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AI for translators and interpreters | Why Translation Needs AI | The best solution?!

expressisverbis — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 19:48:00 +0000

Forum: AI for translators and interpreters
Topic: Why Translation Needs AI
Poster: expressisverbis
Post title: The best solution?!

[quote]Tatjana Kostadinovic wrote:

[quote]expressisverbis wrote:
If your intended audience is translation company CEOs, as you have said, why spend so much time trying to convince individual translators that “AI is here," “AI Is
[/quote]
Pls let me know what is the best solution? [/quote]

My point wasn't to suggest a business strategy for you. I simply pointed out that, if translation company CEOs are your intended audience, they are the people you should be talking to rather than trying to convince translators that AI is here.

AI for translators and interpreters | Copyright | Just curious ...

Daryo — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 19:10:00 +0000

Forum: AI for translators and interpreters
Topic: Copyright
Poster: Daryo
Post title: Just curious ...

[quote]Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL wrote:
It seems...

that you've been bitten by a tarantula. I don't understand all this acrimony. Let's James decide if it was useful or not. Cheers.

[quote]Daryo wrote:

As opposed to taking shortcuts [a.k.a. 'cutting corners'] by relying on nicely sounding statistically generated text randomly spiked with at least 5-10% hallucinations?

THAT is surely bound to help ... especially in the medium to long term!
[/quote][Edited at 2026-08-16 09:22 GMT] [/quote]

Just curious ...

Did you figure out that one on your own or did you need AI's help to resort to this old and tired very basic diversionary tactic - usually very handy to avoid having to say anything of substance?

Or, thinking of it, not so curious ... But if you can figure out some more novel diversionary tactics, that might
be interesting to see at work.

Chinese | “龙”的英文应该翻译成 Loong - 转发 (A Chinese Teacher Suggests that "Dragon" should be written as "Loong") | Loong 这个表述肯定是确定的对外口径了（IAA）

hj58 — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:11:00 +0000

Forum: Chinese
Topic: “龙”的英文应该翻译成 Loong - 转发 (A Chinese Teacher Suggests that "Dragon" should be written as "Loong")
Poster: hj58
Post title: Loong 这个表述肯定是确定的对外口径了（IAA）

Loong 这个表述肯定是确定的对外口径了（IAA）

龙餐馆也许能帮到高考英语作文？
IAA，小红书，2026年8月17日

　　看完电影龙餐馆了，第一个想法就是高考作文里面如果提及龙了，咱们的表述尽量不要写 dragon，写 loong 会更规范一点。

　　这个电影投资方里面我看到外交影视传媒有限公司了，估计跟外交部也有关系，这个表述肯定是确定的对外口径了，dragon 指的是西方神话里坏事做尽贪财好色的恶龙，loong 指东方祥龙（这个不必过多介绍了吧），这个差别还是蛮大的，写准确点总没差。

----------------------------

昨天看不起沈腾的，今天都被打脸了！
每日电影漫谈，百家号，2026-08-09

　　……。

　　影片最棒的处理是没有上任何一丁点的价值观，没有出动任何国家和势力对主角开挂加 buff，这一点之前我们很多涉外的国产片都没有很好的处理。该片联合出品方有外交影视传媒有限公司，显然是外交部下属单位，该司之前便和坏猴子合作《用武之地》，这两部影片也都是涉外题材，不过“龙餐馆”制作质量和所呈现出的效果显然是太棒了。

------------------

《龙餐馆》出品方还有哪些公司？
avatar 艺态研判，新浪网，2026年8月9日

　　……

　　联合出品方：华夏电影发行有限责任公司、北京坏猴子文化产业发展有限公司、外交影视传媒有限公司、北京博纳影业集团有限公司、长影集团有限责任公司、北京京西文化旅游股份有限公司（即北京文化）等，共计三十余家。

　　……。

（黄佶编辑配图，2026年8月17日）

相关链接：

龙潮之巅：简评电影《欢迎来龙餐馆》里的文化翻译（黄佶）

Site forums | It's now impossible to write a post in the existing threads - redux | @Philip

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 10:43:00 +0000

Forum: Site forums
Topic: It's now impossible to write a post in the existing threads - redux
Poster: Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Post title: @Philip

I had the same experience twice. It’s like a lighthouse – sometimes you can see the light, but others you can’t…

AI for translators and interpreters | Copyright | It seems...

Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 09:17:00 +0000

Forum: AI for translators and interpreters
Topic: Copyright
Poster: Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL
Post title: It seems...

that you've been bitten by a tarantula. I don't understand all this acrimony. Let's James decide if it was useful or not. Cheers.

[quote]Daryo wrote:

As opposed to taking shortcuts [a.k.a. 'cutting corners'] by relying on nicely sounding statistically generated text randomly spiked with at least 5-10% hallucinations?

THAT is surely bound to help ... especially in the medium to long term!
[/quote]

[Edited at 2026-08-16 09:22 GMT]

Site forums | It's now impossible to write a post in the existing threads - redux | Apparently the bug has been fixed!

writeaway — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 08:19:00 +0000

Forum: Site forums
Topic: It's now impossible to write a post in the existing threads - redux
Poster: writeaway
Post title: Apparently the bug has been fixed!

I just checked out of curiosity and things now seem to be back to normal.
:)

Site forums | It's now impossible to write a post in the existing threads - redux

Philip Lees — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 04:51:00 +0000

Forum: Site forums
Topic: It's now impossible to write a post in the existing threads - redux
Poster: Philip Lees

I tried to post a response to a thread about posting problems, to say that I had experienced exactly the same thing.

[url removed]

But I was just presented with a blank screen, as before. So the problem has not been fixed.

Another thing I noticed this week is that the discussion page for the daily poll question no longer has a link at the top to a list of previous poll questions. So once a poll discussion is gone, it's gone.

Just more signs of the progressive dissolution of this website.

AI for translators and interpreters | Copyright | An attempt to clear up a common misunderstanding

James McVay — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 03:41:00 +0000

Forum: AI for translators and interpreters
Topic: Copyright
Poster: James McVay
Post title: An attempt to clear up a common misunderstanding

[quote]Daryo wrote:

You forgot what is at the starting point of that chain: what about the copyright on all various data siphoned by any means fair or foul from all over the Web to fill AI's memory? IOW what about the fact that is starts by the biggest plagiarist the world has ever seen?

[/quote]

I don’t think that complaint applies to a translation.

For an AI to produce a translation, it analyzes the linguistic patterns, meanings, relationships, syntax, register, context, etc., embodied in that text. Then it generates a new sequence of words that represents the meaning of the source in the target language.

If I ask an LLM to “write a love story,” it generates a new text from patterns it has learned during training. It has not, in the ordinary case, retrieved a particular copyrighted love story from its training corpus and reproduced it. That would be plagiarism. Training is not plagiarism.

If I give it a love story and ask it to translate that story into another language, the situation is even clearer. The original text in front of the model supplies the characters, plot, events, imagery, dialogue, etc. The model uses its learned knowledge of the source and target languages — and translation patterns — to transform that particular text into the target language. It may also draw on its training about the two cultures. Its training data informs the translation. It doesn’t constitute it.

You can argue that that copyrighted training data was stolen, but that doesn’t make its use plagiarism.

AI for translators and interpreters | Copyright | You forgot

Daryo — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 02:19:00 +0000

Forum: AI for translators and interpreters
Topic: Copyright
Poster: Daryo
Post title: You forgot

[quote]James McVay wrote:

Who owns the copyright on a translation done entirely using AI? The human who develops the prompt and uses it to generate a translation? The company that developed and deployed the AI? The individual or company that commissioned the translation?

As a corollary, who owns the copyright on a translation produced by AI and edited by a human? Does the extent of the editing matter?

If you decide to answer, please refrain from criticizing the use of AI. We get enough of that already.

[/quote]

You forgot what is at the starting point of that chain: what about the copyright on all various data siphoned by any means fair or foul from all over the Web to fill AI's memory? IOW what about the fact that is starts by the biggest plagiarist the world has ever seen?

