Our July/August Event: Language Professionals in the AI Era
Artificial intelligence is reshaping the way we language professionals work. Throughout July and August, we hosted something we like to call a ‘link-building networking’ where we facilitated an open discussion about AI and how it affects us all in the language services industry.
The questions we wanted to explore were the following:
- As a language professional, have you experienced the impact of AI tools and language models in your work? How has it changed your approach?
- What are your thoughts on the ethical considerations surrounding the use of AI in language-related fields?
- Are you excited about the potential of AI to enhance efficiency and accuracy in tasks such as machine translation or content generation? Or do you have concerns about the implications for human creativity and linguistic nuances?
- Have you encountered any challenges or opportunities in adapting to the advancements brought by AI in your language-related work?
- How do you see the role of language professionals evolving in an increasingly AI-driven world?
- Are there specific aspects of AI, such as natural language processing or sentiment analysis, that have significantly impacted your work? How have you navigated those changes?
- What strategies or best practices have you developed to effectively collaborate with AI tools and language models in your profession?
- In your opinion, what should be the ethical guidelines or considerations for language professionals when using AI technologies?
- How do you envision the future collaboration between AI and language professionals? What possibilities excite you the most?
We invited language professionals to submit their written tips, thoughts and experiences on any and all of these questions, and welcomed anything else they wanted to share.
Without further ado, here’s a compilation of what we received.
Source text – AI or not AI-generated?
My AI concern
If we receive or send text to be interpreted or translated it may or may not be AI-generated. There are currently no regulations in place to compel disclosure of this information. Of course, in some cases, it may be obvious but not always. Lots of ethical and legal issues here!
Sue Leschen
Lawyer linguist
http://www.avocate.co.uk/
It’s not what I think of AI, but what my clients think of it
I am afraid of the presence of AI because in general, I am afraid of people. People are capable of using it without thinking or knowing how to do that. Especially now in the era of ChatGPT.
AI divides people into two groups, one defending it and the other one totally against it. I am at the moment an observer.
My first experience with AI was with Trados. Around 20 years ago I worked at a tech company translating repetitive texts. When I filled in their database I was made redundant. After that, I was just used for post-editing. After 5 years almost all companies started to use Trados. In the UK I started with translation of financial reports, which were also repetitive and boring, but well-paid. My team was filling in the database for 4 years and then the whole team was made redundant, again. I started to receive more offers for post-editing than translation.
I was contacted for a regular job in the transcreation area and also for some other existing projects where AI couldn’t do them and I started as a foreign language teacher as well. I still translate because I love doing that, but then I realised that there are so many other opportunities out there. Lesson delivered and learned. 🙂 AI was a good teacher who kicked me into the world of diversifying.
It is not what I think AI can do, but what organizations and managers think it can do. Most of the time it is a budget issue or an excuse. You can be a great translator, teacher, or assessor, but if someone else is offering it cheaper, most of the firms will go with it. Now the AI is good enough to be a translator, language teacher… We all know it is not the same, but at the same time, we know that a lot of people have some of the AI apps installed on their phones. So, it is not what I think of it, but what my clients think of it really.
“The future collaboration between AI and language professionals holds exciting possibilities. I envision AI as a valuable assistant, capable of handling routine and time-consuming language tasks, while we focus on the more complex and creative aspects of our work. This symbiotic relationship has the potential to elevate the quality of language-related tasks and foster innovation in the field, which is something that truly excites me.”
– This is ChatGPT trying to console me. 🙂
Ana Ilievska Zavrsnik
Chartered Slovenian and Macedonian Language Consultant, Translator
Website: http://ilievska-zavrsnik.com
There’s more work for us in the world with AI, not less.
As a computational linguist, I am not worried that AI will take my job: AI is my job. But it’s not there to take anyone’s jobs, really. AI is meant to do tasks that can be automated (that tend to be fairly simple and repetitive), saving time for human professionals to do fun, creative work. In fact, AI has been around for a while. Web search, spell and grammar checkers, computer-assisted translation tools, AI-based language learning apps… Has it replaced us? No. Has it made our life worse? I hope not! It will keep getting better, more tasks will be automated, but all of them – never.
But do AI-based tools not work so well, in your perspective? That opens another opportunity for language professionals: we are needed to develop and improve AI applications. You do not have to hold a degree in NLP or AI, your expertise as a translator, language teacher, writer is needed to make AI applications better, more useful. There’s more work for us in the world with AI, not less.
What about ethical considerations of using AI? Remember: AI is not a creature, it is a tool. It can be used for good or bad. Just like so many other things humanity invented: knives, cars, chemical compounds… It’s up to us to choose what we do, and to control how it’s used.
Anna Koroleva
Computational Linguist & Conversational AI Engineer
Connect with Anna on LinkedIn
We consider AI a “third brain” of suggestions
Regarding ethical guidelines for language professionals when using AI technologies, I believe the ethics should be the same as for all of AI use across the board – primarily that readers, listeners, and viewers deserve to know when they are interacting with AI.
Having said that, ChatGPT has been incredible for helping our advanced English writing clients have more effective command over tone, phrases, and nuance when they have to compose emails for real-life delicate situations.
Prior to ChatGPT, my clients and I would brainstorm and co-write for delicate situations together. Now we consider AI a “third brain” of suggestions. Between the three of us, we can very quickly generate drafts, pick the most effective language, and edit suggestions until we get it just right for our intended purpose.
I would never endorse sending a real-life email to a real human that is entirely generated by AI, particularly if you have to apologize or smooth things over, but using AI as a tool to suggest language and strategies for nuance that you may not have mastered yet sure does save a ton of time. That approach is what I was already doing with the clients, just not as efficiently and in a more limited way (my language suggestions based on only my experience and my writing style versus the infinite possibilities of AI).
It’s also great for busting up writer’s block. Although at this point I have observed some funny patterns that are fairly consistent – ChatGPT doesn’t yet seem to understand the appropriate length for a professional email in English, and when it apologizes for something, it REALLY apologizes and can go on and on. So I am not yet fearful that I will be replaced as a writing coach.
Julie Yoder, M.A. Linguistics
Founder and Lead Coach at English With Purpose
Website: www.englishwithpurpose.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/julieayoder/
AI debilitates cultural and human understanding
As a recent graduate in Translation Studies, I witnessed the rapid rise of AI platforms such as Chat GPT being used by students to complete assignments, and chatbots as a means of conversation practice in language learning.
I personally am against the use of AI as a tool in language-related fields. I believe that it debilitates the fundamental, essential aspect of understanding foreign languages and more specifically, of many areas of translation: cultural and human understanding.
For instance, consider the ethics of translating personal memoirs or biographies: they require a certain human sensitivity and awareness that AI tools at present, do not possess.
Charlotte Colligan
Translation graduate
Connect with Charlotte on LinkedIn
Any thoughts on the above? Leave a comment below and let’s continue the conversation there.
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Language Professionals' Networking Event 