Just weeks ago, I had the pleasure of participating virtually in the International Conference on Language and Translation Technologies held in Canada — a participation made possible by the very technology now driving the most profound transformation in our field: artificial intelligence (AI). As I listened to scholars, translators, and industry leaders debate the future of translation in an increasingly AI-powered world, one truth became clear: the translator’s role is not disappearing. It is evolving — ascending to new heights that are more creative and intellectually demanding than ever before.
For decades, translation has been recognized as a complex, labour-intensive, and deeply human endeavor. Whether translating legal contracts or literary works, translators have done far more than convert words between languages; they have navigated cultural nuances, idiomatic expressions, and the delicate balance between fidelity and fluency. The emergence of AI-driven tools has undeniably altered this landscape. Powered by advanced models like Neural Machine Translation (NMT) and Mixture of Experts (MoE) architectures (Shen et al., 2023), today’s systems can translate vast volumes of text at speeds previously unimaginable. But with this new efficiency has come a pressing and sometimes anxious question: Is there still a meaningful place for the human translator in this automated future?
I believe the answer is a resounding yes — and more than that, this moment presents a unique opportunity for professional reinvention. At the conference, I offered a comparison that seemed to resonate deeply: before the invention of cars and airplanes, people traversed long distances on foot or horseback — journeys that were slow and exhausting. These innovations didn’t render humans obsolete; instead, they revolutionized travel, saving time, improving lives, and opening new horizons. They also required new human skills: to drive, navigate, build, and maintain complex machines. The rise of AI in translation follows a similar trajectory. It expands our capabilities, but equally demands a higher level of linguistic mastery, cultural literacy, and critical judgment from the translator.
AI still struggles with subtleties — with tone, context, and cultural resonance (Toral & Way, 2018). A machine may produce grammatically correct output, yet combine colloquial phrases with technical jargon, resulting in awkward or inappropriate text. These aren’t mere technical errors; they reflect the absence of human consciousness, emotional intelligence, and lived cultural experience. This is where the human translator becomes essential — not only to correct but to shape and refine AI outputs to meet audience expectations, cultural norms, and communicative intent.
AI excels at providing a framework — offering drafts and structural outlines. This frees translators from repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on where their unique expertise is most needed: creativity, nuance, and judgment. The human translator, therefore, becomes not merely a conveyor of content, but a language strategist, a cultural mediator, and an editorial supervisor (Bowker & Ciro, 2019). The role is not diminished — it is redefined and elevated.
This shift also raises the bar for what is expected of today’s translators. Being bilingual is no longer sufficient. Successful translators must now possess advanced proficiency in both source and target languages, a deep cultural understanding, and the critical skills to evaluate and reshape AI-generated texts. As researchers like Kenny (2022) have noted, AI literacy and post-editing proficiency must become core components of translation education — not to replace foundational skills, but to build upon them.
Returning to the earlier analogy: just as the car and airplane required humans to learn new skills in order to harness their power, AI demands a new kind of translator — one who can guide, optimize, and elevate machine outputs. The vehicle saves time, but without a skilled driver, it can go nowhere. In the AI age, translators are not being replaced — they are being asked to rise to a new, more strategic and creative role.
We’ve seen this before. When the computer was first introduced, it sparked fears of widespread job loss. Instead, it ushered in new industries, professions, and a different kind of worker — one who could think and create alongside the machine. AI’s role in translation is following that same path. Rather than replacing human labour, it is redefining it — giving rise to a new translator: intellectually agile, culturally attuned, and technologically fluent.
In conclusion, artificial intelligence is not the end of human translation but a tool — a vehicle capable of taking us farther, faster. But like any powerful machine, it requires skilled, critical human guidance. The future belongs to those translators who embrace this evolution, master new tools, and continue to deliver meaningful, context-sensitive translations that machines alone cannot achieve.
This is not a moment for fear or resistance — it is a call to bold reinvention. The translator’s journey, like that of humanity itself, is one of continuous adaptation. In this new chapter, we are not being replaced — we are being called to rise.
Dr. Marwa El-Shinawy – Academic and Writer