As for really 'owning your translation' the only realistic case I could think of would be if you self-publish your own translation ['your own' as in: YOU are the one who done it]

Anything else is either 'work for hire' [=> the copyright belongs to whoever paid you to do it] OR there are so many 'ingredients' by other people that it's very contentious who 'owns' what exactly.

In MY opinion the idea of claiming 'own copyright' on some AI generated text on the basis of nothing more than 'I gave the prompt' is plain FARCICAL - even a patent troll wouldn't dare claiming that.

BTW, there is also the small matter of the not so small difference between 'copyright' and 'droits d'auteur'.

AI for translators and interpreters | Copyright | As opposed to?

Daryo — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 01:28:00 +0000

Forum: AI for translators and interpreters
Topic: Copyright
Poster: Daryo
Post title: As opposed to?

[quote]Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL wrote:

Sarcasm...
doesn't help either. [/quote]

As opposed to taking shortcuts [a.k.a. 'cutting corners'] by relying on nicely sounding statistically generated text randomly spiked with at least 5-10% hallucinations?

THAT is surely bound to help ... especially in the medium to long term!

Site forums | It's now impossible to write a post in the existing threads | It works now

jyuan_us — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 20:34:00 +0000

Forum: Site forums
Topic: It's now impossible to write a post in the existing threads
Poster: jyuan_us
Post title: It works now

[quote]Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida wrote:

I have been experiencing the same. This morning, I sent a ticket about this matter, so far no answer...

P.S. To my surprise, I could answer this post... [/quote]

Maybe someone saw your ticket and got the issue resolved even though it is Saturday today.

[Edited at 2026-08-15 20:36 GMT]

Getting established | translating for Xerox | Hi There

jyuan_us — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 20:33:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: translating for Xerox
Poster: jyuan_us
Post title: Hi There

[quote]Ana Ferreira wrote:

Hi there, has anyone translated for Xerox? I was offered the opportunity to undertake a test to translate for Xerox, via an agency in the UK [thebigword]. Nevertheless, I need to buy Trados in advance, which is very expensive [I think that I need the desktop version, the online option is not suitable as it does not open projects], so, my question is: what is the workflow like? Considering that I do not use Trados for other apps, and that the pay is really low, I am wondering if I'll even be able to cover the cost of Trados. Many thanks

[Edited at 2026-08-14 15:12 GMT] [/quote]

Please be reminded that the mentioning of the name of a translation agency in the forum is prohibited by the site rule. Also, some agencies may consider the names of their clients a business secret.

[Edited at 2026-08-16 04:24 GMT]

Getting established | translating for Xerox | @William

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 17:52:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: translating for Xerox
Poster: Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Post title: @William

I meant a light-hearted comment which, apparently, didn’t come across that way and ended up sounding serious. Now, whilst I thought you’d been a bit harsh on our colleague, I wasn’t going to do the same to you. In any case, it helped our colleague correct two typos. On the other hand, you made me smile by saying you were expecting a more mature response. As far as I’m concerned, it’s quite a feat to be as old as I am and still be capable of rather immature answers… :wink:

Site forums | It's now impossible to write a post in the existing threads | Yes

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 17:48:00 +0000

Forum: Site forums
Topic: It's now impossible to write a post in the existing threads
Poster: Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Post title: Yes

I have been experiencing the same. This morning, I sent a ticket about this matter, so far no answer...

P.S. To my surprise, I could answer this post...

AI for translators and interpreters | Should MTPE Rates Be 3× Higher Than Full Human Translation Rates? | Not 3x

Lingua 5B — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 17:18:00 +0000

Forum: AI for translators and interpreters
Topic: Should MTPE Rates Be 3× Higher Than Full Human Translation Rates?
Poster: Lingua 5B
Post title: Not 3x

…but 10x higher. You asked what should be, so I’m answering. It’s been scientifically proven that interacting with anything AI-generated messes up with out brain and creates mental health issues. I did an AI project where we got a contract in which we were warned that interacting with AI bot would cause extreme fatigue and frustration, and oh boy it did.

