AI Translation is Changing the Industry

Artificial intelligence is transforming the translation industry. While machine translation tools have been around since the 1950s, more modern technology, such as DeepL, are increasingly becoming part of daily business workflows. For companies aiming to scale multilingual content quickly and affordably, AI offers a tempting promise: speed, accessibility, and cost savings. But this efficiency comes with caveats. 

Teams are all asking the same questions about AI translation:

• Do we still need human translators?
• Will AI translation affect pricing?
• How do I know if AI was used to translate my content?
• What are the risks of using AI for translation?
• Can I opt out of AI translation?
• How can we take advantage of AI translation but make sure it’s accurate?

Jump to:

• Interpro’s Ethical AI Translation Policy (what it means in practice)
• Mitigating AI Translation Risk: How to Choose an Ethical Partner
• Setting Up a Responsible AI Translation Workflow

Without consultative expertise and human linguistic oversight, AI translations can easily compromise brand integrity, introduce errors, or expose organizations to legal risk. As demand for AI-assisted translation grows, so does the need for transparency from your translation service provider to disclose when AI is used in translation, ensure the translation output is of high-quality, and that it reflects the original message intent.

Definition: An ethical AI translation policy is a consent-first, transparent approach that discloses when AI will be used, protects data privacy, and requires human review to ensure linguistic quality and brand integrity.

Why transparency matters now:

Clients deserve to know when AI is in the loop, what it will do, and how their data will be protected. Risk-based adoption and clear disclosure align with global guidance on trustworthy AI and transparency obligations (e.g., EU AI Act Article 50; NIST AI RMF). Interpro’s stance is simple: no AI without consent, ever.

Interpro’s Ethical AI Translation Policy (what it means in practice)

Read Interpro’s complete AI translation policy, but here’s what it means:

Informed consent & disclosure

• We discuss AI options during intake and document your decision. No AI is used without your written approval.
• We specify scope (content types, languages, risk level) and expected review steps.

Human-in-the-loop (MTPE)

• Our professional linguists post-edit any AI output to ensure accuracy, fluency, tone, and brand voice.
• We make recommendations based on the AI services to build a responsible workflow by knowing when AI fits (and when it doesn’t).

Data protection & platform selection

• We only use professional translation tools for security and protection of your private materials; we do not send confidential data to public models.
• Translators are evaluated for security certifications and data handling (e.g., ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2; HIPAA when applicable)
• We log consent decisions, system choices, and QA outcomes for auditability.

Mitigating AI Translation Risk: How to Choose an Ethical Partner

If you’re seeking to implement AI translation into your localization workflow, consider the following risks of using AI for translation, and ensure your provider meets your expectations.

Transparency

Clients and internal stakeholders should always be informed when AI is part of the translation process. Transparency builds trust and sets realistic expectations for quality, especially when AI output is enhanced by human post-editing. 

We’ve seen time and time again that AI is appropriate for some things and not for others. Some content types, such as those found in technical documents, do very well with AI translation. A translation partner like Interpro will be able to provide recommendations on when AI translation is a cost or time-efficient solution.

How do I know if AI was used to translate?

It can be difficult to know if AI was used to produce a translation, especially if you don’t speak the native language. It is much easier and more important to work with a language partner that is transparent and discloses their AI translation policy before work begins.

Privacy and Confidentiality

Professional translation agencies should protect sensitive, proprietary, and confidential content and only translate using secure, controlled AI models within a closed-loop workflow.

Interpro only uses industry standard AI translation technology that keeps your confidential information secure. Our team operates as if we are under an NDA, even if there is not one in place, and that extends to our AI translation technology too.

We don’t ever recommend placing confidential, proprietary, or sensitive information into a public AI model. Translating with AI platforms like ChatGPT may result in your information being saved for model improvement unless data-sharing is explicitly disabled. For regulated industries this can introduce compliance risks. 

Machine Translation Post Editing (Human Linguist Review)

AI is not a replacement for professional translation. Rather, it is a tool that can support the work of expert linguists. Human-in-the-loop workflows are essential for:

• Cultural nuance: AI doesn’t fully grasp idiomatic expressions, regional sensitivities, or audience expectations the way a trained linguist does.
• Accuracy: AI may often translate basic terms incorrectly particularly in technical, medical, or legal contexts.
• Consistency: Training AI models on specific terminology across documents and campaigns.

At Interpro, every project involving AI includes thorough machine translation post-editing (MTPE) by professional, human linguists.

Our team evaluates raw machine output for meaning, fluency, tone, and brand voice. MTPE corrects errors and enhances clarity. We also apply domain-specific knowledge to ensure the final translation is not just technically correct, but formatted for your file type or platform.

Do I need human translators?

The role of the professional human translator is shifting, but professional experts who can manage the AI translation process are still critical.

AI Translation Pricing

One of the most common reasons organizations explore AI-assisted translation is price. And it’s true: under the right circumstances, AI translation can reduce costs. But understanding when and where those savings actually apply is key.

