From the unique viewpoint of the Government of Canada’s Translation Bureau as a cost-recovery organization with a public service mission, CEO Lucie Séguin surveys the lay of the land and explores the tiny tweaks and major changes that could help optimize workflows, toolkits, and human resources while guaranteeing customer satisfaction. Seeking a clear roadmap for the translation services of the future, the Translation Bureau has spent the last few years modernizing its technology infrastructure and drawing up a strategy that would let it make the best of the opportunities opened up by AI and CAT tools. As the Translation Bureau of Canada goes back to business, it has a unique opportunity to look at how technology is transforming our ways of work and what is keeping it from being truly efficient, while looking at the world that awaits us post-pandemic: wellness-first workplaces, digitally-enabled productivity gains, data-driven language businesses, resilience-focused growth strategies, and a supply chain that is as complex as ever. The Translation Bureau has consulted with industry leaders on the topic of language quality and is suggesting a new way of using technology that optimizes data management and makes the most of the skills languages professionals bring into the picture, for a quality-assured output that will feed quality back into the continuum.

The way we work as Government of Canada public servants has undergone many changes since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Although we have demonstrated that we can perform our duties without being physically together, it is important to note that in-person work provides many intangible benefits, such as developing sound and healthy relationships, strengthening team cohesion, and onboarding new employees more effectively. It is for this reason that the Translation Bureau of Public Services and Procurement Canada has opted for a hybrid work model that will strike the right balance between telework and relevant office presence. This balance is likely to alter over time and vary from group to group. A commitment to excellence will guide all decision making. There will no doubt be a lot of learning by doing, and possibly even a little experimentation. I acknowledge that I do not have a clear idea of what the final result of this initiative will look like, but I look forward to what awaits us. We expect to learn through the process and build on the progress made.