Of course this price won’t ever take place, but I’m just answering what “should” be.

[Edited at 2026-08-15 17:19 GMT]

Site forums | It's now impossible to write a post in the existing threads

jyuan_us — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 16:51:00 +0000

Forum: Site forums
Topic: It's now impossible to write a post in the existing threads
Poster: jyuan_us

I realized this issue yesterday. I couldn't write a post by either quoting someone's post nor by clicking on "Reply." Is anyone experiencing the same issue right now, or is it just me?

AI for translators and interpreters | Should MTPE Rates Be 3× Higher Than Full Human Translation Rates? | WHO exactly

Daryo — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 16:30:00 +0000

Forum: AI for translators and interpreters
Topic: Should MTPE Rates Be 3× Higher Than Full Human Translation Rates?
Poster: Daryo
Post title: WHO exactly

[quote]Robbie Jia wrote:

The translation industry is facing a difficult reality: translation volumes are declining, while rates continue to fall.

Nowadays, much of the work available on the market consists of machine translation post-editing (MTPE) rather than full human translation. In many cases, MTPE is paid at only one-third or even less of the rate for normal human translation. As a result, many translators have already chosen to reject MTPE work.

****I would therefore like to propose that, as an industry, we reconsider how MTPE is priced.****

In my opinion, MTPE should be charged at three times the rate of a full human translation. The reason is simple: [b]when we perform MTPE, we are not only completing the translation task; we are also providing high-quality human feedback that helps AI and machine translation systems improve[/b].

[b]The faster AI learns from human translators, the faster human translators may be replaced. Accepting poorly paid MTPE work may therefore mean digging a hole for our own profession[/b].

For example, if:
English → target language (full human translation): USD 0.08 per English word
then:
English → target language (MTPE): USD 0.24 per English word

I also believe that MTPE should be charged based on the full source-word count, without any discount rate.

Interestingly, I have noticed that ProZ seems to be sounding the alarm as well. When setting a rate on ProZ, the platform automatically indicates how far below the standard the proposed rate is. [/quote]

All that does sound very sensible.

But ... have you heard of this old joke:

'your proposal is ways too sensible to ever be taken seriously'?

The small obstacle being: WHO exactly is the 'we' in as an industry, we reconsider?

The amorphous mass of 'independent freelancers' with mostly [like it or not] next to zero negotiating power?

Or the intermediaries who do have some negotiating power, but hardly the same interest? What's in it for them to start paying PEMT at true cost?

Never mind that even those in that part of 'the industry' have a vanishing negotiating power against the incoming AI tsunami ...

AI for translators and interpreters | Should MTPE Rates Be 3× Higher Than Full Human Translation Rates? | I refuse to do light MTPE

Yossi Rozenman — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 16:21:00 +0000

Forum: AI for translators and interpreters
Topic: Should MTPE Rates Be 3× Higher Than Full Human Translation Rates?
Poster: Yossi Rozenman
Post title: I refuse to do light MTPE

[quote]Peter Motte wrote:

i think the real problem is Light MTPE. The productivity gain with Light MTPE only exists in the fantasies of managers. [/quote]

It simply isn't worth the while. Actually, it is a fraud.
As I tell my clients, I only know correct or wrong tranlation.

Getting established | translating for Xerox | That shows ...

Daryo — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 15:57:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: translating for Xerox
Poster: Daryo
Post title: That shows ...

[quote]William Bowley wrote:

[quote]Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida wrote:

Apparently, your eye for detail is not that sharp. There’s a typo in studiied, but MA in Writing for Performance is correct (the typo is yours)… :???:

P.S. These things happen to the best of us... [/quote]

Now there's always a chance that you're intentionally being obtuse, but in case you're being serious, you might have seen:

"Profile last updated: 17:43"

Some 5 hours after my post!

Part of me was expecting your type of response, though maybe hoping for a more mature one. Then again, there's always the possibility that you're being serious, which raises all sorts of other questions! [/quote]

Some 5 hours after my post! => That shows that some people are quick to learn from their mistakes.

Given how 'unusual' that one is becoming, I would see it more like a plus ...

