Translation with ChatGPT is now a reality, although it’s not without its problems and complications. The issue at hand is determining the degree to which it’s useful in each project. In this article we will explain some of ChatGPT’s advantages while keeping in mind the pitfalls of this AI tool.
How can you use ChatGPT in your work?
You may think that AI will help you increase your productivity, and in some ways it can. With that in mind, though, you must understand that this type of technology is a tool and, as such, it needs to be handled correctly by trained professionals in order to make the most of it.
In any case, here are the top benefits of ChatGPT:
- It tends to provide better results than machine translation because you can give it instructions about text characteristics such as the tone, the level of formality, and the context. Because of this feature, the texts it generates will be much closer to your objectives than machine-translated texts.
- It can give you different possible answers. Imagine the following scenario: you need to translate a more subjective or artistic piece (such as a film script), which you could approach with a variety of possible tones. An AI tool could give you a few different translation options according to the instructions you give it.
- It makes the translation process more efficient. Used appropriately, ChatGPT can translate large blocks of texts quickly and, in general, quite effectively.
Now, until this point, we’ve only discussed the positive side of this technology. ChatGPT can be helpful in certain situations, but it also presents some issues that you should be aware of.
What challenges does ChatGPT present?
The most common error people make with this tool is not fully understanding how it works. It’s not able to automatically solve any problem you give it. It performs actions based on the information in its database and the specific instructions it is given. It isn’t a fully autonomous AI tool, which is why it needs a professional translator with knowledge of ChatGPT to guide it. Without a knowledgeable human translator, the results it produces might be counterproductive.
In addition, the ChatGPT database works by trial and error. If you’re using ChatGPT and you ask it to translate a text into another language, the database won’t have information about cultural equivalences. For example: if you’re writing about a food that is specific to your country, such as hamburgers in the US, you may need to change the food in the translation to fit your target audience. In a target text meant for Thailand, you might want to write about pad thai instead. This type of local knowledge is what a professional translator brings to the table while they supervise and guide an AI project.
Translating with ChatGPT is helpful as long as you don’t use it as a substitute for a professional translator. If you want to take this task off your plate, get in touch with us. At blarlo we will help you with whatever you need!
