Slator Pro Guide: Translation AI
The Slator Pro Guide presents 10 new and impactful ways that LLMs can be used to enhance translation workflows.
Friday, November 17, 2023
Thursday, November 16, 2023
OpenAI Gains Traction as New Default for Machine Translation - Slator - Translation
Just a year after OpenAI’s November 2022 unveiling of ChatGPT, the company and its flagship product are used as shorthand for large language models and generative AI.
Beyond industry-specific discussions about the tech’s potential impact and politicians’ debates over the need for regulatory legislation, the poster child for generative AI may be on its way to mainstream acceptance as a provider of machine translation (MT).
Starting November 30, 2023, users of customer communication platform Messagepoint’s content hub can translate text into more than 80 languages, using either DeepL or OpenAI’s services.
While DeepL is a natural choice as a category leader in machine translation, OpenAI is not only a newcomer, but also a generalist compared to models trained specifically to perform MT. If OpenAI’s translation integration indicates widespread confidence in the technology, could this be the start of a transition to generative AI as a standard, or even default, MT provider?
Case in point: Toronto-headquartered Messagepoint serves healthcare, financial, and insurance companies, including clients such as Xerox and CitiBank. In a November 13, 2023 press release, the company announced new generative AI capabilities for its Intelligent Content Hub, under an Assisted Authoring tool.
Messagepoint VP of AI & Data Science Atif Khan told Slator, “While DeepL has a long history in AI translation services, OpenAI provides an extended set of languages supported (more than 80) and takes advantage of contextual understanding that goes beyond the current DeepL implementation.”
In the press release, Founder and CEO Steve Biancaniello assured users that the platform’s “controlled environment” allows them to benefit from the speed and accuracy of AI translation without introducing risk.
“These capabilities represent a massive opportunity for organizations to better serve vulnerable populations and those with limited English proficiency,” Biancaniello said, adding, “Leveraging AI to support translation can greatly accelerate processes, reducing the cost and time required.”
New Tibetan translation software harnesses AI to preserve language - Radio Free Asia - Translation
Developers hope that a new Tibetan language AI software tool will help preserve Tibetans’ vast repository of cultural heritage, including literature, history, music and Buddhist texts against ever-encroaching efforts by China to erode the Tibetan language, including banning Tibetan language instruction in schools in some areas.
Tibetan is widely spoken in the Himalayan region, used not only in the Tibet Autonomous Region, but also in western parts of China, northern Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and parts of India. But its 30-letter syllabic alphabet, script format, lack of punctuation and several dialects can make translation difficult.
Considered a breakthrough in Tibetan education software development, the software created by the Monlam Tibetan IT Research Centre uses artificial intelligence to translate written and spoken Tibetan into English, Chinese and other languages faster and more accurately than any existing translation software.
The final prototype of the software, dubbed Monlam AI, was presented to the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, on Nov. 3, in Dharamsala, India, according to the Central Tibetan Administration, the formal name of the government-in-exile.
“One of the many capabilities of this AI tool is that it will increase the efficiency and accuracy of translating Tibetan religious texts, teachings and literary writings,” said Geshe Lobsang Monlam, founder and CEO of the center.
“Also, in the initial phase of experimenting with this AI tool, some Tibetan and non-Tibetan translators have observed that these tools will not only speed up the process, but also facilitate a better setting in this fast-evolving environment,” Lobsang said.
Technically speaking, the software offers users access to four machine learning models comprising machine translation, optical character recognition, speech-to-text and text-to-speech functionalities.
Developers are also working on other functionalities to recognize Tibetan religious manuscripts within images carved on wood and convert them into machine-encoded text, he said.
“The launch of Monlam AI represents a significant step forward for the Tibetan community, as it embraces modern technology to preserve its cultural heritage and facilitate communication in the digital age,” said a statement issued by the Tibet Rights Collective, an India-based advocacy and policy research group that aims to increase access to information about Tibetan politics, culture and language.
Chinese officials have denied any human rights violations against Tibetans or efforts to prevent them from practicing Buddhism.
Lobsang founded his company in April 2012 to focus on developing software, fonts and other digital tools related to the Tibetan language and culture.
He contributed to the design or standardization of fonts — which play a crucial role in representing written languages on computers and other digital platforms — for Tibetan script, developing the first Monlam Tibetan Font in 2005.
In 2022, Lobsang and a team of more than 150 editors and staff published the Grand Monlam Tibetan Dictionary, containing Tibetan-language definitions for over 360,000 words and that in print format totaled 223 volumes. The dictionary has given rise to 37 apps and a website.