Feel free to add me to your 'obtuse' list. Duck+water ...?

Back to point of this thread:

An only potential new client requesting from you to FIRST unconditionally invest in some rather expensive tools is not the kind of clients I would ever want.

Smack too much of this old tactic to trap a lot of suppliers in a pool as big as possible, as to always have someone available at silly prices, without any concerns about how much suppliers / contractors ... will be earning individually.

Translation Project / Vendor Management | Outsourcing policy by place of residence | Cherchez la femme ...

Daryo — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 15:23:00 +0000

Forum: Translation Project / Vendor Management
Topic: Outsourcing policy by place of residence
Poster: Daryo
Post title: Cherchez la femme ...

Oops, not that one.

I think it's no more complicated than

'Follow the money'

As for 'translator for German living in the USA' specifically - that sounds to me like plain old-fashioned protectionism i.e. 'give absolute priority to domestic suppliers'.

Wasn't that one of the recently made crowd-pleasing electoral promises?

AI for translators and interpreters | Should MTPE Rates Be 3× Higher Than Full Human Translation Rates? | I'm sure they do...

Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 15:17:00 +0000

Forum: AI for translators and interpreters
Topic: Should MTPE Rates Be 3× Higher Than Full Human Translation Rates?
Poster: Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL
Post title: I'm sure they do...

but do they get it? I'm not sure why, as a client, I would pay 3 times the MTPE rate. I would just ask for a translation, then.

[quote]Peter Motte wrote:

[quote]Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL wrote:

. [/quote]

Some people do, you know, asking 3x times the Full Human Price for MTPE. It's not entirely utopic.
[/quote]

AI for translators and interpreters | Copyright | Sarcasm...

Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 15:15:00 +0000

Forum: AI for translators and interpreters
Topic: Copyright
Poster: Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL
Post title: Sarcasm...

doesn't help either.

AI for translators and interpreters | Weird Outcomes | AI translations are a 'special case', kind of ...

Daryo — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 15:06:00 +0000

Forum: AI for translators and interpreters
Topic: Weird Outcomes
Poster: Daryo
Post title: AI translations are a 'special case', kind of ...

[quote]James McVay wrote:

[quote]Li-Hsiang Hsu wrote:

The watermark has no physical or digital-object existence. There are no extra characters, no hidden Unicode, no metadata fields, no special bits hidden in the file. What exists is only a chosen statistical pattern of the token/word sequence. The only evidence of the watermark is that those words "happen" to match the secret rule more often than pure random results.

[Edited at 2026-08-14 15:11 GMT] [/quote]

I wonder if this technique will work with an AI translation. AIs have much less leeway in selecting words and phrases when translating. I’ve tested numerous translations done by ChatGPT and Claude with AI detectors like GPTzero and Grammarly. They’ve always said the text was 100% written by a human.

I’m sure the AI detectors will be modified to look for the telltale pattern once the technique is deployed, so I’ll run another test. It’ll be interesting to see the result. [/quote]

'AI translations' are texts generated from a full text in another language, NOT your ordinary 'response to a question asked in the form of a prompt'.

So if the 'original' has some patterns in it showing it was wholly human-brain created, it shouldn't come to some huge surprise if the same text reworded in another language should to some significant extent keep these 'human-brain created patterns'.

Or to look at it under a different angle, given that AIs have been feed human generated texts [SO FAR, lets leave out the growing GIGO problem of AI chocking on its own exhaust gases], it should come as to no surprise that short fragments of ANY AI generated textwould sound like 'human originals because it's exactly what are.

It's only when looking at the whole of some longer AI output that 'AI patterns' become easily recognisable.

But a large text reworded from a 'human original in another language' will firstly reproduce patterns from the original text so it would of course to be seen as 'human generated'.

As if hallucinations and sycophancy are not enough now you will have also to deal with errors [maybe small or maybe not so small] deliberately added to create 'watermarking patterns'!.

NICE!

