Is Machine Translation going to take over the jobs of real people?

University courses Foreign Languages & Philosophy
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With the rise of AI in all areas of society, many linguists/translators are often faced with the question "Will AI take over your job soon?'.

You may not realise it, but AI is already heavily involved in the world of translation. Software such as DeepL and Google Translate - although pretty limited - are indeed forms of AI or ‘Machine Translators’ (MT).

For the time being, MT does not come close to being able to replicate the work of a human due to limitations when it comes to nuances, cultural context, idiomatic expressions, and understanding the subtleties of language. Human translators bring a level of understanding, creativity, and cultural awareness that machines find challenging to replicate fully.

However, MT does come in handy when it comes to translating big portions of text, solely to gain a vague understanding of the gist. That is to say, if you receive an email in German and you want to understand it, MT will allow you to do that. However, where issues arise regarding MT is when it is used for advertising campaigns, on packaging or any form of communications whereby the consumer is a native speaker of the language you’re using a machine to translate into. It is usually immediately evident in this case.

Click the link below to see 7 funny examples of Machine Translation :see_no_evil:

So for the time being, I think companies better stick to human beings :rofl:

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:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: the human touch in translation is irreplaceable!

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Thanks for sharing these insights and examples—it’s a reminder of the unique value human translators provide in a world increasingly driven by technology.

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i think the main indicator that machine translation is no where near the quality of human translation is that in my secondary school students would use google translate for french homework but the teacher could tell straight away :joy:

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Hahah exactly. People still try that at degree level :rofl:

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Thank you for sharing these examples and shedding light on the nuanced relationship between AI and human translation. It’s an ongoing conversation worth exploring as technology continues to evolve.

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