• Linguistics and Language -> Computational Linguistics and Natural Language Processing

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Will advancements in machine translation eventually make human translators obsolete?

Sie Stait

In my opinion, I don't think advancements in machine translation will make human translators obsolete. While it's true that technology has come a long way and made significant advancements in the field of language translation, there are still some complexities and nuances of human language that machines cannot quite grasp.

Language is not just about translating words into another language, it's also about understanding the context, tone, and cultural references. A machine may be able to translate individual words or phrases, but it doesn't have the ability to understand the subtle nuances and emotions behind them. This is where a human translator really shines - they can interpret the intended meaning and deliver a translation that is not only accurate, but also appropriate for the intended audience.

Moreover, there are certain kinds of industries, such as legal or medical fields, where precision is crucial and it is important that the translation be done by a person who can understand these sensitive documents. A machine cannot be empathetic while translating important documents regarding employment law, wills, medical records, etc.

That said, machine translation will certainly have an important role to play, especially for simple translation tasks or for getting the gist of a message. It can even be used to help human translators with pre-translation, providing initial translations that they can then refine and edit to produce the best possible translation.

Finally, it is important to remember that language is always evolving and changing, and new terminology or slang expressions may not be easily recognized by machines. In this case, human translators who are up-to-date with the latest developments in the language they are translating can provide a better translation.

So, while machine translation is becoming more powerful and more sophisticated, I believe that it will not completely replace the human touch. Human translators bring a level of empathy, understanding, and insight to translation work that machines simply cannot replicate, making them an invaluable resource in our connected world.