At Interpro, we’ve seen that long-term translation strategies have always offered clients meaningful cost savings. These efficiencies have been a hallmark of professional translation services for decades. Strategic partnership paired with AI translation workflows generally results in cost savings that compounds over time. 

AI-assisted translation can be a great fit and cost-effective choice for many industries, content types, or languages. Our team will help you navigate your AI service options to make the best quality and cost effective solution.

At Interpro, our goal is to help you make informed decisions to help you choose the right translation service for your project. We’ll show you when AI translation offers real savings and when a traditional approach is a better investment. And as always, we’ll help you plan ahead to make your long-term translation strategy more cost-effective.

Brand Alignment

Language is an extension of your brand. AI doesn’t know your company’s style guide, tone, or preferred terminology. Without strategic guidance, AI-generated content can dilute your message or offend in a different language.

Best Practices for Brand Alignment when using AI:

• Use custom glossaries and style guides to inform AI prompts.
• Train the AI technology to generate translations that require less human-review over time.
• Implement a review process that includes brand managers and native speaker reviewers.

Interpro supports clients by offering translation glossary and style guide development to support voice consistency, even when AI tools are used in the translation workflow. 

AI and Sustainability

To support AI translation services, Interpro uses industry-standard AI translation technology. AI has made translation workflows faster and more scalable, but it also raises important questions about energy consumption and sustainability. At Interpro, we occasionally receive inquiries about the environmental impact of using AI translation tools. While we are not an authority on AI sustainability research, we understand that this is an emerging area of concern for responsible businesses. 

Some developers of machine translation (MT) engines, which are distinct from large language models (LLMs) or emerging small language models (SLMs), have begun taking steps toward more sustainable practices. You can learn more directly from these translation technology providers about how they’re addressing energy use and environmental impact:

• Learn how institutions are approaching AI sustainability in this blog from the Jisc National Centre for AI in Education. It covers the pros, cons, and future considerations of using AI.
• The IEEE Computer Society has published research and commentary on sustainable Future of AI Language Models and the broader environmental impact of AI language models, offering insights into the computational trade-offs involved in developing and deploying these systems. 

Setting Up a Responsible AI Translation Workflow

To responsibly integrate AI into your translation process, follow these steps:

1. Identify content type and risk level: Use AI for non-sensitive, high-volume, low-risk content
2. Configure secure AI tools: Use private NMTs or local deployments to protect data
3. Train the AI on your terminology: Incorporate glossaries and TMs into prompts
4. Apply professional post-editing: Use expert linguists to edit and review the machine output
5. Quality Assurance: Ensure translation accuracy, nuance, and compliance
6. Stay updated on AI regulations: Monitor evolving legal standards around AI and data usage.

Interpro’s team of experts can help you choose AI language services based on your challenges:

• AI Translation delivers fast, cost-effective translations using advanced artificial intelligence while maintaining high linguistic quality.
• AI Translation Consulting provides expert guidance on integrating AI-powered translation solutions into your business processes for maximum efficiency.
• AI Multimedia Localization adapts audio, video, and interactive content for global audiences using AI-enhanced tools and workflows.
• AI Event Interpreting enables real-time multilingual communication at events through AI-driven interpreting technology and professional oversight.
• Machine Translation Post Editing refines AI-generated translations through expert human editing to ensure accuracy, tone, and cultural relevance.

Need help implementing AI for translation?

Set up a reliable, ethical AI translation workflow with Interpro here to guide you. Schedule a consultation today to start translating smarter.

As a consultative translation partner, Interpro has guided organizations across industries (including healthcare, education, and nonprofit associations) through the complexities of integrating AI into their translation workflows.

FAQs: Ethical AI in translation

Will Interpro ever use AI without my approval?

No. We only use AI after you opt in and the scope is documented.

How do you protect confidential content?

We avoid public models for sensitive data and use secure, access-controlled systems with strong vendor due-diligence.

Why keep humans in the loop?

Professional linguists ensure accuracy, cultural nuance, and brand voice especially for technical or high-stakes content.

Which standards guide your approach?

We align with ISO 17100 for translation quality processes; consider ISO/IEC 27001 and SOC 2 for security; and follow HIPAA where applicable. We also track EU AI Act transparency duties and NIST’s AI RMF for risk management.

Resources:
EU AI Act transparency ·
NIST AI RMF ·
ISO 17100 ·
ISO/IEC 27001 ·
SOC 2 ·
HIPAA Privacy Rule

Explore services: Translation · Consulting · Document · eLearning · Video & Multimedia

The post AI in Translation: Interpro’s Consent-First Policy for Quality, Privacy, and Transparency appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

Whether it’s product manuals, compliance forms, internal policies, marketing materials, or educational workbooks, companies rely on PDFs to distribute important information. But when it comes to translating PDFs, things aren’t as simple as they seem.

