Will AI wipe out interpreters? (BBC World Service)

Keeping in mind to make blogging a new “lovely” routine, I will write about what inspires me to remember, think deeply, or stay motivated to pursue my career. The topics may range from interpreting and translation to teaching and languages.

BBC World Service podcast Asia Specific has released an episode on AI and interpreting. It has been a hot topic in the industry for years. The episode is available online in both audio and video formats.

https://bbc.com/audio/play/w3ct9bz5

https://youtu.be/ZZA4nzpEY9M?si=Apz2JE0C7sH6agCo

With the rapid advancement of AI, interpreting and translation have long been near the top of the list of careers said to be at risk of being replaced by AI.

A professional interpreter featured on the episode suggests that AI could replace human interpreters in general settings within a few years, although it may take longer in fields such as politics and legal proceedings, where subtle human nuances can make a significant difference.

According to the episode, there are three major hurdles AI interpreting technology must overcome before it can match human interpreters: (1) accents, (2) specialised terminology, and (3) situations where multiple languages are spoken simultaneously. However, with sufficient training, AI is likely to overcome these challenges. The final hurdle may be whether AI can accurately capture the tone conveyed by a human speaker — or what I often refer to as nuance.

For someone like me, who struggles every day to develop faster, more instinctive responses when interpreting, all this feels like a world away.