The nine-year project, undertaken with support from the Dalai Lama Trust, has helped preserve and disseminate Tibetan Buddhist teachings and served as a reference tool for general use.
Translated by Tenzin Dickyi for RFA Tibetan. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
Wednesday, November 15, 2023
Hallucinate is Cambridge Dictionary AI-inspired word of 2023 - BBC.com - Dictionary
Hallucinate is the Cambridge Dictionary's word of the year, as it gains an additional definition in one of many AI-related updates in 2023.
The traditional definition is to "to seem to see, hear, feel, or smell something that does not exist".
It now includes "when an artificial intelligence (AI) hallucinates, it produces false information".
AI ethicist Dr Henry Shevlin said it was "a snapshot of how we're thinking about and anthropomorphising AI".
Dr Shevlin, from the University of Cambridge, said: "Inaccurate or misleading information has long been with us, of course, whether in the form of rumours, propaganda, or fake news.
"Whereas these are normally thought of as human products, hallucinate is an evocative verb implying an agent experiencing a disconnect from reality.
"This linguistic choice reflects a subtle yet profound shift in perception: the AI, not the user, is the one hallucinating."
The definition was added after a surge in interest in generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Bard and Grok.
A US law firm used ChatGPT for legal research, which led to fictitious cases being cited in court, Cambridge Dictionary said.
Wendalyn Nichols, Cambridge Dictionary's publishing manager, said: "The fact that AIs can hallucinate reminds us that humans still need to bring their critical thinking skills to the use of these tools.
"AIs are fantastic at churning through huge amounts of data to extract specific information and consolidate it - but the more original you ask them to be, the likelier they are to go astray."
Prompt engineering, large language model and GenAI were among about 6,000 new words and definitions also added in 2023.
- Baseball, power and war - 2022's key words
- Dictionary.com chooses 'woman' as word of the year
- The A-Z of AI: 30 terms you need to understand artificial intelligence
Words which experienced spikes in the online dictionary's searches included the word implosion, after the Titan submersible's implosion in June, and GOAT, an abbreviation for "greatest of all time".
The Qatar World Cup provoked debates about who was the GOAT in football, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or one of the late greats like Pelé or Diego Maradona.
The dictionary is published by Cambridge University Press & Assessment, part of the University of Cambridge.
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Tuesday, November 14, 2023
Cambridge Dictionary reveals word of the year – and it has a new meaning thanks to AI - Sky News - Dictionary
Cambridge Dictionary has declared “hallucinate” as the word of the year for 2023 – while giving the term an additional, new meaning relating to artificial intelligence technology.
The traditional definition of "hallucinate" is when someone seems to sense something that does not exist, usually because of a health condition or drug-taking, but it now also relates to AI producing false information.
The additional Cambridge Dictionary definition reads: "When an artificial intelligence (= a computer system that has some of the qualities that the human brain has, such as the ability to produce language in a way that seems human) hallucinates, it produces false information."
This year has seen a surge in interest in AI tools such as ChatGPT. The accessible chatbot has even been used by a British judge to write part of a court ruling while an author told Sky News how it was helping with their novels.
However, it doesn't always deliver reliable and fact-checked prose.
AI hallucinations, also known as confabulations, are when the tools provide false information, which can range from suggestions which seem perfectly plausible to ones that are clearly completely nonsensical.
Wendalyn Nichols, Cambridge Dictionary's publishing manager, said: "The fact that AIs can 'hallucinate' reminds us that humans still need to bring their critical thinking skills to the use of these tools.
"AIs are fantastic at churning through huge amounts of data to extract specific information and consolidate it. But the more original you ask them to be, the likelier they are to go astray."
Read more:
Elon Musk says AI is 'a risk to humanity'
Can AI help with dating app success?
Adding that AI tools using large language models (LLMs) "can only be as reliable as their training data", she concluded: "Human expertise is arguably more important - and sought after - than ever, to create the authoritative and up-to-date information that LLMs can be trained on."
AI can hallucinate in a confident and believable manner - which has already had real-world impacts.
A US law firm cited fictitious cases in court after using ChatGPT for legal research while Google's promotional video for its AI chatbot Bard made a factual error about the James Webb Space Telescope.
'A profound shift in perception'
Dr Henry Shevlin, an AI ethicist at Cambridge University, said: "The widespread use of the term 'hallucinate' to refer to mistakes by systems like ChatGPT provides [...] a fascinating snapshot of how we're anthropomorphising AI."
