A Glimpse into the Past
In the mid-1990s, I supported myself through university by doing translations. It wasn’t particularly complicated, but it was tedious: I had to travel to a magazine’s office, which was nearly two hours from my home, wait for my editor to attend to me, receive articles on a 3.5″ diskette that needed translation, and hand in completed translations. At home, I printed the new material, dictated the translated phrases to myself while typing rapidly on my computer. I didn’t worry much about finger errors; I’d correct them during a late-night review until dawn. And that was how a student earned a living back when having a computer at home was considered a luxury, without needing to work in an office or type on an Olivetti machine.
Fast Forward to Today
Thirty years later, Alejandro Ángeles, a journalist and editor, shares his friends’ struggles as translators lose their jobs or face reduced payments for what was once well-compensated work. Some even resent his collaboration in training AI with translations.
The Rise of AI
For years, translators, correctors, and journalists have relied on tools—what we now call AI—to work faster and with fewer errors. Nobody seemed to notice or care much.
Is it Paranoia?
According to the World Economic Forum’s “Future of Jobs” report 2023, translation services are among the jobs most at risk due to AI. A study from Oxford University (Frey & Osborne, 2013) previously warned that translation was among professions with high automation risk.
When I asked ChatGPT directly, “Will AI ‘exterminate’ human translators?” It responded: “The short answer is: not entirely. However, it will profoundly transform the profession.”
What’s Happening Now
AI can translate and is improving, though it still makes mistakes… that’s the gap keeping human translators relevant.
For instance, a friend believed an automatic translator on his phone would enable him to survive in Japan for six months without knowing the language. “AI already speaks all languages better than humans,” he claimed. He returned frustrated, as no app met his needs.
While automatic translators have advanced, they still struggle with double meanings, cultural expressions, local language variations, and pronunciation.
Mass translations and basic tasks—manuals, emails, automatic subtitles, software instructions—are now dominated by AI. If there’s human review, payment is often symbolic (or very low).
According to Tomorrow Desk, automatic translation has reduced human translation by 15-20%. Thirty-four percent of translators reported income drops, and 27% claim some clients have replaced them entirely with AI.
The New Frontier: Training AI
Today, it’s more profitable to “train” AI rather than translate. Ángeles confesses, “I feel paid more for learning than doing… The entire experience is AI: you never interact with a human, it’s all online, and payments are automated. At first, I was skeptical, but they’ve delivered.”
How does one train AI for languages? Validating conversations, reviewing texts, adapting phrases, answering endless questionnaires… Even recording oneself speaking or detecting errors in various text, audio, or image content. In short, memorizing all language classes on a massive scale.
What Remains Human
Many colleagues, perhaps nostalgically, agree that creative translation remains human territory: novels, poetry, film scripts, advertising…
Legal and medical translation is still handled by human experts: contracts, diagnoses, scientific research, or official documents.
“Here, errors can have severe consequences, and human validation is mandatory,” Ángeles reminds me.
It’s hard to imagine AI replacing diplomatic or legal translation. Can you picture an AI persuading a leader to end a war?
A Hybrid Future?
ChatGPT reassures me, “Don’t worry. What’s at risk is the traditional translation model. Those who specialize and learn to work alongside AI will be indispensable; those doing only basic translation are the ones most at risk of disappearing.”
For now, the outlook isn’t grim. According to Common Sense Advisory (CSA Research, 2022), the translation services market surpassed $56 billion and continues to grow. Globalization increases the need for content translation, now with hybrid models (AI + humans).
So, for now, human translators still hold the upper hand… at least until the inevitable day comes when we no longer do.
Key Questions and Answers
- Q: Will AI replace human translators completely? A: AI will transform the profession profoundly but not entirely replace human translators.
- Q: What tasks is AI currently good at in translation? A: AI excels at mass translations, basic tasks, and can handle simple manuals, emails, subtitles, and software instructions.
- Q: How can humans stay relevant in the age of AI translation? A: Specializing in creative translation, legal, and medical translation, as well as training AI, can keep human translators relevant.
- Q: What is the current state of the translation industry regarding AI integration? A: The translation services market has grown to over $56 billion, with hybrid models (AI + humans) becoming more common due to globalization.
