Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are getting better every day and have already started to influence different aspects of our lives, including the translation domain. OpenAI has just unveiled the new GPT 4o, an amazing tool in terms of performance and capabilities. The manufacturers assure us that, once publicly available, GPT 4o will allow simultaneous interpretation in 50 languages, helping people understand each other more easily when travelling and even in the workplace.
But for a translation company the use of AI technologies in the work process brings with it many ethical challenges that need to be addressed with responsibility and care.
Translation memory and usage rights
In our profession, we often use translation memories with cloud storage. This means that an agency keeps the translation memory and can use it later, but it also means that it can make it available to translators other than those who generated it. In the case of agencies, depending on the contractual terms, translators cease the rights of use in their favor, but in the case of online translation tools such as Google Translate or Deepl, the conditions are different.
Copyright and intellectual property protection
In addition to translators’ rights, one of the key issues to consider is the protection of the copyright of original works (novels, novellas, studies, etc.). In a digitised world, where access to information is increasingly easy, it is crucial to ensure that translations made with AI respect copyright and do not infringe intellectual property.
Thus, even in the absence of specific regulations, translation companies need to self-regulate and implement clear policies and procedures for employees and collaborators to respect copyright in AI translations.
Data privacy and information security
Data privacy is another particularly important aspect in translations made with AI. Translation companies need to be extremely careful to protect the confidentiality of their clients’ data, especially when it involves sensitive information such as personal data, business information or legal documents.
The use of public access AI translation technologies may be acceptable in certain situations, but it is essential that client data is properly protected and secured, and that information is stored and processed according to data security and protection standards.
Accuracy and quality of translations
In addition to copyright and data privacy issues, the accuracy of translations is another crucial point in the ethics of translations made with AI.
As we stated in a previous article, despite technological advances, AI translations cannot always guarantee accuracy and the rendering of the original text with utmost fidelity. This underlines the importance of involving qualified human translators in the process of reviewing and verifying AI translations to ensure their quality and accuracy.
Translation companies should focus on continuous training of translators and the development of standards and procedures to ensure the quality and consistency of translations made with AI.
Interpreting with AI and its ethical implications
Concerning AI interpreting, a similar approach should be applied. In some situations, AI interpreting can be effective and useful, but it is important to recognise the limitations of the technology and to ensure that sensitive or confidential information is treated responsibly and carefully. Translation companies need to provide clarity to their clients about the capabilities and limitations of AI technologies in interpreting and offer alternative solutions when necessary.
For example, while a tourist wanting to find out the price of a fridge magnet in a market in a foreign country can benefit from AI interpretation technology without risk, it is clear that its use needs to be approached with care, especially in business or high-level meetings. A discussion between dignitaries cannot be mediated by an app that transmits real-time discussion data to a server over which the participants in the official or confidential conversation have no control. Such applications could only be used if the data collected were kept on the device being used and could then be deleted or stored securely, with access granted only to those in the right, which is also impossible at the moment due to the computational and memory resource requirements of such applications.
In conclusion, ethics in translations made with AI is a particularly important concern for translation companies, but also for those who use automated translation, and respecting copyright, protecting data privacy and ensuring the accuracy of translations are imperative for the responsible use of AI technologies in translation.
By adopting sound ethical policies and practices internally and communicating them as industry standards, translation companies can help promote a professional and responsible working environment in the evolving digital age.
[image source: Stable Diffusion]