This post is part of the article series A Japanese Translator’s Chat with…ChatGPT
What is the Future of Language Translation?
(Click to view screenshot of response, opens in new window)
Summary
Below follows a condensed take of ChatGPT’s response to the above question.
The future of language translation is promising, with advancement in technology leading to more accurate translation and innovation, including:
- Improved Machine Learning,
- Increased Use of AI,
- Expansion of Translation Services,
- More focus on User Experience, and
- Integration with Other Technologies.
Analysis
As mentioned at the top of this article series, all these talking points are perennial.
Chart GPT is simply parroting information gleaned from the Web. For example, “Increased Us of AI” – It would not be an exaggeration to state that the “Great Artificial Intelligence Rivalry” is already in full swing not just among commercial entities, but also between nations states and then everything in-between. Is there anyone who has yet to use AI?
With regards translation itself, we also see the regurgitation of talking points:
“AI can assist with many aspects of the translation process, including detecting and correcting errors, improving consistency and providing context for difficult phrases”
The issue with this bold phrase, though, is the slippery slope being embarked on by sprinkling truths with half-truths and then downright nonsense (which, obviously, AI is incapable of discerning). There are already many very good tools -called term base- available for improving translation consistency. Translation error detection and correction will very much depend on the nature of the error. For example, machine translation -AI uses machine translation- would be able to correct the infamous translator’s “slip of the eye” error; however, it chokes on logic errors. As for “providing context for difficult phrases”; Nah, that’s the marketing spin doctors at work!
(A demonstration of this point will be provided in the next article in this series with actual Japanese translation.)
Conclusion
After spending several weeks kicking the wheels, my original conclusion stands:
ChatGPT seems to excel at efficiently synthesizing within the constructs of its parameters the vast body of information that is the Internet. That is, it does a boss job of organizing & presenting in a readable format what is already out there.
In other words, ChatGPT is a useful tool if you are a novice in a specific field of inquiry, with the caveat that you’ll still need to check the facts. On the other hand, if you are a knowledgeable and experienced professional in a specific field of inquiry, it’s more like “nothing to see here”!
‘Old-fashioned intelligence works pretty well’
Charlie Munger, Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway
Below is an article -great read if you’re looking to try your hand at ecommerce- that illustrates this point:
The steps outlined by ChatGPT are similar to the steps we took launching this translation company – After reading the article my thoughts were “nothing to see here”…
About the Author
Ivan Vandermerwe is the CEO of SAECULII YK, the owner of Japan, Tokyo based Japanese Human Translation Services Visit SAECULII for the latest professional case studies, articles and news on Japanese Translation Services
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