By design, PDFs are made to preserve a document’s appearance and prevent unauthorized duplication.

At first glance, you might assume you can just upload a PDF to Google Translate or another free online tool. After all, those tools are fast, free, and easy to use. But the gain in speed and convenience comes with a sacrifice in accuracy, formatting, and professional presentation.

For example, when Interpro localizes PDFs for SEIU 775 Benefits Group (a nonprofit supporting thousands of ESL caregivers), they contain critical information about health benefits, training materials, and facilitator guides. These can be loaded with healthcare jargon, and help to keep caregivers compliant with regulations in the health services industry. Throughout this article, we’ll reference how organizations like SEIU take the right approach to translation, and break down some key differences between professional translation services and free tools.

The Hidden Complexity of PDF Translation

PDF stands for Portable Document Format. That “portability” makes PDFs ideal for sharing documents across devices, operating systems, and viewing environments. But it also means they’re not source files. Most PDFs are exported from programs like Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, or Microsoft Word; all of which have a robust set of editing tools. The complexity of working directly with a PDF stems from the limited set of editing tools available in Acrobat. Localizing a PDF will almost always require more editing functionality than Acrobat offers, so we typically will convert the PDF to expand our editing capabilities. 

Translating that layout isn’t just a matter of replacing one string of text with another. Consider:

• Text expansion or contraction across languages
• Font compatibility across scripts
• Right-to-left (RTL) language support
• Retaining or updating functional elements like cross-references, hyperlinks, and tables of contents
• Preserving layout and visual hierarchy

The takeaway: translating a PDF properly requires both linguistic accuracy and technical understanding of language formatting. That’s where a professional translation partner adds real value because free tools don’t provide either of these benefits.

What Makes PDF Translation So Technically Challenging?

1. PDFs Are Not Editable Source Files

Once a file is converted to PDF, editing becomes difficult. The editing capabilities of PDF software are not nearly as robust as those found in Word or InDesign (check out InDesign benefits and best practices here). So while it is possible to make simple edits directly in PDF software like Acrobat, most of the editing functionality that’s needed is either missing or very limited. Some examples include changing fonts, applying right-to-left formatting, adjusting leading, and updating an Index or Table of Contents. 

2. OCR May Be Required

If your PDF was scanned the text is likely saved as an image. In this case, OCR (Optical Character Recognition) must be used to extract the text. The quality of OCR is highly dependent on the resolution and clarity of the original file.

3. Formatting Needs to Be Rebuilt

Text wrapping, column layouts, font sizing, and image placement all change once translated. Text may expand by 15-30% in languages like Spanish or German. Conversely, languages like Chinese or Korean may contract. This shift often breaks layouts unless multilingual desktop publishing (DTP) is applied to restore balance.

4. Functionality Is Easily Lost

Clickable elements like a hyperlinked table of contents or cross-references will not survive the translation process unless rebuilt intentionally. These must be manually re-linked within a design program like InDesign.

Free Tools vs. Professional Services: What’s the Difference?

So you’re considering your options. We get it, and in some cases the free tool may make sense in very simple messages and where urgency is more important than precision. However, for professional clients, we don’t find free tools to be accurate and they can still be burdensome to use.

Other common pitfalls of DIY or free PDF translation tools are:

• Inaccurate technical language: Auto-translators mishandle industry terms.
• Cultural missteps: Offending or confusing international audiences.
• Broken layouts: Auto-generated PDFs often break page design.
• Lost functionality: TOCs and links may not work as expected.
• Brand damage: Poor translations hurt credibility.

When You’ll Need a Multilingual Desktop Publishing (DTP) Specialist

To avoid all the previously mentioned problems, you need a Multilingual DTP specialist. They are subject matter experts on the specific process of formatting translated text into the original layout while preserving visual integrity, readability, and cultural appropriateness. This is particularly crucial for:

• Brochures and marketing PDFs
• Compliance and safety manuals
• Technical documentation
• Product packaging or datasheets

At Interpro, our DTP specialists work with professional linguists to ensure translated PDFs don’t have cut-off text, distorted images, or broken tables.

How it Works: Professional PDF Translation

When you get started with a professional translation company, the process should look something like this:

1. File Review
   Is the PDF editable or scanned? Is a native file available (e.g., .INDD or .DOCX)?
2. OCR + Text Extraction (if needed)
   We extract live text and preserve layout references.
3. Glossary & Translation Memory Prep
   We use your existing terminology or create a glossary to ensure consistency.
4. Human Translation by Subject Matter Experts
   In-country linguists translate the content with regional nuance.
5. Multilingual DTP Formatting
   Our design team rebuilds layout, adjusts spacing, and ensures formatting integrity.
6. Quality Assurance
   Final review includes linguistic QA and visual QA to ensure formatting, functionality, and message integrity.
7. Delivery of Final PDF
   A clean, fully formatted, and accurate PDF that matches your brand standards, but in another language. 

