Like most industries, translation is being influenced by AI, but how effective are AI translation services, and when should you use them? Understanding the benefits and drawbacks helps you know when to use it as a tool to be more effective. The truth is, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing.
You can choose secure translation services that harness the power of AI while still having human oversight. It brings the best of both worlds to deliver what you need, especially in situations where accuracy is paramount. With that in mind, let’s explore human-in-the-loop AI translation.
What Is Human-in-the-Loop AI Translation?
While we have seen many AI translation trends emerge, there’s one approach that has wide appeal across several industries. Human-in-the-loop translation (HITL) is a hybrid model that blends AI with human expertise. It relies on key technologies like GPT-based tools and neural machine translation, but with human input when it comes to oversight and review.
It stands out when compared to other AI translation services because it ticks more boxes. It brings some cost-efficiency without compromising on key areas like accuracy. HITL improves quality and reliability because it gains the speed benefits of AI while maintaining the complexity and nuance of human translation.
Why Human Review Is Crucial in High-Stakes Translations
Relying entirely on AI translation services comes with several risks, especially when it comes to sensitive content. That’s why human review is essential to ensure that the correct meaning is captured. However, it’s not only a question of accuracy. There’s another risk when you only use AI, and that’s non-compliance.
One specific example is in healthcare. The HIPAA Privacy Rule sets out what Protected Health Information (PHI) is and how it must be kept secure. Many machine translation tools aren’t HIPAA-compliant. That means the use of them to translate patient data would be in breach of HIPAA.
Another example is in the legal sector. If you have a contract to translate, AI can get the job done quickly and cost-effectively. However, missing nuance or mistranslating a term can compromise an agreement or shift liability. Human review stops these finer points from slipping through the net and costing more in the long run.
AI vs Human Translation: A Comparative Table
We don’t need to resist AI translation services. It’s better to accept that translation evolves continuously. What matters is when and where we use it. AI has its strengths, but so does human translation. Let’s compare the two at a glance.
When AI Alone Falls Short: Use Cases by Industry
In some circumstances, in some sectors, AI could be the right choice. However, AI alone often falls short when trying to meet the needs of different industries. Here are some examples across specific industries where AI translation services aren’t enough, and human input is required.
Healthcare
When it comes to patient data, translation services need to be HIPAA-compliant. That often means that you can’t copy and paste medical charts and patient histories into a database to be translated by AI, as their privacy is at risk.
Human input is also required for accuracy when communicating with patients. According to recent research, AI is good enough for brief communications but not accurate enough in most cases.
Legal
Since AI is useful for high-volume work, translation services for documents are an appealing option. However, for legal documents, there are several issues and risks.
Confidentiality and the issue of liability are two key concerns. Another is the complexity of contract terminology. As things stand, research shows that human input is needed to handle terminology and nuance accurately.
Education
The education sector also has high-volume translation needs. However, many aspects rely on cultural nuances that AI will miss. Specific examples include communications with multilingual families and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
Enterprise/Corporate
As we identified above, there are uses for AI in e-commerce, retail, and manufacturing, but not in every situation. Cost efficiency can be found in low-risk areas, such as some internal communications. However, AI translation of employee information, marketing, and product localization misses the mark without human review.
Benefits of the Human-in-the-Loop Model
Choosing the HITL model means you still get some of the benefits of AI translation services. Blending it with human review also means you can avoid the drawbacks, especially in relation to AI translation accuracy. Here are the key advantages of HITL.
- Balanced cost-efficiency. - AI does most of the work, so you get some cost savings. Plus, you don’t get costly mistakes, either.
- Faster turnaround than fully manual translation. - The main advantage of machine translation is that it’s much faster than humans. Even with a human review process, you’re still completing tasks more quickly than manual translation.
- Improved accuracy and compliance. - With human review, you can ensure that the sensitive data is handled without being shared. The process also allows checks for nuance to avoid mistakes.
- Reduced legal and reputational risk. - Human review also catches mistranslations of key terminology and liability. The improved accuracy also prevents culturally insensitive translations
Choosing the Right Translation Partner
When seeking the best AI translation services, it’s essential to find a partner you can trust. The signals to look for are certifications and security protocols. Ask questions about custom workflows and how machine translation and human review work together.
Language Network is a translation company with expertise in hybrid AI-human translation solutions. Thanks to expert linguists and clear processes, you can get the best of both worlds.
Here’s how our AI Translation Services with Human Review work: