AC Stepan WordWorks

What Happens When You Point AI at a Dying Dialect?

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 10:43:00 -0400

A sneak peek at what we’re learning — and an invitation to hear the full story

Picture an elderly man in central Texas, sitting at his kitchen table, talking about his childhood. He’s describing something ordinary — a neighbor, a memory, a piece of farm equipment — but the language coming out of his mouth is absolutely extraordinary.

He’s speaking Texas Czech.

It’s a dialect that developed in near-total isolation: 19th-century Moravian Czech, preserved in farming communities across central Texas for over a hundred years, absorbing English along the way in ways that linguists describe as unique and irreplaceable. And he, like most of the people who speak it fluently, is in his 80s or 90s.

About

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:23:54 -0400

Anne Stepan · Principal Consultant

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The Linguist

A PhD is a lot of things. It’s a lot of work. It’s a lot of “why am I doing this again?” And it isn’t just a credential — it’s a way of seeing. Mine trained me to find patterns in language at the level of cognition: how speakers make choices, what those choices reveal, and what gets lost when the analysis is wrong.

Contact

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:23:54 -0400

Let’s Talk

Every engagement starts with a conversation. If you’re navigating a language governance challenge, deploying AI in a regulated or multilingual environment, or simply not sure whether you have a problem worth solving — that conversation is a good place to start.

Email: acstepanwordworks@gmail.com

LinkedIn: AC Stepan WordWorks

Anne Stepan is the Principal Consultant.

Resources

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:23:54 -0400

Academic Work

My PhD dissertation in Slavic linguistics is available here for download. (Coming soon)

Writing

Essays and blog posts on language, AI governance, Czech heritage, and the places they intersect. (Coming soon)

Language Learning Resources

Curated resources for Czech and other Slavic languages — with notes on what actually works. (Coming soon)

AI & Language Tools

An annotated list of tools worth knowing, and their limitations. (Coming soon)

Texas Czech Legacy Project

I volunteer with the Texas Czech Legacy Project at UT Austin, which uses AI-assisted transcription to preserve recordings of a dying Czech dialect spoken by immigrant communities in rural Texas — continuing a family legacy of language preservation that traces back to my great-grandfather Jan Štěpán, who emigrated from Bohemia in 1889.

Services

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:23:54 -0400

Language & AI Risk Assessment

A time-bound diagnostic that surfaces where language workflows, AI usage, and governance structures create risk — before that risk reaches the field or public domain. Delivers an executive-ready risk map with prioritized recommendations.

Engagement: 2–4 weeks · Fixed scope

Senior Language Advisory & AI

An ongoing advisory relationship providing expert judgment on high-stakes language decisions, AI usage boundaries, and regulatory alignment — without owning execution.

The Women Behind Texas Czech Preservation: Dr. Svatava Pírková Jakobson and Dr. Lida Cope

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 14:52:00 -0400

The Women Behind Texas Czech Preservation: Dr. Svatava Pírková Jakobson and Dr. Lida Cope When people ask about my work applying AI to Texas Czech preservation, they often want to know about the technology. But understanding the AI requires understanding the foundation: decades of meticulous archival work by two scholars, women, who recognized the value of a disappearing dialect.

March is Women’s History Month, and here is a bit about each of them.

From Professional Linguist and Senior Executive to Texas Czech Preservationist: Continuing my Great-Grandfather's 140-Year Mission

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0500

This is the first in a series of posts I’ll be writing on the Texas Czech Legacy Project

Introduction: The Unexpected Journey

If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d be spending my time listening to transcripts of interviews with elderly Texas Czechs, I probably would have laughed and said, “Yeah I WISH.” After more than two decades as a professional linguist and technical expert, my language career has been defined by academic experience, government service, and the latest advances in all types of language tools. Yet here I am, volunteering my time to help preserve a unique Czech dialect in Texas—and I can honestly say it’s the most meaningful and fun work I’ve ever done.

What Translation Actually Is (And Why It Still Requires Human Expertise)

Wed, 29 Oct 2025 16:14:00 -0400

What Translation Actually Is (And Why It Still Requires Human Expertise) What is translation, really? And why does it still require human expertise in the age of AI?

The short answer: Translation is the professional practice of preserving meaning, intent, and cultural context across languages. It requires linguistic ability, cultural fluency, and strategic judgment about what matters in a given context.

The longer answer - and the one that explains why I am so excited to continue my “word work” after two decades in the Intelligence Community- is more interesting.

Why I Volunteer with Translators without Borders (And Why You Should Too!)

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 11:17:00 -0400

Why I Volunteer with Translators without Borders (And Why You Should Too!) So there I was, doing my own thing browsing around the internet, when BOOM 💥 — an email lands in my inbox: “Ready to Make a Difference? Czech translators needed for WHO project.”

Wait, what? I had completely forgotten I’d signed up to volunteer with Translators without Borders a couple months earlier. And now the World Health Organization (WHO) needed me?

From Government to Language Consulting: A New Chapter

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 10:40:00 -0400

Yes. Hello.

I retired from the US Government after 21 years of service yesterday. The emotions! Joy, grief, excitement. Little bit of fear. But mostly gratitude. For a career with people and experiences that pushed me waaaay beyond what I ever thought I could do or become. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, NSA.

And now it’s about what’s next.

Earlier this summer I set up my sole-proprietorship Language Consulting firm – AC Stepan WordWorks, the focus of which is frankly still evolving. At first I wanted to do ALL THE WORD THINGS: Editing! Translation! Teaching! English! Slavic! ALL THE WORDS!