The speaker of the programme is Dr Andy Khôi – Co-founder and Head of Interpreting of MMS Vietnam. He has 43 years of hands-on experience in the field of legal, diplomatic and training interpreting in the United States, Europe and Vietnam.

The skills that help translation – interpreting students adapt to the AI era

With his wealth of experience working with government agencies and large technology corporations, Dr Andy Khôi brought a practical perspective on the impact of AI on the language field.

Andy Khôi helped students ‘redefine’ the nature of the profession. In his view, interpreting is not simply converting each word but the process of conveying the “concept”, emotion and spirit of the content between different languages. Through many real examples, students had the chance to see more clearly the difference between translating language and conveying cultural meaning in international communication, thereby understanding the role of thinking and professional skills in their future career.

The power of technology cannot be denied. Current AI tools can support effectively through features such as speech-to-text, transcribe or content synthesis. However, deeper factors such as emotion, cultural nuance, intonation and communication context still require the role of humans to convey accurately and naturally

Andy Khôi emphasised that students cannot stop at just being good at foreign languages. They need to proactively equip a diverse set of soft and hard skills such as: language thinking, communication reflexes, note-taking, sight translation, and public speaking. In particular, the capacity to understand culture and the ability to use AI as a capable “assistant” are the key to creating the unique value of a global interpreter.

The career-development roadmap in the translation – interpreting field in the digital age

Not stopping at equipping skills, the programme also mapped out the full picture of the promotion roadmap in the translation – interpreting field for students. Through real stories in the profession, Dr Andy Khôi helped students better visualise the career directions, from general translation and specialised translation to corporate, legal or international-conference interpreting. Each field requires specific professional competencies and skills, especially language reflexes, fast information processing and accurate content delivery in a high-pressure environment.

Alongside professional skills, professional ethics was also content that Dr Andy Khôi especially emphasised in the seminar. “Expertise can help a learner enter the profession, but reputation, sense of responsibility and honesty are the factors that determine the ability of a translator – interpreter to develop sustainably in an international professional environment,” he emphasised.

The heat of the seminar was pushed higher at the end of the programme, when the HUFLITers continuously asked the speaker questions about how to build a portfolio / CV, orient specialisation, use AI effectively as well as real career opportunities.

The practical sharing from Dr Andy Khôi together with the training perspective from Dr Nguyễn Đức Châu helped students gain a clearer orientation about the career-development roadmap, while also understanding the skills needed to adapt and create an advantage in the digital age.

Dr Andy Khôi is a member of many international professional associations in the field of interpreting and law. Alongside his in-depth interpreting work, he has also been a lecturer training court interpreters since 2009 and is recognised as an expert in interpreting methodology at United States courts.

Throughout his professional career, he has participated in thousands of court hearings, high-level conferences and international bilateral negotiations. He has taken on the role of interpreter for many high-ranking officials in working sessions between the United States and Vietnam, while also collaborating with government agencies, international organisations, technology corporations and leading law firms.