When to Choose a Professional Translation Company

You may not be ready to start translating now. But when you’re ready to scale your translated communications, you’ll likely want to work with a professional translation agency to help you with:

• Efficient workflows that integrate with your writers and designers processes for timely delivery and the best translation quality.
• Human linguists with subject matter expertise in your industry.
• Engineering and design support for complex file types.
• Ability to provide feedback for critical translations for compliance, marketing, or technical publications.
• Additional translation support tools like a translation memory, glossary or style guide.

In conclusion, a free PDF translation tool might help you understand a document in another language or help with urgent, simple communications. But if you’re using PDFs to communicate with clients, employees, regulators, or global partners, these free tools won’t serve you.

Ready to Translate? Start With a Single PDF

Want to see what a professionally translated PDF looks like? Get the behind-the-scenes professional translation experience and request a free sample translation. 

We’ll provide document translation services with one of your documents to show how Interpro makes it seamless to get accurate translations, tone, and formatting every time.

Preserving your brand and message intent is the start of your growth strategy, your risk mitigation plan, and your key to clear communication. Whether you’re targeting international markets or supporting U.S. audiences with English-as-a-Second Language, we tailor translation solutions that help you scale with confidence.

 Get a Sample Translation

The post Why Professional PDF Translation Matters (and Free Tools Fall Short) appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

Since Interpro’s founding, we have incorporated state-of-the-art translation technology and localization engineers to provide our clients with the most effective all-around solutions that fit their budget and delivery times, without compromising the quality of the final deliverables. Whether it involves updating Translation Memory, utilizing the latest Neural Machine Translation (NMT) engine, or deploying a Large Language Model (LLM) generative AI, this means we help you solve your technical issues in your translation, localization, and interpreting projects.

Our Commitment to Continuous Technology Improvement: When you choose to partner with Interpro, we always stay on the cutting edge of the newest translation technology – so you don’t have to.

Advanced Translation Technology

Interpro’s specialists, methodology, and technology are built to support translating from any application, file type, or platform.

Interpro’s track record working with many different authoring programs, development tools, Learning Management Systems (LMS), Content Management Systems (CMS), programming languages, and other platforms for word processing, graphic design, audio and video production ensures consistently successful outcomes for our clients.

In addition to our team’s experience, Interpro’s processes and people create optimal language solutions you need with every project.

Supporting Any File Type, Platform, Application, or Format

From commercial platforms to proprietary tools you’ve created, our turnkey methodology allows the Interpro team to work with any file type you provide on any operating system like Windows, Mac OS, Linux, iOS, Android and IBM i OS.

Don’t see your File Type, Platform, Application, or Format listed?

Connect with an expert at Interpro! Chance are our team can help create you a solution.

The post Interpro’s Supported Applications and File Types appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

Whatever your target languages or regional dialects, Interpro’s professional linguists can provide accurate, consistent translation, localization and interpreting for your audiences. Our expert foreign language translation services are available for virtually every modern language, with localization for specific vernaculars. We also provide translation services from any of these languages into English.

Subject Matter Experts In Every Language

We hand select our linguists from around the world based on our high standards for subject matter experts. Translators are always native speakers of the target language, residing in the culture where the language is spoken.

Translation and Localization for Your Language and Dialect

Some of the languages we work with are shown below, but we can provide expert services in many more. If you need translation or interpreting for a language that isn’t listed, just give us a call.

The post Interpro’s Supported Languages appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

In an era where global communication is paramount, translating with AI tools can offer a revolutionary approach to breaking language barriers within companies. However, the adoption of using AI to translate is not just about embracing new technology; it’s about understanding its implications, benefits, and best practices, especially for those outside the language, writing, or editing industries. Here’s a comprehensive guide to navigating the complexities and opportunities of using AI to translate within your business.

Topics covered in this article:

• Using Artificial Intelligence Translation: Is it Cost and Time Efficient?
• AI Translation vs Human Translation
• Translate with AI: Balancing Cost with Quality
• How AI Translation Works (3 Types of Processes)
• Evolution of Translation Agencies with AI
• Is AI Right for Your Translation Needs?
• The AI Translation Services We Can (Confidently) Recommend
• Next Steps: Navigating AI Translation Implementation in Your Company

Using Artificial Intelligence Translation: Is it Cost and Time Efficient?

The question every company is asking right now: “Can using AI for translation save money?”

Artificial Intelligence (AI) translation is not just a technological innovation—it’s proven to be an investment in time and cost reduction.

Interpro has witnessed, on average, a 30% savings in project costs from companies adopting AI-based translation. However, the disclaimer is this varies based on the volume of content, languages involved, as well as the degree of localization and human review required.

The most significant benefit, however, lies in efficiency. AI translation outpaces human capabilities in speed for quicker turnaround times for projects that require fast communication channels. Ultimately, this streamlines the translation process to involve human review primarily for accuracy checks.

