Ask ChatGPT – June 6, 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 1:

Does a human need to review a translation generated by AI or MT?

ChatGPT’s response:

“Yes, it is recommended to have a human review a translation generated by AI or machine translation (MT) systems. While AI and MT have made significant advancements in recent years, they still have limitations and can produce translations that may contain errors, inaccuracies, or lack proper context or fluency.

Here are some reasons why human review is important:

1. Quality Assurance: Human review helps ensure the accuracy, clarity, and overall quality of the translation. Professional human translators possess linguistic expertise, cultural knowledge, and contextual understanding that enable them to refine and improve the output of AI or MT systems.
2. Contextual Understanding: AI and MT systems may struggle with understanding specific nuances, cultural references, idiomatic expressions, or domain-specific terminology. Human translators can provide the necessary context and ensure that the translation accurately conveys the intended meaning.
3. Adherence to Guidelines: Human reviewers can ensure that the translation aligns with the desired style, tone, and specific guidelines provided by the client. They can make necessary adjustments to ensure that the translation meets the client’s requirements and preferences.
4. Localization and Cultural Sensitivity: Human reviewers can adapt the translation to the target audience and culture, taking into account local conventions, sensitivities, and preferences. They can ensure that the translation is culturally appropriate and resonates with the intended audience.
5. Post-Editing for Fluency and Readability: Human review helps refine the fluency, flow, and readability of the translation. Translations generated by AI or MT systems may have grammatical or stylistic issues that can be addressed and improved by human translators.

While AI and MT systems can provide a useful starting point and accelerate the translation process, human review adds the necessary human touch, linguistic expertise, and cultural understanding to produce high-quality translations. The combination of AI/MT and human review often results in the best balance between efficiency and translation quality.”