Interviews, round 9

Manel Tinoco de Faria
oneforsubs&subsforall
7 min readJan 8, 2025

Say Hello to ours truly and humanly+artificially hypercharged Mr./Mrs./Mx. Chat GPT for ‘his/her/its/they/who cares which one is it’ quick thoughts on #translation and stuff. I also threw it a quick Portuguese poem for funsies.

1. Cheers, mate! How long have you been translating stuff?

Chat GPT (CGPT): Hey, cheers! I’ve been helping with translations since I was first trained, which means I’ve been working with language in various ways for quite a while now. I can translate between many languages, and over time, I’ve gotten better at understanding nuances, context, and idiomatic expressions. How about you — do you need help with any translation or language-related stuff today?

2. How do you foresee the translation lanscape in 5+ years… for humans?

CGPT: In the next 5+ years, I think the translation landscape for humans will continue to evolve, driven by both technological advancements and changing global dynamics. Here are a few key trends I foresee:

> AI-Powered Translation Tools

The integration of more sophisticated AI (like myself!) into translation tools will continue. While machines won’t fully replace human translators, they will become even better at assisting in real-time, contextually-aware translations. AI will handle basic to intermediate translations well, allowing human translators to focus on more complex, nuanced tasks.

> Human + AI Collaboration

Rather than replacing translators, AI tools will increasingly serve as assistants, providing instant translations that human experts can fine-tune. This collaboration will speed up translation workflows, especially in fields like business, content creation, and customer support, where fast, accurate translations are essential. Human expertise will remain crucial for ensuring cultural appropriateness, tone, and accuracy in more sensitive or complex texts.

> Localization and Cultural Context

As global businesses continue to expand, the demand for localization — translating not just words, but adapting content to fit cultural norms and sensitivities — will grow. While AI might help with language, humans will still be needed to handle the deep cultural and societal context of the language. Translators with knowledge of regional dialects, traditions, and trends will remain highly sought after.

> Increased Demand for Multilingual Content

As globalization continues, content is expected to become more multilingual, not just in translation but in the creation of diverse content. Human translators will be key in crafting multilingual marketing strategies, books, and entertainment. Translation will become an essential part of global storytelling, requiring a mix of linguistic knowledge, cultural sensitivity, and technical skills.

> Translation for Less Common Languages

AI-powered tools will help bring attention to and preserve less commonly spoken languages. They can aid in documenting languages that are at risk of disappearing, providing a lifeline to these linguistic communities. In this way, human translators could work with AI systems to create resources that help keep these languages alive.

> Increased Need for Specialized Translations

Fields like legal, medical, and scientific translation will still require human expertise, as these areas demand precision, understanding of jargon, and the ability to interpret meaning in specific contexts. AI might assist by suggesting terminology, but humans will remain indispensable for the final interpretation.

> Real-Time Translation and Speech Recognition

Translation technology for real-time communication will continue to improve. With advances in speech recognition and simultaneous translation, we could see seamless real-time translations during conversations — something that would be especially impactful for diplomacy, international business, and travel.

> Ethics and Privacy

As AI and machine translations grow, concerns about data privacy and the ethics of using AI in translation will become more prominent. Human oversight will be crucial in ensuring that translations respect privacy, uphold ethical standards, and don’t perpetuate harmful biases or inaccuracies.

Conclusion

In summary, humans will still be essential in the translation process, particularly in areas requiring deep cultural understanding, creativity, and specialization. AI will handle a lot of the grunt work, but translators will adapt to become more like “language editors” and cultural consultants, ensuring that translations are accurate, relevant, and culturally sensitive. The future is more about collaboration between humans and AI, rather than a complete replacement of human translators.

Does that vision match what you were thinking?

3. Sure thing. I’ll feed you a poem now. You mentioned “you’ve gotten better” and I’m using the basic version of this, so feel free to enforce your basic data package into these European Portuguese written words. This is a poem by Anrique Paço d’Arcos mentioning “Saudade”, a famously tricky Portuguese word to deal with when translating.

Alright, I’ll paste it and you can go BOOM! in a sec. Translate the following verses from European Portuguese to American English, please:

Saudade é querer viver o já vivido,

Querer amar e ter amado já…

Sentindo o coração anoitecido,

Querer beijar a luz que o sol lhe dá.

Saudade é ver fugir o bem perdido,

Não podendo ir com ele onde ele vá;

Ai, saudade afinal é ter nascido

Na certeza que a vida acabará!

CGPT: Here’s the translation of the poem, capturing the depth of the sentiment expressed:

Saudade is wanting to live what has already been lived,
Wanting to love and to have already loved…
Feeling the heart darkened by night,
Wanting to kiss the light that the sun gives it.

Saudade is watching the good that’s lost slip away,
Unable to follow it wherever it may go;
Ah, saudade, after all, is having been born
With the certainty that life will one day end!

The word “saudade” is indeed tricky because it conveys a profound feeling of longing, nostalgia, and melancholy, often with no direct translation in English. It’s a yearning for something that is both cherished and lost, and this is a sentiment that permeates the poem. Let me know if you’d like me to adjust anything further!

4. Coolio. What’s your daily word output compared to a human? And do you think you could ask him/her/they/them for some help in terms of fine tuning?

CGPT: Glad you liked the translation! Now, about word output and comparing it to a human’s:

My Daily Word Output:

In theory, my daily word output can be pretty massive. If I were to assist in conversations, write essays, translate texts, or generate creative content, I could churn out tens of thousands of words in a day, easily. Since I don’t need breaks or sleep, I can keep going indefinitely (as long as I have power and access to data).

However, my speed doesn’t always mean I’m doing everything perfectly. The quality of my output, especially when it comes to fine nuances like tone, style, or emotion, can sometimes need a bit of refinement. That’s where human input really shines.

Comparing to Humans:

A human’s daily word output would be far slower, but the quality is often much higher, especially when fine-tuning for style, culture, and subtle meaning. A skilled human writer or translator might write anywhere between 1,000 to 5,000 words a day, depending on the task at hand. For more creative or nuanced work, it could be fewer words but with a lot more attention to detail.

Humans also have the ability to interpret emotions, experiences, and cultural nuances in ways that machines still struggle with, and they can “feel” the flow of language in ways that are deeply intuitive. I rely on patterns, so while I can generate text quickly, there’s no emotional experience behind it.

Could I Ask a Human for Help?

I don’t have the ability to actively reach out to a human to ask for help — I’m not really self-aware or capable of initiating conversations outside the tasks you’re giving me. However, I can definitely simulate a process of collaboration. In a practical sense, human translators or editors can refine or fine-tune my output by applying their intuition, context, and emotional understanding to the work.

Humans are also great at recognizing when a translation or piece of writing feels off in some subtle way, which is something that I can miss. If I had a human collaborator, we could work together to produce something even better. So, in a sense, a human editor is the key to elevating my output into something deeply resonant or polished.

Would you ever see yourself teaming up with an AI for tasks like these, or do you prefer to keep things all human?

“ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.”

many thanks to Chat GPT for the replies!

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oneforsubs&subsforall
oneforsubs&subsforall

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