AI Translation vs Human Translation

Human Translation is completed entirely by humans, with high levels of personalization during the process. It usually involves some version of the Translation, Revision, and Proofreading (TRP) process to ensure the highest levels of localization and translation accuracy. For example, Interpro’s client surveys and feedback find that our human TRP process consistently has a 99.8% accuracy rate.

AI Translation is completed using one of the processes previously mentioned in the article. There is little-to-no human editing, accuracy varies, and localization levels are low to non-existent. Accuracy levels range from 50%-90% depending on the language and content type. The average cost savings from Human Translation are 30%, but again, this really depends on the type of project and volume of work.

A Blend of the Two: AI Translation + Machine Translation Post-Editing involves sending an AI-generated translation to a human translator for further quality assurance and localization. This solution seems to be the best of both humans and AI because the process is more flexible, allowing you to determine the degree of AI involvement vs human review and editing in your translation workflow. It can be as accurate as human translation while still offering some of the cost savings using AI.

Will AI replace translators?

It’s highly unlikely AI will replace human translators any time soon. AI translation tools can’t capture the semantics and complicated nuances of language for an accurate or localized translation. Like every other AI tool out there, you need someone behind the keyboard that understands the languages, context of the material, and the complexities of human emotion.

How accurate is AI translation?

Using AI to translate can have varying levels of accuracy based on several factors, including the language pair, the complexity of the text, and the context. While AI translation has improved significantly with some systems achieving accuracy rates of over 90%, do you really want a public document that reflects your company filled with 10% of errors?

In the next section we break down the particular issues with using AI to translate and how to approach the translation process with AI to produce the least amount of issues possible.

Is AI Translation Good? Understanding the Risks of AI for Language Translation

Translation agencies and translation companies like Interpro stay ahead by employing AI. Despite the advantages, though, using AI for translation comes with its share of risks.

There are five main risks when translating with AI:

Confidentiality of proprietary or sensitive materials. We cover the issues of using public domain tools such as ChatGPT for translation, but other Google Translate, AWS, and Microsoft Azure could potentially expose sensitive information to the public, compromising confidentiality.

Localization. Do you need basic things like currency, dates, measurements, addresses, and phone numbers changed to meet your global audience’s needs? AI may not account for these small adjustments. It certainly won’t account for language and cultural changes that would ensure the message is understood as you intended.

Translation Accuracy. Is the actual translation accurate or are there grammatical and spelling errors? Are the proper words being used, or is AI putting together sentences that don’t make sense? It’s easy to understand that AI might miss cultural nuances, but it makes spelling and grammatical errors just as easy.

Aligning Messaging Across Content. If you’re translating an eLearning course, does the verbiage and tone in module A match the verbiage and tone used in module B? If you’re translating compliance-related topics, do regulatory terms get translated in a way that keeps the intended message and keeps you compliant? Ensuring AI keeps your brand consistent is complicated at best and definitely requires a professional translation company.

Multilingual DTP and Formatting. A major downside to using AI translation is that your team will have to reformat the AI translation output. For a Word document, it’s easier. For InDesign documents or PDF translations, and you’ll want to add a Multilingual DTP step to avoid errors.

Translate with AI: Balancing Costs with Quality

Diving deeper into costs versus quality, it’s essential to recognize that AI, when used in isolation, may compromise the translation’s accuracy and won’t be highly localized. Recognizing this, our company advocates for a blend of AI-driven translation with a crucial step of Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE). This hybrid approach ensures not only speed and cost-efficiency but also accuracy, consistency across content, and adequate localization to cater to the global audience’s needs.

It’s also important to remember that the quality of your translations depends on the quality of your content as well. The more work you and your team put in first to make the initial content good, the better you set yourselves up for success later with AI translation.

How AI Translation Works: The 3 Types of AI Translation Processes

You might be asking “How can we implement AI into our translation process? What are professional translation agencies doing?” Or “Should we make the investment to do AI translation internally?”

The answer: it depends, but we’ll cover the options here.

Interpro has identified three main approaches to the AI translation process:

• a professional translation agency uses an AI translation tool like Phrase + MTPE*
• building a customized translation engine + MTPE*
• your company invests in AI tool and processes to perform the initial translation on your own, but use a professional localization agency for MTPE*

*MTPE = Machine Translation Post-Editing. You’ll note that all these options include a Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE) step. Again, that’s because we really don’t recommend using only AI to complete the translation process alone without a human linguist review.

Option 1: Professional Translation Agency for AI Translation Services

This is the AI Translation process that would be the best fit for most companies. And we aren’t just saying that because we are a translation agency. After consulting with our clients and internal teams this is truly the best option if you are looking for time and cost savings.

In this translation process, you’ll provide the content you want to be translated to the translation agency. They test your content with an AI translation tool and ensure the content is a good “match” based on the language translation ability within the AI tool.  If your content is a good match for translation, Interpro will recommend AI to translate.