Chinese | “龙”的英文应该翻译成 Loong - 转发 (A Chinese Teacher Suggests that "Dragon" should be written as "Loong") | One of the largest dragon boat festivals in the U.S.

ysun — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 14:12:00 +0000

Forum: Chinese
Topic: “龙”的英文应该翻译成 Loong - 转发 (A Chinese Teacher Suggests that "Dragon" should be written as "Loong")
Poster: ysun
Post title: One of the largest dragon boat festivals in the U.S.

[b]One of the largest dragon boat festivals in the U.S. returns to NYC this August — with live musical performances, martial arts demonstrations, & much more[/b]
[url removed]
[quote]According to legend, fishermen raced out to the river to save him, but couldn’t. To prevent his body from being eaten by the fish, they threw [b]rice dumplings[/b] into the water as an offering to his heroic spirit.

This was the beginning of Dragon Boat Racing.

The [b]NYC festival began in 1990[/b] when the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York City promoted and organized the inaugural Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York, which was held on the Hudson River in
[b]Battery Park[/b] City.[/quote]

请注意：Battery Park 是炮台公园，而非电池公园，否则好容易到了纽约却找不着“电池公园”岂不遗憾？更何况，现在胡叼盘之流申请来美签证极为困难！

[b]炮台公园[/b]
Sep 15, 2025
[url removed] #3088493
[quote]hj58 wrote:

纽约市的消防员们最近在与龙奋战，但不是那种喷火的龙。他们的龙是船只，战场是哈德逊河上的640米赛道，位于电池公园城旁边。

哈哈，又是电池。

现在是五辆车在逆行，还是你自己在逆行？ [/quote]

不知把 Battery Park 译为“电池公园”算不算逆行？

“哈哈，又是电池”，你感到可笑吗？我也觉得“电池公园”是个十分可笑的国际笑话！

[b]Before the Park: A Very Brief History of the Battery[/b]
[url removed]
[quote] Battery Park takes its name from the defensive battery that once stood here. In this context, a “battery” refers to a strategically located and somewhat fortified position used to fire artillery, such as cannons. The battery at this site fired cannons at approaching enemy ships to help protect New Castle, as well as Wilmington and even Philadelphia farther upriver. Cannons were placed in this general location as early as the seventeenth century.
[/quote]

[Edited at 2026-08-16 02:11 GMT]

AI for translators and interpreters | Copyright | So this is ...

Daryo — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 14:09:00 +0000

Forum: AI for translators and interpreters
Topic: Copyright
Poster: Daryo
Post title: So this is ...

[quote]Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL wrote:

the question was:
who owns the copyright on a translation produced by AI and edited by a human?

Reply:

....
[/quote]

So this is ... YOUR take on the subject after YOU doing your YOUR OWN research?

NFC

AI for translators and interpreters | I’m building a real-time transcription tool for interpreters — would love your feedback

Lico86 — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 14:03:00 +0000

Forum: AI for translators and interpreters
Topic: I’m building a real-time transcription tool for interpreters — would love your feedback
Poster: Lico86

Hi everyone,

I’m a working English/Spanish interpreter, and for the past few months I’ve been building a tool for a problem I kept running into during real interpreting work.

It’s called Whisker Interpreter Pro.

The idea is not to replace the interpreter or automate the interpretation. Whisker works more like a real-time visual memory aid: it transcribes the conversation locally, keeps Client and LEP turns separated, and provides a live translation underneath as additional context.

Everything runs locally on the computer — no audio needs to be sent to a cloud transcription service.

I recorded a short demo of the current pre-release version:

Watch the Whisker Interpreter Pro demo

It’s still under active development, so I’m mainly interested in feedback from other interpreters:

Would something like this actually be useful during your work?

And if so, what would you want it to do differently?

I’m especially interested in feedback from people doing OPI/VRI or other forms of consecutive interpreting.

Thanks — any criticism is genuinely welcome.

AI for translators and interpreters | Should MTPE Rates Be 3× Higher Than Full Human Translation Rates? | Good luck with that ...?

Peter Motte — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Forum: AI for translators and interpreters
Topic: Should MTPE Rates Be 3× Higher Than Full Human Translation Rates?
Poster: Peter Motte
Post title: Good luck with that ...?

