Poll: Do you think Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already affecting the world of translation?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Aug 26, 2019

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you think Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already affecting the world of translation?".

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neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 00:25
Spanish to English
+ ...
Other Aug 26, 2019

Could be, but only insofar as people's phobias about AI "taking over" create uncertainty and stress in general - especially if AI is conflated with MT. A lot of things are changing rapidly due to the development of new technologies - for example, the decline in traditional shopping ("death of the high street") caused by online services or consumer laziness - although commerce will still continue, just in a different form from what it looked like ten or twenty years ago.



[Edi
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Could be, but only insofar as people's phobias about AI "taking over" create uncertainty and stress in general - especially if AI is conflated with MT. A lot of things are changing rapidly due to the development of new technologies - for example, the decline in traditional shopping ("death of the high street") caused by online services or consumer laziness - although commerce will still continue, just in a different form from what it looked like ten or twenty years ago.



[Edited at 2019-08-26 08:23 GMT]
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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Laura Nagle (X)
Carlos Heras
 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 16:25
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Yes and No Aug 26, 2019

Intelligence agencies use AI to scan the vast body of data that they need to follow. In the old days, translators were used to translate messages, technical articles, etc., for these agencies, but today there aren't enough translators, and there isn't enough money to pay them, to translate all the material that needs to be scanned. So in that sense, AI has affected the market. But the quantum increase in data has changed the market as well, forcing the need to develop AI.

On the oth
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Intelligence agencies use AI to scan the vast body of data that they need to follow. In the old days, translators were used to translate messages, technical articles, etc., for these agencies, but today there aren't enough translators, and there isn't enough money to pay them, to translate all the material that needs to be scanned. So in that sense, AI has affected the market. But the quantum increase in data has changed the market as well, forcing the need to develop AI.

On the other hand, between the ease of generating text with word processing, the means to circulate it on the Internet, and ever-more contact between countries, the world is increasingly flooded with words that are eligible for translation.
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Kevin Fulton
 
Kaspars Melkis
Kaspars Melkis  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:25
English to Latvian
+ ...
There is no AI Aug 26, 2019

It's meaningless to use this term AI when you actually mean sophisticated data processing software.

Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Christine Andersen
neilmac
J.E.Sunseri
 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 00:25
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
It's called Artificial Intelligence, no matter how meaningless it may be Aug 26, 2019

Compared with the real thing, AI is a mere shadow, but it makes a good impression on the surface, like some artificial flowers. Unlike the flowers, it can apparently grow and interact with humans.

I think AI affects translation when people believe it can really translate. No matter what, a computer is not intelligent, and does not understand. It is simply programmed to weigh up probabilities mathematically.

It does not have all the associations and cognitive support tha
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Compared with the real thing, AI is a mere shadow, but it makes a good impression on the surface, like some artificial flowers. Unlike the flowers, it can apparently grow and interact with humans.

I think AI affects translation when people believe it can really translate. No matter what, a computer is not intelligent, and does not understand. It is simply programmed to weigh up probabilities mathematically.

It does not have all the associations and cognitive support that real intelligence has.

Language is simply not as (mathematically) rational as many people believe, and those who have never tried to translate are often blissfully unaware of the challenges.

Computers can do so many amazing things. Try explaining the Internet to someone who REALLY does not know what it is! I have to admit I do not understand it, but it is quite uncanny at times. It comes up regularly with offers of pocket 'translators' that will enable me to communicate in 24 languages, all thanks to AI.
Unfortunately people believe that kind of thing, and either think we use advanced versions of pocket 'translators', or they underestimate the time and effort needed to produce a real, quality translation of anything beyond standard conversation.

It may also mean that poor phrasing and un-idiomatic language becomes accepted, as the results are not strictly incorrect, but are not what a normal native speaker would say either.

English is accused of swamping other languages, but to some extent at least, it is up to the native speakers to use their own languages correctly. When MT serves up over-literal translations, it is hard work to turn them into real, natural language. Often customers will not pay, and say that only 'light editing' is necessary.
Gisting and not worrying about style, as long as a text is basically understandable, can have very unfortunate effects on language in general, and thus on the world of translation.

AI may be a useful tool, but it is one that must be used carefully and only when appropriate.
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Kaspars Melkis
Michele Fauble
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 20:25
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Yes Aug 27, 2019

Ok if you don't want to call it IA for technical reasons, but it is IA.
It is affecting our profession and all the others, no doubt. In some ways, it's very positive. In some ways, it may cause some trouble, just like all evoutions of this kind have caused in the history of humanity.
Now, stating this will take us out of the market is terrorism. It will not happen to us. Just instruct your children not to invest in the same career as us, because they may have a hard time. But not in
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Ok if you don't want to call it IA for technical reasons, but it is IA.
It is affecting our profession and all the others, no doubt. In some ways, it's very positive. In some ways, it may cause some trouble, just like all evoutions of this kind have caused in the history of humanity.
Now, stating this will take us out of the market is terrorism. It will not happen to us. Just instruct your children not to invest in the same career as us, because they may have a hard time. But not in the next 30 years.
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Philip Lees
 
Matthias Brombach
Matthias Brombach  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 00:25
Member (2007)
Dutch to German
+ ...
Yes it does .. Aug 27, 2019

... simply by panicking all sort of LSPs and their "ressources", making them believe AI would be "artificial intelligence" as such, and to accept in preemptive obedience ridiculous rates for PEMT. Looks like a fine piece of RI (Real Intelligence) to start a whole campaign just to lower rates in general.

[Bearbeitet am 2019-08-27 10:33 GMT]


Kaspars Melkis
Christine Andersen
DZiW (X)
 


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Poll: Do you think Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already affecting the world of translation?






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