Ask ChatGPT – December 19, 2023

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 93:

What kind of translators benefit the most from machine translation?

Chat GPT’s Response:

Machine translation can be beneficial for various types of translators, but its impact may vary depending on the nature of the content and the specific needs of the translation project. Here are some scenarios where translators can benefit from machine translation:

1. Technical Translators: Translators working on technical documents, manuals, or specialized content with consistent terminology may find machine translation useful. MT can assist in quickly translating repetitive technical terms and maintaining consistency.
2. Post-Editing Specialists: Some translators specialize in post-editing machine-generated translations. They review and enhance the output of machine translation systems, ensuring accuracy, coherence, and natural language flow.
3. High-Volume Content: Translators dealing with a high volume of content, such as e-commerce product descriptions or user-generated content, can use machine translation as a starting point. This allows them to focus on refining the output and addressing context-specific nuances.
4. Drafting and Draft Review: Translators who use machine translation as a drafting tool can benefit from its speed and efficiency. They can quickly generate a draft and then refine it based on their linguistic expertise.
5. Collaborative Translation Teams: In scenarios where multiple translators are working on a project collaboratively, machine translation can facilitate initial translation, enabling translators to focus on reviewing and improving the output collectively.

It’s important to note that while machine translation can be a valuable tool, it may not be suitable for all types of content, especially those requiring a deep understanding of cultural nuances, creativity, or subjective interpretation. Additionally, sensitive or confidential content may not be suitable for machine translation due to privacy and security concerns. Translators often play a crucial role in ensuring the quality and accuracy of the final translated output.