Next, the translations will then go into MTPE. This is where they are sent to a human linguist who reviews and edits the translation. Think of editing levels and localization here as a spectrum. Do you just want to ensure the text is grammatically correct? Or do you want localization applied, like dates, currency, and measurements? Refer to the localization comparison chart to help you decide the level of post-editing you’ll require.

Option 2: Building a Customized Translation Engine

This is a rare solution because it requires your company to have expansive translation projects. But your company would be a good candidate for this option if:

• You have lots of content already translated for the translation engine to reference,
• Have other translation tools available like a translation memory, translation glossary, or multilingual style guide,
• Have lots of ongoing translation work, usually in multiple languages,
• Need the messaging to be aligned and consistent across different pieces of content where it’s important for the viewer’s comprehension that verbiage stays consistent. Example: you might have a website that references a technical manual, plus assets like PDFs and PowerPoints for sales to sell your product. It’s important for the viewer’s comprehension that verbiage stays consistent.
• Have time for the translation agency to “train” the custom engine through multiple rounds of translation.

This is where it’s important to confirm that the translation agency has a layered process and partnership approach to translating your content.

This means they should build the custom translation engine using all your translated content but layer the process with a human linguist (or two) to ensure the translation was completed accurately while applying any additional localization and brand standards that AI simply can’t provide.

A word of warning before considering this process: This process requires an upfront cost investment. Just like every other AI model for other services, your custom translation engine would require “training” with the translation process becoming more efficient over time.

Option 3: Your company invests in an AI translation tool and processes to perform the initial translation, but use a professional localization agency to review the AI output for accuracy and localization requirements.

You might be considering this option because you think it will be the best cost saver. However, that would require further analysis from your internal Human Resources team and current translation processes.

If you want total control over your translation project or perhaps already have an internal person managing your translation projects who is familiar with AI translation, this option may make sense.

However, this option may not make financial sense if your company isn’t an enterprise serving the entire globe with a translation team on staff. You may not see the cost savings once you account for the resources to hire and train internal talent + the cost of the tools required + outsourcing the MTPE to a company like Interpro. As we mentioned, the average savings when using AI to translate is about 30% when working with a professional translation team that has experience with editing machine translation output. You may not see this same cost benefit if you perform the translation yourself.

Evolution of Translation Agencies with AI

As AI technology for translation services gets more sophisticated, translation services are rapidly adapting.

“Machine translation has been around for decades” says Beshar Bahjat, Interpro’s Chief Technology Officer. “The recent AI technology revolution has dramatically increased the demand for AI services. In turn, translation technology has continued to evolve and adapt as AI services are advancing at a rapid pace. We leverage AI for select services, identifying the most cost-effective solutions for our clients. Our approach is to understand your company’s translation goals and determine whether AI can meet your needs , a human translation is a better fit or a if a hybrid solution would be your best option. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution in translation; and consulting with a specialized agency like ours will help you choose the optimum solution for your translation needs.”

At Interpro, we are committed to evolving as AI evolves. By staying ahead of the AI technology curve and continually advancing our services, we know we are providing the best translation solutions using the latest cutting edge technology as it becomes available.

Is AI Right for Your Translation Needs?

To evaluate if AI translation is right for your translation needs, consider:

• Language: AI services are highly developed for languages like Spanish, while few resources exist for Maori or Arabic.
• Subject Matter: Technical content or content that doesn’t require high levels of localization to resonate with the viewer, will generally perform best.
• Budget: Does your budget allow for AI translation + human post-editing? If you’re already translating content, the answer is likely yes.
• Service Type: The technology AI video translation is great, but other services are greatly lacking. We’ll dive into the services we recommend in the next section of this article.

Examples of some industries and subject matter that are not the right fit for AI translation services:

Medical document translation services, entail an incredibly high standard of accuracy and would not be a good candidate.

Same for marketing content that usually requires a high level of localization. Choosing a human linguist and certified translation service providers who can offer multilingual desktop publishing are crucial to the translation and localization process.

eLearning translation could be a good fit for technical manuals or standard word documents. However, it depends on the content, message intent, and level of localization required.

Similarly, legal translation services must ensure that documentations such as contracts and legal briefs are managed with precision, discretion, and legal compliance. Risking errors by using AI is not recommended.

The AI Translation Services We Can (Confidently) Recommend

If you’ve determined your language, subject matter, and budget are a good match for AI translation, what kind of services are available to you?

These are the services that we feel AI technology is developed enough to produce good results and cost savings:

• AI Interpreting
• AI Captioning
• AI Voice Over Recording
• AI Translation with Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE)
• AI Document Translation

Such tools can significantly enhance the translation process when paired with efforts to standardize and simplify source materials for better compatibility with AI translation.

