AI translation: pros and cons

The trend is clear. More and more translations are being done by AI. Does this mean that we might as well use AI to translate everything or is it better to use a professional translator?

In this article we’ll explore the pros and cons of AI translation and look at when professional human translation is preferable. If you want to know more about how AI translation and traditional machine translation work technically, you can go to this article.

AI translation is increasing – the statistics don’t lie

Over the past two or three years the use of traditional human translation has decreased while AI translation has increased significantly. There is no doubt that many are now turning to AI for translation instead of doing it themselves or using a professional translator.

But just because AI translation is on the rise doesn’t automatically mean that it’s the best option in every situation. To a large extent, the increase is quite simply due to the fact that AI translation is much cheaper and faster. Another reason is that a new category of translations has emerged that would not otherwise exist. In other words, it’s not just about choosing between a human or a machine, but about having an AI translation where there might have been no translation at all.

Looking at the statistics from the last few years, there are a couple of things of interest to note:

1. In certain areas the trend is not at all as clear. Many are still choosing professional human translation in important and sensitive contexts, such as in medicine, media, marketing, legal and finance.
2. Over the past few years requests for professional human translation has increased significantly in December. This is probably because companies with money remaining in their budget at year-end are choosing to invest in professional human translation instead of using AI.

This indicates a future that is not about choosing between a human or a machine, but about finding a balance between human expertise and the speed and cost-efficiency of a machine.

AI translation – limitations to be aware of

When is it appropriate to choose AI translation and when is it better to opt for professional human translation?

First of all, it’s important to understand the limitations of AI translation. Here is a list of examples of when these limitations can lead to problems:

• Idiomatic expressions: AI translation tools can miss when an expression is used idiomatically and translate it word for word.
• Complexity: AI tools can have difficulties with complex sentence structures. If, for example, a sentence has subordinate clauses, the meaning can be misunderstood and the translation incorrect.
• Cultural nuances and humour: AI tools aren’t always aware of cultural differences. A marketing slogan that uses irony or humour can be particularly difficult to translate correctly.
• Outdated information: AI models need to be updated regularly in order for a translation to be current. Newly minted terms, slang or changes in the meaning of a word may not have been updated in the database used in the AI model’s most recent training.
• Ambiguity: If a word can be translated in multiple ways, it can be hard for AI to know which meaning is the relevant one, particularly if no context is provided. This is exacerbated if the text is intentionally ambiguous.
• Inaccurate training data: If the training data used by AI contains inaccuracies, these can be reflected in the translation.
• Insufficient training data: If AI fails to find relevant information in its training data it will guess, or “hallucinate” as it’s commonly called. The translation may look credible even if it’s only a creative guess.
• Errors in the original text: Since AI models are not conscious beings and can’t reflect on content while translating a text, it’s hard for AI to detect factual errors in the original text. These types of mistakes are therefore transferred to the translation.

AI versus human – Which should you choose?

When is it best to allow a human to translate a text and when is a machine – the cheaper alternative – OK? AI wins by a landslide in two areas: price and speed. But a mistake in a translation may prove more costly overall than paying for a professional human translation.

In the following areas, where accuracy in a text can be particularly important, it is usually best to allow a human to do the translation, with or without AI support:

• Technically complex texts
• Financial texts
• Legal texts
• Medical texts
• Marketing texts

When it comes to marketing texts, it is often not enough to deliver an accurate translation; a process called localisation is also required. Localisation is where a text is adapted for the intended target group in the country where the language is spoken. Sometimes this is also called copy translation or transcreation (merging translation with creation). Localisation not only requires language skills but also target group analysis, cultural awareness and marketing knowledge.

In the translation of legal texts, it is of utmost importance that every word is correct. A single error can, for example, result in an invalid contract. In annual reports and other financial contexts, the text is often written by a variety of people in different departments, or by external writers. It’s also common for large sections of text to be reused from past reports. Different writers express themselves in different ways, which can lead to the compiled report being stylistically incoherent and the terminology inconsistent. A professional human translator catches these issues and ensures that the translation is uniform and consistent throughout.

When is it OK to choose AI translation? If you have large volumes of text, AI is a very fast, inexpensive and effective solution. Examples include product descriptions, internal materials and presentations. If you need to quickly distribute information in multiple languages to employees or other stakeholders, AI can sometimes be the only option.

Combining AI and human

A cost-effective alternative can be to combine human and machine. But there are some considerations to keep in mind. It’s not always wise to translate a text yourself using AI and then send it to a translation agency for proofreading. It depends on how good you are at prompting and how well the AI tool has been trained and configured.

Experience shows that it can be both cheaper and better to allow a translation agency to translate a text from the start rather than ask for post-editing of an AI translation. The alternative to this is to let the translation agency do both the AI translation and the post-editing. This usually results in a better end-product because a professional will be the one prompting the AI tool.

If you still decide to do your own AI translation you should let the translation agency know this and provide them relevant reference material before the post-editing phase begins.

Novoterm will guide you

If you’re uncertain about which solution is best for you, get in touch with Novoterm to discuss the most appropriate option based on your text, budget, timeframe and quality requirements.

Novoterm offers translation into more than 40 languages. We always match the customer’s needs with the right translator and expertise – and the right technical solution.

We are here to help!

Novoterm is a highly regarded translation agency that was established in 1996. We offer language services in more than 40 languages provided by translators and proofreaders who understand your industry – we listen, we understand, we translate.

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