Breaking News: AI’s Impact on Quebec Translators’ Livelihoods
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the translation industry, but not without its challenges. Quebec translators are facing a significant drop in remuneration rates and a shift in the nature of their work, making it increasingly difficult to maintain their standard of living.
Mechanical Repetition Overtakes Poetic Translation
Vincent Houle, a freelance translator from Quebec, describes the evolving landscape of translation work. “There has always been a poetic or artistic aspect to translation, in the effort to find the right word,” he explains. “Today, this dimension has been lost a little. The work is more and more mechanical, repetitive, stressful.” The introduction of advanced AI tools, such as ChatGPT, has accelerated this transformation.
Traditional Contracts Become Rare
With the rise of AI, traditional translation contracts are becoming scarce. Customers are now more likely to request “post-publishing” services, which involve revising translations generated by machines. “The remuneration rates for post-publishing contracts have dropped from 20% to 30% since 2021,” Houle notes. This drop means freelancers must secure more contracts to maintain their income.
Job Security and Training Initiatives
The future of the translation profession seems uncertain, with the University of Ottawa suspending its translation program and Simon Fraser University in British Columbia closing its program altogether. The federal government is also planning to reduce its translation office workforce by a quarter. However, there are initiatives to train workers threatened by automation, ensuring they can adapt to the changing job market.
Translators’ Expertise Remains Indispensable
Despite these challenges, Houle remains optimistic. “The expertise of translators is today more necessary than ever, especially because of the problems caused by artificial intelligence,” he says. The “corruption” of source texts through multiple AI translations highlights the irreplaceable role of human translators.
Industry-Wide Implications
The dependence on AI is accelerating across various sectors. According to a recent Statistics Canada study, 12.2% of companies used AI in the last year to produce goods or provide services, up from 6.1% the previous year. Sectors such as information and culture, professional services, and finance are most affected, while industries like accommodation, agriculture, and transport remain less impacted.
This shift underscores the urgent need for workers and industries to adapt to the increasing integration of AI technologies. Translators, like many other professionals, must navigate a rapidly changing landscape to ensure their expertise remains relevant and valued.
For more on the future of work and the impact of AI, stay tuned to archyde.com for the latest updates and in-depth analysis.
