Judgment in the Age of AI · Article 20
AI translation can sound natural while mishandling “may not”, “unless”, “must not” or the party bearing responsibility. A small deviation may be harmless in casual conversation, but the same deviation can change action in medicine instructions, contracts, migration documents, research findings and safety directions.
Use two dimensions to decide on professional review
| Text characteristic | Why risk rises |
|---|---|
| Serious consequences | An error affects rights, health, money or safety |
| Dense terminology | Ordinary words acquire specialised meanings |
| Context sensitivity | Politeness, irony, identity or culture determines meaning |
| Verbatim accuracy required | Evidence, quotations, contracts and law cannot preserve only the gist |
Two-way review is not merely back-translation
Giving the translation to another AI for reversal may reproduce the same bias. A better process has a competent reader check meaning, then separately verifies names, numbers, negation, time, responsible parties and technical terms.
A pre-delivery checklist
- Are specialist terms consistent?
- Are numbers, units and dates preserved?
- Are negation, conditions and exceptions intact?
- Is it still clear who must do what?
- Has a qualified translator or professional reviewed it when necessary?
AI is useful for a first draft. When translation becomes evidence, instruction or commitment, fluency cannot carry final responsibility.
References
- NIST: Generative Artificial Intelligence Profile
- UNESCO: Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence
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