[New Jobs] AI Replacing Us? ... Translators Laugh It Off

Highly Important Documents Allowing No Slight Mistranslation
Not Only Nuance Differences but Also Technical Terms Must Be Interpreted
Relying on AI Nearly Caused Fatality... The Crucial Role of Translators Grows

Editor's NoteWith super-aging and ultra-low birth rates, along with the advent of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) era, new changes are occurring in the world of jobs. We introduce the world of new professions, 'New Jobs,' which open paths for new challenges in working life or a second act in life.

The job most frequently cited as the first to be replaced by Artificial Intelligence (AI) is that of translators and interpreters. In fact, translation was the first field AI took over. Google has been applying AI-based translation services since 2016, and now automatic translation AI assistants come pre-installed on smartphones. We live in an era where websites in unfamiliar languages can be read in Korean with just one click.

However, experts shake their heads regarding the possibility of 'complete AI replacement.' Perhaps AI can assist with unimportant websites or fleeting video subtitles. But when it comes to official documents containing truly important information or materials for inter-company meetings, relying solely on machine judgment is far too risky.

Just One Mistake in the Pronouns 'I' and 'We'... A Person Nearly Lost Their Life

Uma Mirkail who saved Afghan refugees from crisis by correcting errors of automated translation tools in 2020 [Image source=Respond Crisis Translation homepage]

In 2020, there was an incident that shook the U.S. immigration authorities. At that time, refugee Mr. A, who had escaped from Afghanistan, filed an asylum application with a U.S. court, but the court rejected it. The reason was that the contents of the written application submitted by Mr. A and the statements during the immigration interview did not match.

However, professional translator Uma Mirkail thoroughly analyzed the interview content and the letter submitted by Mr. A and revealed that the court had made an incorrect judgment. The problem lay in the evidence documents submitted to the court. The AI translation tool translated the part where Mr. A said "I" as "we," causing all the facts to become a mess in this mishap.

Mr. A spoke Pashto, one of the regional languages of Afghanistan. It is difficult to find translators proficient in minority languages, and the cost of training them is enormous. For this reason, many related government agencies automated the refugee screening process using various translation tools, including AI. However, the problem is that AI translators alone cannot find completely appropriate substitutes when converting foreign languages into Korean.

Tasks That Cannot Allow Even Slight Nuance Differences?AI Cannot Do Them

Despite the advancement of AI, it seems difficult to replace the position of professional interpreters and translators.

Such translation and interpretation mistakes actually occur routinely. Every year, popular movies spark numerous 'mistranslation controversies' in their subtitles, and the same applies when reading novels or conversing with foreigners. However, mistakes like these are absolutely unacceptable in refugee asylum screenings where human lives are at stake.

Despite AI advancements, this is why translators and interpreters cannot be completely replaced. Translators and interpreters are not simply people who convert foreign languages into Korean.

The scope of translation is not limited to everyday content. It often involves interpreting documents filled with specialized terminology in fields such as law, engineering, finance, and medicine. For example, when translating manuals related to the preparation and handling of new pharmaceuticals, even a very slight error could put countless patients at risk. The task of converting language where even the slightest nuance difference cannot be tolerated is where the reason for the existence of translators and interpreters in the AI era lies.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.