When asked recently about Spain’s request to make Catalan, Basque and Galician official languages of the European Union, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz offered a confident answer: “I believe that even in the medium term there is a very good solution: one day, thanks to artificial intelligence, we will no longer need interpreters. We will be…
Category: Machine Interpreting
Reducing Latency in Simultaneous Machine Interpreting with LLMs
I have recently focused my efforts on a major pain point for users of simultaneous speech translation systems: latency. In real-world production environments, it’s not uncommon to see systems with a delay of 8, 10, or even 12 seconds or more, which makes for a frustrating and disjointed experience. The good news is that with…
If Quality Is Contextual, Then AI May Be Better Equipped Than We Think
As Director for Interpretation at the European Parliament, Alison Graves offers in this video thoughtful reflections on the evolving notion of quality in conference interpreting. In her presentation, focused on human interpretation, she moves away from rigid, perfectionist definitions and supposedly objective notions of quality, instead emphasizing the contextual, listener-centered nature of interpreting. Her arguments…
Is AI interpreting ready for prime time?
Over the last few years, AI interpreting has made a leap, from flashy demos to real-world products. Machines can now translate speech between languages, sometimes with impressive accuracy. But interpreting isn’t just about getting the words right. It’s about context, nuance, stakes. And that’s where things get tricky. So, how good is AI at interpreting…
Beyond the Hype. Policymakers need advice.
A few days ago I had the pleasure to give a keynote speech titled “Beyond the Hype: Navigating the Promise and Challenges of Technology in Interpreting” at Integrerings- og mangfoldsdirektoratet (IMDi) in Oslo, an institution fostering “equal opportunities, rights and obligations in a diverse society” in Norway. Language technologies have the potential to support institutions…
“Will AI replace interpreters” is the wrong question to ask
If it’s true that questions are nearly as important as answers, then our first paradigm shift in grasping the profound changes unfolding in the field of interpreting should be to reframe the question itself. Instead of asking, Will AI replace interpreters? we should be asking, Can AI match human performance in interpreting? Only by reframing…
Trends for 2025 in Technology and Interpreting
Predicting trends is never an exact science—it’s more of an art. Yet, I’m eager to take on the challenge. The good news? At the intersection of Interpreting and Technology I don’t anticipate any dramatic upheavals, apocalyptic scenarios, or seismic disruptions in the space. Change, after all, is a gradual process. Evolution unfolds over time; it…
Simultaneous Speech Translation: from sentence to context-based approach
Progress is an incremental process—sometimes with big, dramatic leaps, and other times with painstakingly small, almost invisible steps. In speech translation, the ultimate goal is clear: creating a system capable of accurately translating across languages and cultures, capturing not just words but also their intended meaning, while seamlessly adapting to the communicative context. But let’s…
Data Privacy in AI Translation and Interpreting
Data privacy is a critical concern when using services, whether they are provided by humans or machines. There are many valid reasons for this: you may have confidential information that you do not want others to access, such as business strategies, financial data, or personal health details. Or you simply do not want others to…
Agency in AI interpreters
Many people hold a static view of what an AI interpreter is or will be: a tool that translates literally and blindly, no matter how unclear or garbled the original speech is—whether it’s mispronounced, unintelligible, or ambiguous. A mechanical device capable only of direct, word-for-word translations. In other words, a piece of software that will…