In our previous blog, we looked into the impact of ChatGPT in the translation industry and whether it threatens or not the role of translators. Hence, in this blog, we are going to highlight the important role that machine translation plays in smoothing and facilitating the translation process and how it can enhance and elevate the human touch.
Translation can be elevated to the next level in several ways. As translators, we usually face, while handling a project, a large volume of texts or pages to be completed by a very tight deadline. This makes us resort to using AI technology such as ChatGPT and NMT tools such as Google Translate, Reverso, and DeepL. However, we don’t keep it as suggested, instead we do what we call “Post Editing” which is revising and editing machine-translated documents to ensure their accuracy and to add a human touch. Furthermore, ChatGPT can be used more on simple text that needs less concentration and time to let the translator focus on more specialized documents.
Moreover, translators usually use Trados Studio, a computer-assisted translation also known as CAT tool, to facilitate the translation process. This tool depends on translation memory (TM), which means it takes the terminology from previously translated documents and memorized it in its system, for instance when you come across a phrase that has been already translated before, Trados will automatically suggest the translation, and it saves a significant amount of time, provides accuracy and consistency in the translations, and increases translators’ productivity. The same process can be applied with ChatGPT, if we feed its system with the correct terminology, it can help translators to work more efficiently and produce high-quality translations.
RWS, one of the most famous Translation and Localization companies worldwide, resorts to machine translation as a part of its language services. However, it collaborates with professional translators to ensure they offer high quality and that the terminology is appropriate for each specialization and context, and that it meets the meaning and purpose of the source text. However, this company assures the translators that machine translation will not replace them, owing to the fact that one of their clients is Google.
In conclusion, we can’t ignore the valuable role of ChatGPT in the translation process, on condition that it should be used in collaboration with professional translators to ensure it meets the intended purposes.