The AI Revolution and Its Impact on the Translation Industry

Ankit Dhamsaniya
Read Time: 4 Minutes
The AI Revolution and Its Impact on the Translation Industry

Table of Contents

It is not an exaggeration to say that the translation industry has played a pivotal role in developing and communicating human lives. Since the wake of humanity, language has been the main bridge between the divine and humans. So for thousands of years and to date, the role of language has been to create, acquire, and cultivate cultural values and social norms. 

Fast forward to the modern times of the 1900s and 2000s, globalization made the role of languages twofold, especially when coupled with translations. Primarily, the main reason was globalization trends and the need and requirements to become multinational. Cross-border trade has become the new fashion in the form of e-commerce forums, SaaS products, and services. There are dozens of online platforms working globally to facilitate trade and selling goods and services, providing substantial growth opportunities. 

It feels unrealistic to imagine the modern leap of advancements without the role of translations. And we won’t be able to achieve the full potential of translations without the role of modern technology like artificial intelligence, machine translation, and other CAT tools. Not only the inception of these technologies, but also the striking accuracy and precision of translation tools are paramount. Today we are going to recap the role of technology and AI in the advancements of translation technology and tools. 

Collective Technological Leap of Faith Over the Last Decade

As of today, we are witnessing the practical implementation of augmented reality, virtual reality, and its impeccable consumer applications. Gen Z is the first generation that has seen the rift from manual processing to the rule of automated processing and governance. Below is a brief history of the technological stride over the last decade. In terms of the advancements in computer-assisted tools, there are substantial upgrades in the suite of tools we call CAT tools. 

“Automation is the favorite child of globalization.”

In the field of translation and localization, there is now an array of assisted software to enhance the quality and improve the delivery time. Convenience, risk/error reduction, and customizable adaptability are the desired outcomes of advanced AI-powered CAT tools. 

Let’s recap the technological advancements of the last decades in the arena of AI, software, globalization, and communication to get the full picture of where we were and where we are going.

Point of Interaction

Information

& Support 

Computation 

Timeline

Technology Trends

Key Marketing Focus

Neural Machine Translations

Support of Dozens of Language Pairs

Extraordinarily Efficient

2024

Automation is the New Normal

Precision and Accuracy

Improved Versions of AI Tools

A Glimpse of True Spectrum of AI

Above the Clouds

2023

Flexibility of Technology

Globalization

Post-COVID Challenges & The Wake of Open AI

Data Sharing is the New Easy

Blockchain in Business

&

Clouds go Vertical

2022

Physical Tech Stack

Globalization

Digital Workplace is the New Challenge and Ease

Machine Data Solutions 

&

MLOps Industrialized AI

2021

Supply Unchained

Globalization

Human Experience-Oriented Platforms

2020

Advancements in Software Architecture

Globalization

Intelligent Interfaces are the face of Marketing

AI-Fueled Organizations

2019

Future of Connectivity

Globalization

Digital Reality is in Vogue

Enterprise Data Sovereignty

2018

Business Process Reengineering (BPR)

Localization

Mixed Reality is Trending

Deep Analysis

&
Machine Intelligence

Blockchain to Blockchains

2017

The architecture of IT Infrastructures

Localization

Internet of Things
AR & VR are in Vogue

Industrialized Data Driven Decisions

Trust with Limited Access

2016

Autonomic Platforms

Translation

Dimensional Marketing

Amplified Intelligence

API Economy

2015

IT Worker, Software learning is the future

Translation

Top Languages by Number of Speakers & Today’s Translation Industry

Language service providers are language craftsmen. The translation service has many sections, like interpretation, transcription, localization, instruction, project management, and others. Technical translators, industry-specific translations, legal, medical, and engineering translations, etc. Most of the translations are covered by the technical translators. 
 

Language

Native Speakers

Chinese

1.3B

Spanish

475M

English

373M

Arabic

362M

Hindi

344M

Bengali

234M

Portuguese

232M

Russian

154M

Hindi is the fifth most spoken global language. The number of its native speakers accumulate to a whopping 344 million. Businesses, brands, and companies are looking to expand to and from Hindi markets to attract potential clients and customers. Translation and localization is one of the key prerequisites of the recipe of globalization and internationalization. Whether it is software, website, document, legal or technical document, language service providers are hired to get the message and information across borders, institutes, and industries. 

The food for the thought is the essential technical knowledge that is required to select any Hindi translation services. The size of your business, brand, or company is also relevant. The goods and services your company is offering also play a somewhat defining role in its acceptance, branding, and acceptance. Look at the current market size of the language industry and future predictions
 

Market Value

2022

2023

2024

Predictions till 2032

Language Service Market Size

USD 54.02 Billion

USD 55.13 Billion

USD 59.41 Billion

Language Service Industry

USD 60.68 Billion

USD 96.21 million

Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

7.8% & Increasing

Upgradation and Implications of Technology in Translation Industry 

Above all, the invention and advancements in the area of machine translation is paramount and changed the conventional ways of how we do translations. There is no doubt about the improved quality of modern machine translation engines. But when it comes to delivering results that meet the customized requirements of clients/industries, machine transitions are far from perfect. Here comes the definite role that the language service provides. 

The goal of every translation services company is to provide results that are according to the requirements and culturally and linguistically accurate. Analyzing the unprecedented speed of the advancements in neural  machine translation, people start to believe that it is more than enough to get the job done. But the idea to replace human translators with machine engines is far from reality, at least as of now.  Let’s look at the past and present of some factors of machine translation that constantly need improvements. 
 

Characteristics

Before the 2000s

After the 2000s

Supported Languages

Limited Languages are Supported
(English, French, and Spanish)

A large number of languages are supported

(GT supports more than 100 languages) But is it Accurate?

Accessibility

Bad

(software installation was required and it was very costly)

Available to Everyone

(Site translation and the document supported translations)

Accuracy

Low
(Misunderstanding of the Context)

Medium
(Improved Context Recognition)

Speed

Slow
(Limited resources, complex algorithms, and translation technology)

High
(Text is ready after a few seconds)

Takeaways

In conclusion, the whole workflow of the translation services industry is revamped by the inclusion of AI tools. Moreover, to enhance the project delivery speed and maintain the translation quality, AI tools are prevalent to rectify errors, inconsistencies, and stylistic errors and nuances. In the ever-evolving landscape of translation and localization, AI tools proved to be not only a paradigm shift but also open the doors to limitless possibilities. 

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