Artificial intelligence in translation and interpreting
Where do we stand with AI-powered translation and interpreting?
Last year, a client I was meeting for the first time bluntly told me that I would soon be a thing of the past, replaced by artificial intelligence (AI), because Samsung had just released a smartphone with an interpreter and instant translation for 24 languages! (Needless to say, Samsung's demonstration videos are limited to very basic communication messages such as ‘How are you? How was your trip?’ and that my own experience of using Google Translate and Apple Translate to communicate with our Ukrainian refugees was often very silly).
If, after all the hype about AI and the wonders it can do, you share this view and think that soon – if not now – you will be able to organise your international meetings without hiring professional interpreters, some clarification is in order.
Admittedly, AI is developing at lightning speed and becoming increasingly humanoid. However, AI is neither infallible nor able to satisfy all needs.
Here are a few points where discernment is important:
- AI reliability (faithfulness to the message):
Whether translating (written) or interpreting (spoken) a message from one language to another, AI works from written content, which it collects, analyses and compares, and then reformulates in written form. To simulate oral interpretation, the message is first transcribed, then translated and finally read. For the user, the difference between the two is negligible, given the speed at which the message is processed. However, in the case of translation, proofreading and correction by a human translator is necessary because AI is not infallible and is not yet able to detect and correct its own errors. In the case of interpreting, the message has to be delivered in real time, so no post-editing is possible. And let's not forget that the more content we produce with AI, the more it will generate its results from sources that are no longer necessarily accurate and are already biased. What's more, if the initial message is unintelligible, the AI will not be able to produce an adequate translation, unlike a translator or interpreter who checks and adapts where necessary to deliver a correct message in line with the author's intentions.
- Confidentiality of the message :
Any decision to process content using AI must be considered in the light of the confidentiality of that content and the guarantee that the data to be processed will be protected. Providers of AI-assisted translation and interpretation services must have clear policies and robust and appropriate technologies (end-to-end encryption, data anonymisation, secure storage).
- Value for money:
As the various AI tools are often available in a free trial version and the advertising message emphasises the advantage of using a machine instead of a human being (labour costs savings), it is initially assumed that AI-assisted translation or interpreting will result in significant savings. However, AI-assisted translation and interpretion platforms require large R&D budgets. Their services are not free. It is therefore wise to make a factual and budgetary comparison before choosing between experimenting with AI and the services of professional translators and interpreters.
Rather than leaving everything to the machine, conference translators and interpreters have long trained themselves and adapted to technological advances. Just think of the transition from consecutive interpreting (speech translated by an interpreter with a notepad and pen) to simultaneous interpreting in a booth. We are now using more and more computer-assisted and AI-assisted translation and interpreting tools, and we are keeping a close eye on technological advances.
So don't hesitate to
Useful links:
Master the message not the code
Süddeutsche Zeitung - 20.01.2025 (in German)
A few basic reminders about communication:
- Communication is an essential element of social, cultural, personal and professional interaction.
- Human communication is based on the use of language, gestures and images.
- It is motivated by a specific intention.
- It is part of a dynamic process between a sender and a receiver.
- The ability to communicate is universal among humans, but communication codes, values and norms vary from culture to culture.
- Communication is contextual.
26 Jan 2025
Image generated with ChatGPT
