As a member of the Association of Languages (ALC), members have the very unique opportunity to chat with one another about industry news, events and often industry technology. Today, one of our well respected members posted something rather incredible! Many people know that the language services industry faces a lot of pressure to use AI when translating or interpreting. For those of us who understand these pressures and the problems associated—60 to 70% accuracy at best—it is amazing when the very threat that is meant to shake our industry to its core actually creates a result that validates our existence and solidifies our place in the supply chain. Let me explain.
My ALC colleague, Scott Bass asked a very widely utilized Open AI engine that has had a lot of recent publicity being purported as the end all to translate a legal document from English into German. And I quote, ¨It only translated the first few paragraphs…but then gave this clarification when I asked why it couldn’t translate the whole document: “Translating an entire document, especially a detailed and lengthy one like a privacy statement, involves several complexities:
- Length and Complexity: Documents like privacy statements contain complex legal language and terms that require precise and accurate translation. This involves not only language skills but also an understanding of legal concepts in both the source and target languages.
- Contextual Nuance: Legal documents often contain nuances that are specific to certain jurisdictions or legal systems. Capturing these nuances accurately in another language requires a deep understanding of the legal context in both the source and target languages.
- Consistency: Maintaining consistency across the document, especially with terms and definitions, is crucial in legal documents to avoid any misinterpretation. This requires careful review and cross-referencing throughout the document.
- Volume: The sheer volume of text in such documents can be prohibitive for manual translation within a short interaction, as it requires significant time and effort to ensure accuracy and consistency.
- Tools and Limitations: My capabilities are designed for interaction-based assistance rather than processing large volumes of text for tasks like full document translation. The process requires breaking down the text into manageable parts, translating them, and then ensuring that the translation is coherent and accurate when put back together.
For translating entire documents, especially those with legal or technical content, professional translation services are often used. These services employ translators who specialize in legal language and are familiar with the specific legal systems and terminology of both the source and target languages. This ensures that the translated document is accurate, legally sound, and maintains the intended meaning of the original text.” My colleague went on to say, ¨I should thank this Open AI for having an appreciation for professional translation!¨
To my astonishment, this is the first time I have heard any Open AI ever directing a user to use a professional translator and not artificial intelligence. Maybe the machines are learning after all?
On this very same day, I became aware if a Axios report that discusses the banning of AI use for the US Congress. Both ChatGPT and now Microsoft’s AI Assistant are banned due to potential risks to users due to the threat of potential leaks on non-approved cloud servers. Again, I sat there and had to read it again to be certain that I was reading it correctly!
So, I say to you all, is this the start of the backlash against AI? Will human beings still win the language race? Time will tell as they say, but this I know to be true: Technology companies have been trying to replace the human brain for nearly a century without success. Yes, it provides well for certain applications, but ask yourself this—do you trust AI technology to translate your legal and medical documents that your life or others would depend on? Chances are you agree with Barbier with a resounding no! The human brain is still the best processor in the history of the world and therefore humans will always have the upper hand, but we must be careful to empower technology to our advantage not to our detriment.
Thank you, Open AI, for validating my existence and the work of translators and interpreters globally!
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