Photos: Kruiz Photography
For International Translation Day (ITD) on 30 September 2023, the Association des Professionnels de la Traduction et de l’Interprétation du Cameroun (APTIC) held a conference with a focus on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the translation professions.
AI has revolutionised many industries, translation included. It is a technology powered by machine learning algorithms, designed to replicate human behaviour (reasoning, planning, creativity, etc.) and to complete specific tasks such as analysis, writing, or design. Applied to translation, this tool can now process large volumes of words with a wide range of content, raising fears among our association’s members about the future of their profession.
With a view to dispelling these fears, APTIC held a conference on 30 September 2023 with the theme ‘Translator skills in the age of artificial intelligence: an integrated approach’. The event had several speakers: Armel Fosse (President of APTIC) welcomed everyone, Sylvia Amisi (Vice President of AIIC) made the keynote speech, Armand Enganobel (translator at the World Bank) spoke about ‘AI’s operational aspects: using tools in practice’, Yvan Amatangana (freelance translator and coach) gave a presentation on ‘The relationship between AI and the consequences for writing’ and Emmanuel Ayuk (freelance translator and interpreter) gave a presentation on ‘AI regulations: using them wisely. Benefits, risks, safeguards, policies’.
Photos: Kruiz Photography
In the panellists’ general opinion, despite the fact that it is now increasingly used by everyone in their personal lives, and by language service providers, companies, and institutions, it is not about to wipe out the translation profession. This optimism is due to the tool’s many shortcomings, namely its inability to adapt a translation to its readership, its poor performance when faced with more complex texts, and its tendency to need humans to improve translation memories and pick appropriate terms, among other issues. This cloud-based technology is also vulnerable to cyberattacks, which could lead some companies to bypass it because of real or potential threats.
Translators will therefore have to try to fill the gaps created by these flaws to make themselves indispensable. To preserve their existence, they will need to be able to work with and without AI, possess excellent writing skills, and take steps to protect the confidentiality of machine-translated texts. This is the only way forward for our survival.
Virgile Mesina, APTIC