘fit for purpose’ translation applying relevant standards, norms and guidelines
→ Yes, I have experience working with guidelines and briefs from my volunteer work at Translators Without Borders, my academic translations, and STB projects.

I can…

understand the basics of CAT tools, MT and AI systems and tools.
→ I can use CAT tools for translation proficiently, and basic MT tools to speed-up my translation. I still have have not delved much into “AI systems”, as I find most of them unethical in many aspects, and the various times I tried using them, I did not find their result satisfactory. I find using programming languages such as Python better and more reliable to accomplish the tasks most people would do using AI.
use CAT tools, machine translation or AI appropriately and adjust them to my own needs
→ I do not have much experience in that regard, though am delving into more and more in the technical aspects of CAT tools and file formats such as XLIFF, which will help me design solutions for more advanced problems.
use workflow management tools for translation projects.
→ I have never used specialised tools for translation, but am proficient with a variety of tools which accomplish the same goals: I use spreadsheets and Emacs for tracking project progress, Merkuro Calendar (an app which I help develop!) to keep track of tasks and events, and have set up multiple mailboxes to sort emails.
decide when machine translation, AI or any other tool is useful, and argue their relevance
→ I feel like I have a rough idea of when to use those, but would like to get more experience with those tools to make sure I make the right decision.

I can…

plan and organize work effectively and comply with deadlines
→ Definitely! I have been doing so for a long time in my studies.
manage workload, stress, and critical professional situations
→ While I do not have much experience with critical professional situations, I believe I can generally manage the rest well.
work in virtual, multilingual and multicultural teams
→ I have not yet worked in multilingual teams, but have no issue collaborating in multicultural and virtual teams!

I can…

communicate with the client to define their needs and provide tailored translation services, negotiating contracts, pricing, and deadlines,
→ While negotiation is not my forte, I helped in communications relating to translation services during the STB, and did not have any issue there.
organise, budget and manage translation projects involving single or multiple translators and/or other service providers
→ I was the main person handling project management for the STB I took part in, and did not face any difficulties with those tasks.
understand and critically review language services and policies and suggest improvements where necessary. → This is not a task I have had to do yet, but will very soon as part of an EMT localisation project!
adhere to ethical guidelines, including confidentiality and impartiality, as outlined in codes of ethics and guides of good practice. → I have been following the ethics guidelines I have evaluated in my page on Service Provision, and have not ran into significant issues regarding those. I believe all of my translations are up to those ethical standards
network with other translators and language service providers, including through professional associations, events and social media
→ I have not had the opportunity to do this yet, but plan to as part of the 2026 EMT meeting in Cork, where I will be presenting a poster.

I can…

understand the linguistic and cultural meaning of source texts
→ Most of the time. I may lack some of the cultural knowledge in some cases, but I rarely encounter linguistic issues with texts.
analyze source texts to spot translation challenges
→ I tend to have a surface-level idea of the translation challenges a text can pose.
find, evaluate, and use reliable information sources to master specialized domains and relevant terminology
→ Yes, though more in the sense that I have general research skills than in my ability to use specific terminology research tools.
revise translations for accuracy, fluency, and conformity with user needs
→ Yes, I can usually write in a way that is clear from the point of view of a typical user.
produce a ‘fit for purpose’ translation applying relevant standards, norms and guidelines
→ Yes, I have experience working with guidelines and briefs from my volunteer work at Translators Without Borders.

I can…

understand the basics of CAT tools, MT and AI systems and tools.
→ I can use CAT tools for translation, and basic MT tools to speed-up my translation, though have not delved much into “AI systems”, as I find most of them unethical in many aspects.
use CAT tools, machine translation or AI appropriately and adjust them to my own needs
→ I do not have much experience in that regard.
use workflow management tools for translation projects.
→ I have never used such tools, as I have not managed translations projects yet, but hope to as part of my Masters programme’s STB.
decide when machine translation, AI or any other tool is useful, and argue their relevance
→ I feel like I have a rough idea of when to use those, but would like to get more experience with those tools to make sure I make the right decision.

I can…

plan and organize work effectively and comply with deadlines
→ Definitely! I have been doing so for a long time in my studies.
manage workload, stress, and critical professional situations
→ I believe I would, though have not had much professional experience yet.
work in virtual, multilingual and multicultural teams
→ This is also not something I have experience with, but I do not forsee having any issues with it.

I can…

communicate with the client to define their needs and provide tailored translation services, negotiating contracts, pricing, and deadlines,
organise, budget and manage translation projects involving single or multiple translators and/or other service providers
understand and critically review language services and policies and suggest improvements where necessary.
adhere to ethical guidelines, including confidentiality and impartiality, as outlined in codes of ethics and guides of good practice.
network with other translators and language service providers, including through professional associations, events and social media

→ I don’t have experience with the items in this section, and will re-evaluate this once I have proper experience.