ChatGPT in Localization: Genius or Doomed to Fail?

I think it’s about time we addressed the elephant in the room. The one AI tool that’s been on the forefront of every headline and status update across all social media platforms.

ChatGPT.

Yes, we’re doing a ChatGPT article (you knew this was coming), but we’re not just going to talk about what it is, we’re going to examine whether we can find a way to use ChatGPT to our localization benefits. Can a chatbot prove to be revolutionary for our industry? Let’s find out.

ChatGPT in a Nutshell

ChatGPT is a large language model developed by OpenAI, a leading artificial intelligence research organization. It is designed to engage in natural language conversations with users on OpenAI’s website. Essentially, it’s the most sophisticated chatbot we’ve ever seen.

It was trained on a substantial amount of data from various sources, including books, articles, websites, and other documents, using a deep learning algorithm called Transformer.

Its “purpose” is to help users find answers to questions, provide information on various topics, and engage in conversations that feel as authentic as talking to another person. ChatGPT can also assist with tasks such as writing, editing, and proofreading text, as well as performing calculations and conversions.

Of course, ChatGPT has proven to be a lot more powerful than just a beefed-up calculator. Despite its (very calculated) modesty, ChatGPT actually outperformed 85% of Python programmers tested on LinkedIn.

We’ve also seen the AI tool capable of creating stories, rewriting text in a famous author’s style, and offer detailed instructions on how to download and install third-party software. In short, ChatGPT does a lot more than it tells you.

ChatGPT & Localization

So how well does ChatGPT handle localization? Let’s go ahead and give it some prompts, and find out.

Prompt: Localize this text to French

I spoke the other day of the colossal military disaster which occurred when the French High Command failed to withdraw the northern Armies from Belgium at the moment when they knew that the French front was decisively broken at Sedan and on the Meuse.

GPT: J’ai parlé l’autre jour de la catastrophe militaire colossale qui s’est produite lorsque le Haut Commandement français n’a pas réussi à retirer les Armées du nord de la Belgique au moment où ils savaient que le front français était brisé de manière décisive à Sedan et sur la Meuse.

Localized perfectly in a matter of seconds. Let’s see if it handles more sophisticated (no offence to Winston Churchill) terminology, from a medical document:

Prompt: Localize this text to French

The pain started as a vague discomfort around the umbilicus and then migrated to the right lower quadrant. The patient has also experienced anorexia, nausea, and vomiting. On physical examination, the patient has tenderness and guarding in the right lower quadrant with rebound tenderness. Laboratory tests show an elevated white blood cell count of 16,000 cells/mm3. An ultrasound of the abdomen reveals an enlarged and inflamed appendix measuring 1.2 cm in diameter with surrounding fluid.

GPT: La douleur a commencé comme une gêne vague autour de l’ombilic puis s’est déplacée vers le quadrant inférieur droit. Le patient présente également de l’anorexie, des nausées et des vomissements. À l’examen physique, le patient présente une sensibilité et une défense dans le quadrant inférieur droit avec une douleur à la percussion. Les tests de laboratoire montrent une numération élevée de globules blancs à 16 000 cellules/mm3. Une échographie de l’abdomen révèle un appendice enflé et enflammé mesurant 1,2 cm de diamètre avec un liquide environnant.

It handled technical terminology perfectly, and didn’t sacrifice any extra time to get the end result. So have the machines finally replaced us? Are we doomed to be slaves of the AI revolution? Let’s not get carried away. ChatGPT can, and very likely will end up playing a big part in the localization industry. After all, it is also a machine translation engine, as we saw above.

Verdict

ChatGPT will not replace human localizers, nor will it revolutionize anything. However, it does offer a great option for copywriters and translators who need a helping hand. To get the perfect polished product, you will need post-editors to your ChatGPT machine translation.

Machine Translation Post-Editing is an incredible tool when utilized by experts. It produces fantastic quality output while being cost-effective.

MTPE is used by industries around the world, and will grow exponentially more popular with the development of tools such as ChatGPT.

GTH has built up a healthy dose of professional experience in Machine Translation Post-Editing. We know what works for us, and most importantly, we know what works for you. As AI continues to grow, we continue to adapt.

Ready to give us a try? Contact us now for a free sample!