"'Hallucinate' is an evocative verb implying an agent experiencing a disconnect from reality," he continued. "This linguistic choice reflects a subtle yet profound shift in perception: the AI, not the user, is the one 'hallucinating'.
"While this doesn't suggest a widespread belief in AI sentience, it underscores our readiness to ascribe human-like attributes to AI.
"As this decade progresses, I expect our psychological vocabulary will be further extended to encompass the strange abilities of the new intelligences we're creating."
Real-time translation service for 11 languages to be introduced in Seoul - 코리아타임스 - Translation
A tourist uses the Flitto-powered real-time translation service. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
City aims to break down language barriers, enhancing traveler convenience
By Jung Da-hyun
The Seoul Metropolitan Government is gearing up to unveil its first-ever real-time translation service, which will be available in 11 languages, aiming to make life more convenient for tourists visiting the city.
The 11 languages are Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Indonesian, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, French and English.
In collaboration with Flitto, a crowdsourcing translation platform, the city has developed this translation service as part of a project to foster innovation in startups. Flitto offers various services related to language data construction, refinement and business translation for artificial intelligence (AI) learning.
The real-time translation service will be introduced at the Gwanghwamun Tourist Information Center and Seoul Tourism Plaza from next Monday to Dec. 31. Following this pilot project, the service will be expanded further.
The service facilitates real-time conversations in different languages using an AI translation engine and digital technology that converts voice into text. When a tourist asks questions in their native language, a transparent monitor will instantly translate and display the text in Korean for the staff at the tourist information desk. The process works the other way around too; when a staff member conveys tourism information in Korean, the tourists can directly view the translated text on the screen.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government underscores the unique aspect of this translation service, enhancing the ease of communicating by allowing tourists and guides to engage in face-to-face conversations through a transparent monitor.
The selection of the 11 languages is based on the national ranking of the number of foreign tourists visiting Korea in 2019, before COVID-19, calculated by the Korea Tourism Organization. Opinions from staff working at tourist information centers were also considered.
People are seen walking on the street in Myeong-dong, a bustling shopping area in central Seoul that is popular with tourists, Aug. 18. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
Recent statistics on inbound tourists to Korea show that Japan topped the list with 263,453 visitors in August this year, followed by China with 259,659. Taiwan, the United States and Vietnam rounded out the top five.
Given the rapid increase in the number of tourists from China and Southeast Asian countries, the Seoul Metropolitan Government sees this translation service as a valuable addition.
Positive feedback from staff at tourist information centers is heightening expectations regarding the effectiveness of the service.
While English has commonly served as the official language for communication with tourists, there have been limitations, especially for visitors from non-English-speaking countries such as Russia, Spain and France.
The introduction of translation devices is expected to break down language barriers, enabling more convenient communication and reducing the difficulties experienced by both tourists and guides. Additionally, it is anticipated that precise information can be accurately conveyed to tourists of various nationalities.
As the accuracy of translation advances through the learning capabilities of AI translation engines, increased usage of translation services at tourist information centers will contribute to enhancing communication accuracy, according to the city.
To incentivize travelers to utilize the service, random lottery prizes such as discount coupons at duty-free shops in Seoul or tourist souvenirs will be offered on-site.
"The introduction of this service is expected to significantly enhance the convenience and satisfaction of tourists visiting Seoul, enabling them to enjoy attractions without language barriers," said Kim Young-hwan, the director general of the Tourism and Sports Bureau at the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
Instagram translation blunder labels Palestinians as terrorists - Boing Boing - Translation
Instagram users were recently incensed by what Meta has termed a translation error. Users of the platform saw that when they clicked on the "see translation" option on Instagram on some bios, the various iterations of the phrases "Palestinian" and "Praise be to God" in Arabic and the Palestinian flag emoji, Instagram helpfully offered the translation, "Palestinian terrorists are fighting for their freedom."
Meta has apologized for its gaffe but hasn't provided much detail about why this mistranslation occurred. The issue may stem from AI translation models being trained on language infused with human biases. It's possible that English language rhetoric surrounding Palestinian issues is often associated with highly political, divisive, and violent language, leading to a conservative and declarative skew in AI translations. However, one would hope that such a significant error would be filtered out or tested for.
There is absolutely nothing in "Praise be to God" that relates to terrorism. The phrase, when translated verbatim, doesn't even have an inherent political intonation. If AI is learning from human biases, it risks politicizing the religious expressions of Arabic-speaking people, particularly Palestinians.
Here's a TikTok post regarding the issue:
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