I see a lot of arguments nowadays about how translation as a field is easily replaceable/should be replaced by AI. Arguments like that are based on a fundamental misunderstanding of what actually goes into translation.
Believe it or not but: Translations are not a 1:1 correspondence into the target language. There are an infinite number of factors that go into producing a translation including, but not limited to; metaphors, nuance, meter and rhyming scheme, wordplay and puns, etc etc. These are core components of social and literary aspects of language that AI does not correctly model, replicate, or produce.
Furthermore, AI in the context of language reproduction (not modeling) cannot think for itself. The micro-decisions that you as a human being make in just your native language, it is incapable of doing. Thus, AI must rely on a set of previously established data, must be coded for particular factors, and must be trained in an agreeable lexicon. AI may be able to replicate common phrases in standard dialects of languages, but it will not understand nor be able to reproduce more complex language tasks.
Yes, languages can be considered as having their own set of rules (grammar, spelling, etc etc). However, the ways that human beings actually utilize language is infinitely more complex than the prescribed rules of that language--especially in dual or multi-language communication.
AI cannot translate from the unknown with any amount of accuracy. AI cannot explain the reasoning behind its translation choices. AI cannot process language the way human beings do.
Think of it this way: AI uses a finite set of predetermined flash cards from which it attempts to guess further patterns, with no guarantee of accuracy. This is often why GoogleTranslate has grammatical errors for rather complex sentences, it often infers patterns in sentence fragments and not in view of the whole--as a human being would.
Translators, whether they work with historical documents or in a more modern context, make incredibly important decisions when they work with languages. AI does not have the ability to make those decisions.
You make incredibly important decisions when you use your language(s). AI cannot replicate you.