Next Steps: Navigating AI Translation Implementation in Your Company

The journey to implementing AI translation into your company involves careful consideration of your goals, the unique characteristics of your content, and the capabilities of AI technology. While AI offers significant time and cost savings, ensuring quality requires a balanced approach and the right partnership with professionals skilled in navigating the intricate landscape.

Ready to explore AI translation for your business?

Here are the steps Interpro recommends:

• Identify the languages and content that would be suitable for AI translation. Remember, it will truly shine with AI Interpreting, AI Captioning, AI Voice-Over Recording, and Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE).
• Consider the level of localization you will need. Interpro’s team can help you decide what should be localized and adjusted after translation.
• Decide what type of documents need 100% accuracy and high localization and what documents have a “good enough” passable threshold.
• Determine your budget, and remember to consider costs for incorporating human review for accuracy.
• Interview translation agencies. We cover how to approach this complete process in our guide to choosing a translation company.
• Ask the translation company candidates if they can guide you on which AI solutions would be best for your specific needs. For example, Interpro offers our potential clients an AI translation consultation. We believe there is no one solution for every client. (Otherwise, you wouldn’t need a translation company!)
• Select a translation agency that prioritizes quality, understands your specific needs, and is willing to protect your confidential information through NDAs or similar agreements.
• Finally, make sure the company asks to see your files for translation before you kick off the work and provides reassurance that AI can do the job.

Choosing the right translation partner is crucial for effectively communicating your brand’s message across different languages and cultures. If you’re looking for custom AI Solutions for your business, you can contact us any time.

AI is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but it’s a powerful enabler that can be tailored to the needs of a diverse content spectrum. By partnering with a knowledgeable translation service that offers online translation services or global translation services, businesses can refine their translation processes for the highest efficiency and accuracy—thus engaging audiences worldwide more effectively.

The post The Ultimate Guide to AI Translation: Best Practices for Implementation appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

Chat GPT can write code! It can write copy! But…

Can ChatGPT translate?

ChatGPT, Bard, Google Translate, Azure AI, and similar bots can translate, but a human should  always be involved in the translation process. AI and Machine Translators may be able to write and translate but you need to understand potential issues when you use ChatGPT for translation.

Find out if Chat GPT is your friend or foe. If we don’t answer your question in this article, email us here so we can.

ChatGPT: Not new, just different

If you haven’t heard of ChatGPT yet, don’t worry – we interviewed ChatGPT, so it can tell you itself:

Sounds perfect, but notice it doesn’t mention translation quality. So…

Is ChatGPT good for translation?

It depends on what you’re translating and if you have a good quality analysis step in your translation process.

Machine Translation tools powered by artificial intelligence like ChatGPT or Google Translate have been around for years, and accuracy is always a concern when using them. Simply take a look at some often-hilarious translations.

New Machine Translation tools like ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, and Microsoft’s Azure AI approach the task differently. Rather than translating word-for-word, the tool tries to understand the message behind the text. Then it performs the translation.

Just like a human translator, right?

Not quite.

Essentially, ChatGPT is an improved version of the predictive text feature on your phone. It uses a probability distribution to guess the next word in  a sequence.

ChatGPT bases this prediction on information it’s been fed, which can be inaccurate or biased. (We’ll dive into this more later in the article.)

This large language model (LLM) technology is how Bard and Azure can handle tasks like writing an essay, email, or limerick. The AI guesses what you want, looks for examples, and mimics them.

The hidden issues of using AI for translation

Because AI platforms like ChatGPT base their output on input scraped from other sources, we need analyze the possible issues that can occur when using it for translation:

Issue #1: Inaccurate & Emotionless Translations

Critics complain that AI can’t be relatable and can’t connect emotionally. But  it also can’t read the room.

Chatbots choose their words based on probability. For example, if they encounter many instances of the word “pooch” being used for “dog,” they’ll include “pooch” in their essay on dog training.

They have no idea if that word is derogatory or offensive. Imagine instead we’re talking about people instead of dogs…

Applying this to localization, imagine the potential dangers of counting on a computer program to translate a marketing email for a foreign country.  Quality control won’t be able to help you here!

Issue #2: Information Privacy Isn’t Guaranteed

When we asked Chat GPT about translation and information security, it responded:

Confusing? Let us translate:

ChatGPT says “…it is not stored or used for any purpose other than generating a response…”

This means: Information pasted into ChatGPT is still being saved somewhere. This means it can be accessed by someone and used without your permission.

If you load private information into ChatGPT for translation, that information isn’t used for future ChatGPT answers. But it is still stored, even if the current model of ChatGPT isn’t accessing it.

As far as why it’s saved and who can access it – we don’t know. That means all they have to do is change their terms and conditions to access past answers and poof – your confidential content is fair game. It could be the company that owns ChatGPT, someone who hacks the company, or marketing agencies targeting you.

