Modern technology is a boon to humankind. It has opened new doors for international trade and created new markets all around the world. On the other hand, globalization has considerably increased the demand for interpreters. Companies need to communicate with each other effectively to establish business relations. In order to cope with the growing demand for interpreters, developers are keenly working on providing technological solutions. Is it possible that technology can replace human sign language interpreters? Let us have a look at the important points mentioned below.

Impact of technology on interpreter jobs

Technological advancement and Artificial Intelligence have affected the jobs but not of interpreters. The demand for interpreters is increasing day by day and as per the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 2026 it will increase by 18%. Due to globalization, the demand for interpreters is increasing at an impressive rate than ever before, creating endless opportunities in this field.

Effectiveness of human interpreters over technology

Human interpreters are still in demand despite the increasing popularity of services and apps that are made to serve the same purpose. This is because these apps and services are unable to infer the meaning accurately of what is required to convey. Human uses context to know the meaning of individual word and consider the interaction of every word with one another. These combinations are changing frequently with evolving human creativity.

Humans can understand the complexity of words as well as their expression in various contexts metaphorical and figurative translations. However, the most advanced computer algorithm lacks this feature and cannot replicate it.

It is true that not every communication is verbal and gestures can convey a lot about the person. Skillful interpreting professionals try to bring mutual understanding in communication that cannot be expected by technology.  

Trustworthiness of Technology

The most important thing for the interpreter is to convey the message accurately. However, with the use of technology, one cannot ensure that the other party understands it in the same way. Machines cannot understand emotions and contexts that hinder communication in a broader spectrum. 

Advancement in interpreting technology

Computers, smartphones, and other gadgets have made life easy. With the advancement in technology, many translation applications are launched that can be installed in gadgets. A computer server transcribes and analyzes the words and chooses the closest translation from the phrases stored in its database. In 2016, Google made an advancement and switched from PBMT i.e. Phrase-based machine translation to GNMT Google neural machine translation, which is an artificial intelligence technology. This technology saves the meaning of phrases in spite of straightforward phrase translations. 

Requirements for raising an effective interpreter 

In this technological world, it is important to learn new skills as per the requirements of the industry. As the language industry plays a major role in the economic development of the country, it is important that training should be responsive according to the industry’s needs. 

Conclusion

Leading providers gain competitive advantages by adopting technological solutions from time to time. Machine interpretation is an emerging technology but as of now, it is probably safe to conclude that human sign-language interpreters are still ahead of machine interpreters.

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