In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has grown at lightning speed. This means automatic translations are also on the rise. You type in a sentence in English, press the button, and voila: there's your translation in Dutch, French, Chinese, or maybe even Klingon. Easy, right? But for those who think ChatGPT translations are always perfect: they are good, but let's face it, they still need some human help.
Let's dive into the wonderful world of ChatGPT translations and find out if a human behind the keyboard still produces better results.
Let's start with the positive news: ChatGPT translations are a blessing. Imagine, you need to send an e-mail to a customer in France, but your knowledge of French is limited to “croissant” and “bonjour.” This is where AI comes in: in a few seconds, you have a beautiful text in French. No need to delve into dictionaries or spend nights toiling over sentence structure.
It's also cheap, sometimes even free, and lightning fast. You don't need to wait for weeks for a translation agency that has your documents on its long list. Within a few clicks, you have your translation ready. This is especially useful for everyday situations: a simple e-mail, a chat message with an international friend, or to quickly understand something from a foreign language.
But (yes, here comes the “but”) is this always enough?
Despite all the benefits of ChatGPT translations, there are plenty of situations where you need to lean on the knowledge of a human translator.
One of the biggest shortcomings of AI translation engines is the lack of context comprehension. Imagine an English sentence like “I saw her duck.” What does the writer mean? Are they seeing her ducking from a football, or is he looking at her pet duck? A human would understand this based on the rest of the text. An AI often just takes a guess.
Try translating a pun or joke with AI. Chances are the punchline will be completely lost, and your translation will look more like a dry summation than a smile-worthy joke. People have a culture-specific sense of humor, and AI can't grasp that yet.
An AI cannot always correctly assess the difference between an “informal” and “formal” conversation, or the subtle cultural customs that make a country special. What is considered polite in one country may come across as blunt in another. In French, a human translator knows when to say “tu” instead of “vous” for example and that a joke about cheese does not always go down well in France.
ChatGPT still lacks the nuance and emotion that an experienced translator provides. Do you need a translation that really speaks to you? Opt for a combination of artificial intelligence and human expertise!
We should not write off AI altogether. There are certainly situations where it excels and is even preferable to a human translator, especially in situations where speed and volume are more important than accuracy.
ChatGPT can help you translate huge documents quickly. You get a decent idea of the content, even though it may not be perfect.
For simple messages or e-mails, ChatGPT translation works fine. “I'll come to the office tomorrow at 10 a.m.” is not the kind of sentence ChatGPT stumbles over.
ChatGPT translations can also be useful for language learners who want to quickly translate a word or sentence. You get an idea of what the sentence might look like, and you can refine it further with your own knowledge.
But when precision, nuance, and subtlety are needed, human translation is still preferable.
While ChatGPT is a great addition in many situations, human translators are essential when the details really matter. Think of legal documents, marketing materials, or literature. With these kinds of documents it's all about the right words in the right place, the right tone, and understanding deeper meaning.
People understand emotions, intentions, and cultural differences. A good translator ensures that the message not only gets across correctly, but actually lands with the target audience. ChatGPT can do a lot, but it has no sense of humor (yet), no cultural baggage, and no ability to read between the lines.
ChatGPT translations are like a handy food processor: they can facilitate many tasks in the kitchen, but sometimes you still really need the hand of a chef. For simple tasks, they're fine, but when it really comes to finesse, you're left depending on the human eye for detail. AI translations with revision by a human translator are still necessary.
So, the next time you translate a text, ask yourself: is this something a machine can do, or do I still need a human brain here? AI and human translators complement each other beautifully, and together they provide the perfect blend of speed and accuracy.
