ATA Statement on Artificial Intelligence

The following statement on artificial intelligence was drafted by ATA’s AI Task Force and approved by ATA’s Board of Directors on May 3, 2025. ATA encourages its members to share this information and stay informed of the latest developments in the industry.

Adoption of Technology and AI in Translation and Interpreting

The latest wave of artificial intelligence (AI), powered by large language models (LLM), is reshaping numerous professions, including the translation and interpreting industry. However, a growing reliance on AI highlights—not diminishes—the necessity of expert human linguists who possess the specialized skills to address translation and interpreting challenges that arise in this new context.

Translators and interpreters have long been at the forefront of adopting technological advancements, integrating them into their workflows to enhance efficiency and optimize their processes. As an example, translators have engaged with neural machine translation (NMT) since 2016, well before the advent of ChatGPT and other generative LLM AI tools. They have developed strategies to integrate these technologies as helpful tools, acknowledging their usefulness and taking steps to mitigate their shortcomings. For example, AI-assisted translation and interpreting has proven to be very useful for automating predictable, low-risk content, for drafting preliminary versions for expert revision, or in very specific scenarios. However, it may introduce inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and misinterpretations that require expert human intervention to discern and correct.

AI’s Potential in Translating and Interpreting

The potential for incorporating correctly implemented AI technologies into the workflows of translators and interpreters is constantly evolving. Real-world implementation of AI across translation and interpreting workflows—when performed under expert human oversight—can lead to measurable gains in productivity, consistency, and responsiveness, particularly in time-sensitive or high-volume domains. For example, LLM-assisted workflows can accelerate terminology extraction, improve first-draft quality in repetitive or formulaic content, and enable faster multilingual content turnaround for crisis response, education, and global health. In interpreting, emerging AI-enhanced tools are helping support interpreters through real-time glossary access, pre-session briefing automation, and AI-generated transcripts that improve documentation and accessibility. As the broader public adopts digital-first approaches, it is imperative that qualified, technically proficient language professionals lead the way in shaping how AI is integrated. Essential to these gains are the need for constant research and ongoing training in language and technology to augment and support the work of linguists in both traditional and new ways.

The Dangers of AI: Misleading Accuracy, Questionable Data Sources, and Confidentiality Concerns

One of the greatest dangers of AI-generated translations and interpretations is that they may appear accurate to the general observer, making errors harder to detect for those without linguistic expertise. Another relevant factor is that the source of information used by AI is continuously evolving and, over time, there is a growing concern about the quality, reliability, and biases of the data it relies on. As AI systems increasingly pull from uncontrolled, unverified, or even manipulated sources, the risk of spreading misinformation, inaccuracies, and flawed translations rises. It is also important to highlight that AI translation performance varies widely across language pairs, and users may be unaware of these inconsistencies, mistakenly assuming AI provides uniform quality across all languages.

In high-stakes scenarios, these potential inaccuracies can have severe repercussions. In fields such as healthcare, legal, and financial translation and interpreting, as well as translation and interpreting for the public sector, no one can afford the risks posed by AI-generated mistranslations or misinterpretations. But even private businesses seeking to sell their products or services may mistakenly believe they’re reaching their audience through AI-translated content while their message is lost or distorted, wasting resources and opportunities. In all these cases, only a trained professional with deep linguistic and subject matter expertise can ensure accuracy and preserve intended meaning, safeguarding the interests of all parties involved.

Another important factor is confidentiality. AI tools may require users to input text into platforms that may store, process, or even repurpose the data. This can lead to breaches of confidentiality agreements and violations of data protection laws, jeopardizing the privacy and security of the parties involved (and that of the public at large).

This evolving landscape underscores the growing importance of professional translators and interpreters, whose expertise and credentials will be key in ensuring that, whenever AI-generated content is used, it is properly assessed, corrected, and validated.

ATA’s Commitment to Advocacy and Professional Development

As one of the world’s largest professional associations for language experts, ATA remains a key voice in shaping the future of language technology, advancing its advocacy efforts to champion the indispensable role of human linguists, and actively participating in ongoing discussions. ATA will make every effort to protect translators and interpreters from the harmful effects of misinformation and misleading claims about AI capabilities and will continue to educate and support its members in mastering both emerging tools and their limitations through professional development initiatives. We encourage everyone to visit the Association’s website regularly to stay informed on this important and fast-evolving topic.