[quote]Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL wrote:

. [/quote]

Some people do, you know, asking 3x times the Full Human Price for MTPE. It's not entirely utopic.

AI for translators and interpreters | Should MTPE Rates Be 3× Higher Than Full Human Translation Rates? | Light MTPE

Peter Motte — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 13:57:00 +0000

Forum: AI for translators and interpreters
Topic: Should MTPE Rates Be 3× Higher Than Full Human Translation Rates?
Poster: Peter Motte
Post title: Light MTPE

i think the real problem is Light MTPE. The productivity gain with Light MTPE only exists in the fantasies of managers.

AI for translators and interpreters | Copyright | this is what ChatGPT says about it...

Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 11:46:00 +0000

Forum: AI for translators and interpreters
Topic: Copyright
Poster: Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL
Post title: this is what ChatGPT says about it...

the question was:
who owns the copyright on a translation produced by AI and edited by a human?

Reply:

If you mean **UK copyright law**, the answer is: **potentially the human editor/translator, but it depends on how much original human creative input they contributed.**

The key distinction is between **AI-generated output** and a **human-created work made with AI assistance**.

### If the AI does the translation and the human merely corrects errors

If the process is essentially:

> Original text → AI translation → human proofreading/correction

then it is **not necessarily the case that the human owns copyright in the resulting translation**. Copyright in a literary work requires sufficient originality—i.e. the work must reflect the author's own intellectual creation and creative choices. The UK Government's 2026 report specifically recognises that AI-assisted works can be protected where the creative expression comes from the human, but there remains uncertainty around purely AI-generated material. ([GOV.UK][1])

### If the human substantially rewrites and shapes the translation

This is different. If the human translator:

* chooses between alternative translations,
* restructures sentences,
* makes stylistic and interpretive decisions,
* rewrites passages,
* adapts tone, register and terminology, and
* otherwise contributes substantial creative choices,

then the **human-edited translation is much more likely to attract copyright protection belonging initially to that human** (subject to employment/contractual arrangements). UK law recognises copyright in original literary works, and the Government's current position is that AI can be used as a tool where the creative essence comes from a human creator. ([GOV.UK][2])

### There is also a separate issue: copyright in the original text

A translation is legally an **adaptation** of the original work. UK legislation expressly defines translation as an adaptation, and making an adaptation is a restricted act. ([Legislation.gov.uk][3])

So, for example, if you take a copyrighted French novel, have AI translate it into English and then extensively edit the English, you could potentially have **copyright in your original contribution to the English translation**, while still needing permission from the copyright owner of the French novel to make/use the translation (unless an exception or licence applies).

### And who owns it if you're doing this as a freelancer?

Normally, the creator is the first copyright owner. If you're an employee creating it in the course of your employment, the employer is generally the first owner. If you're a freelancer/contractor, you will normally retain copyright **unless your contract says otherwise**. A copyright assignment generally needs to be in writing and signed. ([GOV.UK][2])

**One important wrinkle:** UK law still has a special category for "computer-generated works" where there is no human author. Section 9(3) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 attributes authorship to the person who undertook the arrangements necessary for creation. However, the Government's 2026 report acknowledges a significant tension between that provision and the modern requirement for human creative originality. ([GOV.UK][1])

So if you're asking about a **real-world translation project**, the practical answer is:

> **AI alone doesn't automatically own the copyright (AI isn't a legal person). The crucial question is whether the human's editing/translation work is sufficiently creative to constitute an original copyright work, and what the contract says about ownership.**

If you tell me **(1) what country you're concerned about, (2) whether the AI produced the first translation, and (3) what the human actually did to edit it**, I can tell you who is most likely to own the copyright in that particular situation.

[1]: [url removed] "Report on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence - GOV.UK"
[2]: [url removed] "Ownership of copyright works - GOV.UK"
[3]: [url removed] "c. 48
2645
Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act 1988"

AI for translators and interpreters | Should MTPE Rates Be 3× Higher Than Full Human Translation Rates? | Good luck with that

Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 11:35:00 +0000