Translations and AI – « to be or not to be » ?

AI translations have come a long way and while they’re incredibly helpful for basic understanding, they are not perfect. They are good at quickly translating of simple sentences and everyday language, making them a useful tool for communication across the world. However, nuances like idiomatic expressions, cultural contexts and emotional tone often get lost or misrepresented.

AI can struggle with more complex texts, like literature, poetry, or legal documents, where precision matter a lot. In these cases, human translators are still superior because they understand the deeper meaning and context behind the words.  AI translation is a great supplement to human work, but I don’t think it will completely replace professional translators anytime soon. It is a tool so when it used correctly, can break down language barriers and make global communication easier.

AI has certainly made huge strides in the field of translation, but it still faces significant challenges when it comes to competing with professional human translators, especially in more complex, context-sensitive situations.

Professional translators brings cultural awareness, tone and context to their work—elements that AI often misses, especially when translating literature, marketing contents, legal texts or medical materials. These fields require not just linguistic accuracy, but also deep understanding of subject matter and cultural implications.

So, while AI can speed up the process and be useful for basic tasks, human translators will always be necessary for high-quality, context-sensitive translations. AI can be a complement to human expertise, but it’s unlikely to fully replace skilled professionals anytime soon.

So what will be in future ?

In the future, AI will undoubtedly continue to improve, and it might become much more precise in translation tasks. However, even if AI reaches higher levels of accuracy, I still think fully replacing human translators will be challenging. A translator’s job involves much more than just knowing the language; it requires intuition, an understanding of cultural differences, and a sense of nuance—things that AI still struggles to replicate perfectly.

Moreover, even if AI becomes advanced enough to handle most translation work, there will always be a need for human intervention in complex or highly specialized fields. For example, in literature, law, or medicine, where accuracy and context are paramount, human translators will still be essential.

Do you think AI will ever reach that level ???