My Conversations with ChatGPT
Machine Translation (MT) and translations generated by AI have brought about a paradigm shift in the translation industry. The output of MT will continue to improve, especially when associated with clients’ translation memories and human editing. Language Service Providers are adapting and are including MT in their processes, when MT is applicable. While linguists will continue to be essential in the process, their role will shift from that of translators to validators of content generated by MT. At Excel Translations, we wanted to know what AI thinks about all of this and decided to have an open conversation on the matter with ChatGPT. I will regularly publish a question and ChatGPT’s response, uncensored.
QUESTION 23:
Can translation of Material Safety Data Sheets benefit from machine translation?
Chat GPT’s Response:
Yes, machine translation can be beneficial for the translation of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). MSDS contain important safety information about hazardous substances, and accurate translation is crucial to ensure that the information is properly understood by users who speak different languages.
Here are some ways in which machine translation can be beneficial for translating MSDS:
- Efficiency: Machine translation can significantly speed up the translation process, especially when dealing with large volumes of MSDS. It can provide a quick initial translation that can be further reviewed and edited by human translators, reducing the overall turnaround time.
- Consistency: Machine translation can help maintain consistency in terminology across different MSDS translations. Consistent terminology is important for clarity and understanding of safety information. Machine translation systems can be trained with glossaries and specific terminology to ensure consistent translation of technical terms.
- Cost-effectiveness: Machine translation can reduce translation costs, particularly for translating MSDS into multiple languages. The initial machine translation can serve as a starting point for human translators, who can focus on editing and fine-tuning the translation rather than starting from scratch.
- Availability: Machine translation can be accessed at any time, making it convenient for translating MSDS that require urgent or immediate attention. Human translators may not always be available on short notice, while machine translation can be readily deployed.
However, it’s important to note that while machine translation can be a useful tool, it should not replace human translators entirely. MSDS contain critical safety information, and accuracy is paramount. Machine translation can have limitations, especially when it comes to technical and domain-specific terminology. Human translators with expertise in the subject matter should review and refine the machine-translated content to ensure accuracy and proper conveyance of safety information.
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