I love you, AI love you not
Probably not what you’ve always dreamed of – and yet here it is. Seemingly out of nowhere, AI appears to have infiltrated our lives in every way possible. Whether it’s ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Claude, Perplexity or Grok, to name but a few, let’s take a closer look at this phenomenon that has rocked a host of industries, starting with our own.
BewAIre: Conquer or be conquered
Unleashed into the translation arena, AI is a wild beast that needs taming before you can even think about making it your friend. To ignore it would be to miss out the benefits of technological advancement, and blind trust would get us eaten alive. It’s an easy choice: we prefer
I think, therefore… I am not AI
In order to write, AI performs calculations.
We, on the other hand, think.
Translation is knowing how to decipher the cultures, references, intonation, irony, wordplay, and innuendo behind the words. Fundamentally, it requires both linguistic and emotional intelligence in equal measure.
We decided to have some fun asking ChatGPT what advantages an agency like textocreativ has compared to machine translation tools. After explaining its modus operandi – that in recent years, these systems have come on leaps and bounds thanks to deep learning, based on (artificial) neural networks that mimic the human brain to independently establish connections – ChatGPT comes to the following conclusion:
“AI is devoid of a heart, feelings, irony – basically, everything that stops a text sounding like an IKEA instruction manual.”
Nice analysis, except for one tiny detail: most of us know that IKEA instructions can’t ‘sound like’ anything, since they are made up entirely of pictograms. With this simple example, ChatGPT manages to demonstrate its own shortcomings.
What the flesh feels, the code cannot
But who are we to criticize a machine for not knowing what it’s ‘talking’ about?
How many Saturdays has it spent assembling a Billy bookcase? Does it have any inkling of the patience that goes into maturing cheese, curing meat or ageing wine? It has never flown down a ski slope or felt the thrill of freedom at every turn. Nor has it felt the tingle of salt on the skin after a dip in the sea. It has never experienced love, loneliness or writer’s block. Nor the joy of reuniting with a loved one, or tearful goodbyes on a train platform.
AI as the copilot, never in the driving seat
So, yes, progress has been made. And yes, these tools can produce a translation in less time than it takes to finish your morning coffee. But the evidence speaks for itself: these systems are still too flawed to even claim to be a worthy substitute for the human eye or textocreativ’s craft.
Since it is nigh on impossible to now imagine a world without AI, as translators, we must take advantage of its strengths, like unbeatable search speeds, while also leveraging the value of our own expert qualities (which it sorely lacks), namely a deep understanding of your language, your target audience and market, respect for your brand identity, in-depth knowledge of your terminology and rigorous application of your typographical guidelines.
But most importantly, it’s our style, our quest for the most apt word, our love of language, the dexterity of our wordplay, our general knowledge, our references, and our wit. Essentially, the fifty shades of grey matter that give colour to your content.
The Devil wears AI
It’s a sign of the times: the number of post-editing requests grows day by day. While this method may be feasible for certain kinds of texts, the amount of money actually saved often ends up being minimal. Far be it from us to make AI out to be the monster, but it’s hard to ignore a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Behind the albeit impressive fluency of this automatic output, there are no few grey areas lurking in the shadows: ambiguity, subtle misinterpretations, terminology inconsistencies or misinterpreted cultural references. To overcome all these pitfalls, human expertise is crucial. It ensures that the translated text is not just comprehensible, but also delightfully accurate, natural and coherent.
Translation is about connecting humans
Entrusting your texts to AI is much like signing a contract without reading the small print. It seems like a good deal: fast, practical, cheap… almost magical. However, as is often the case with the devil, he’s hiding in the detail – and the subtlety of language. Where AI still loses its way, we are in our element: in the nuance, rhythm, voice and breath of a text. And while machines might know how to put words in order, we know how to bring them to life. So, when it comes to communication, don’t risk getting left behind. With textocreativ, your texts have soul – and a flying start.