During the interview, Chat GPT went on to state the following risks/disclaimers over and over:

• “text loaded into ChatGPT may be visible to the user and anyone else who has access to the device or platform”
• “avoid sharing sensitive or confidential information”
• “consult any relevant laws or regulations that may apply in your jurisdiction [regarding what information is considered private or confidential]”

You don’t know who or what will have access to the information you provide to online AI tools.

Issue #3: ChatGPT Doesn’t Consider Copyright Laws In Its Answers

… except to give a disclaimer that ChatGPT’s answers might infringe on someone’s intellectual property. That’s not ChatGPT’s problem, though, according to the previous image.

ChatGPT has a lot of content, but we might not know who owns it or if it has any intellectual property restrictions.

Want to translate the word coffee into ten languages? ChatGPT might not be accurate, but it won’t be copyright infringement.

However, if you ask for it to draft a mission statement and translate it into ten languages, you might just end up playing with text that is owned by Coca-Cola. But that’s your problem, not ChatGPT’s.

Does ChatGPT localize translations?

Short answer: it tries its best, but ChatGPT’s best isn’t always right.

Instant translators (like ChatGPT or Google Translate) have always struggled with the many ways to translate an idea or phrase. This flexibility is one of the complexities of human language that machines don’t quite understand

Just because a machine translation tool has provided what it thinks is the best translation doesn’t mean it’s right.

The new generation of tech is more likely to understand that “raining cats and dogs” should translate to “raining heavily” and not “calicos and cockapoos are falling from the sky.” But it still has its limits.

Shortly after ChatGPT made its buzzy debut, Lain Murray, professor of machine learning at the University of Edinburgh, tested its ability to translate a particular Chinese phrase.

The simple sentence is Murray’s version of an unbreakable riddle – he has tested it on every commercial machine translator, each one has gotten it wrong. ChatGPT was no different, except the cheeky app tried to convince Murray that either a) he was wrong or b) the problem was with the source material.

A team of researchers at Tencent AI Lab might have a reason for why the chatbot struggled. They found that the more similar the source and target languages are, the more accurately ChatGPT can translate. It’s pretty confident translating German into English,  but using a lot more guesswork to translate English to Chinese.

In Murray’s riddle, the machine mistranslated a character that means an action never takes place and used a character that implied it sometimes takes place.

This seems minor in an academic sense. But what if the material being translated is an employee safety manual, legal statute, or medical textbook?

Minor discrepancies can lead to major issues.

Can ChatGPT replace translators?

Not in the near future. We’ve established that AI software like ChatGPT and Bard have a hard time translating accurately and have no idea if they’re being offensive or not. Are there any other issues?

Well, since you asked…

Most AI has to be fed data to produce an answer. But how do you know if the data is good? Accurate? Recent? Complete?

You don’t.

Because the data feeding ChatGPT is cut off at a specific date, the AI can’t consider recent events that could make references appear tone-deaf or insensitive. Since languages change with time and culture, this will be problematic as AI ages.

When we asked ChatGPT if it was good at translating languages, the tool admitted its shortcomings. In the machine’s words, “translations may require human review and correction.”

To summarize the challenges of using any AI like ChatGPT for translation:

• Accuracy: ChatGPT may not produce accurate translations, especially for complex or technical content.
• Context: ChatGPT may misunderstand the prompt, style, or tone and not consider cultural or language sensitivities because AI can’t detect cultural nuances.
• Confidentiality: ChatGPT may not protect private information
• Bias: Like all machine learning models, ChatGPT can be biased and offensive in its translations.
• Limited language support: ChatGPT can’t translate every language.
• Limited technical ability: Chat GPT is not as advances as other professional translation tools on the market
• Text only support: ChatGPT can’t provide translations based on an images, videos, or audio files.

Using ChatGPT as your only translator isn’t a good idea.

Does ChatGPT have a place in the translation workflow?

Only as long as it isn’t your only step in the translation workflow. You can use ChatGPT in your translation workflow if it’s surrounded by additional steps for:

• Grammatical and spelling proofreading
• Localization for cultural nuances
• Formatting (it’s easier to format Spanish, but have you ever tried to format Arabic?)

ChatGPT could perform these same tasks as other machine translation tools:

• Assist translators in providing even better, faster, and more efficient translations of spoken or written text.
• Reduce the time and cost of translation services, allowing translators to work more efficiently and deliver translations faster without sacrificing quality.
• Make translation services more affordable and accessible, especially for small businesses and individuals.

ChatGPT could be used as a helpful tool for translating simple, low-consequence messages like:

• internal emails;
• customer service chats;
• communications when traveling in foreign countries;
• translating foreign documents into English for information and analytical purposes only.

So whatever you use for, we’ll leave you with this quote from ChatGPT:

Because only one thing can grasp the ever-changing meanings and contexts of culture language: the human brain.

No matter the project size, language, or deadline, Interpro‘s expert team  keeps your translations accurate. Professionals will find a foreign language partner in Interpro Translation Solutions.

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