Translation in the Age of AI: Why there is hope for emerging translators

When I tell family members, friends, or colleagues that I am studying an MA in Translation, I’m often on the receiving end of some predictable responses, all reflecting the same widely held sentiment:

Your master’s degree is in translation? Well, AI is definitely taking over your job!
Surely we won’t even need human translators in a few years’ time?
You want to be a translator? Can’t a computer just do that nowadays?

The consensus seems to be that the future of translation as a career is uncertain, or even on the decline. In an article by CNN from January 2026, Carl Frey, economist from the University of Oxford, estimates that between 2010-2023, around 28,000 more translation jobs would have been available in the US if it weren’t for Machine Translation (MT). Although Frey doesn’t see this as “mass displacement,” this may eventually occur in the US, and worldwide.

AI intercepting tradition

Today, the traditional role of ‘translator’ is seen to be teetering on the edge of extinction, in an age where AI is altering the industry landscape and developing at an unprecedented pace. With GenAI models such as ChatGPT, and even NMT systems like DeepL becoming increasingly capable of producing fast, accurate, and cheap output, it seems to many that there’s an inevitable outcome – human translators will be replaced by machines.

Yet amidst the reality of the rapid growth of AI, and scepticism from outside perspectives that are easily discouraging people from pursuing a career in translation, the future is far from hopeless. A recent report by the ITI emphasises that this AI-era is actually increasing the need for translators, particularly those who understand the intricacies of AI, as well as core translation and language theory.

A future career in translation may look different to before, but that doesn’t mean a mass displacement is coming, or that said career is any less worthwhile. These technological advances aren’t signalling the end of the profession, but they are instead creating new opportunities for emerging translators to adapt, specialise, and grow. 

An ever-changing landscape

The translation industry has constantly been subject to change. From the introduction of CAT tools to collaborative TMS, the industry is no stranger to newness. Although these changes are challenging, and emerging translators may feel disillusioned about how they will impact the way we work, they are not uniquely threatening. Translators have always held the necessary skills to seamlessly integrate new developments to ensure that cross-cultural communication remains effective and meaningful.

As AI is rapidly growing and improving, so are translators. They are professionals who can operate in high-pressure environments, meet tight deadlines, and adapt to various client demands. The incorporation of new forms of AI and cloud-based workflows, for example, are just another challenge to face, and another skill to add to an emerging translator’s wheelhouse.

Current translator training places flexibility, adaptability and solving problems sustainably and efficiently at the centre of their teaching. Using innovative technologies in a variety of settings is thus something we as professionals will be more than capable of.

Learning and development

Amid all this change, one useful constant is educational institutions’ commitment to closely following industry trends, with current courses teaching AI technologies and modern professional workflows. My course, MA Translation and AI at the University of Surrey, offers modules such as ‘Introduction to AI for Translators and Interpreters’ and ‘Smart Technologies for Translators,’ both of which have equipped me with vital skills that address the challenges of leveraging modern technologies.

Furthermore, we create Professional Engagement Portfolios that showcase our engagement with the industry through attending webinars, completing courses, and undertaking paid and volunteer work. This training helps emerging translators develop the capabilities needed to stand in good stead in a rapidly developing profession.

We are also now presented with opportunities beyond the conventional role of, say, becoming a medical or legal translator. Exciting and innovative roles have emerged over the years, such as localisation specialists, machine translation post-editors or transcreators. Technological advances and the fusion of translation and AI are broadening our career prospects, reinforcing our ability to be resilient in the face of change.

An important reality that I have acknowledged during my studies is that translation is the constant reshaping and expanding of your worldview. I recently experimented with post-editing a machine-translated text about the use of antibiotics in plants, which initially felt daunting and frustrating, due to my limited biological knowledge and my own preconceptions about post-editing and its creative constrains. But during the process, I had a moment of clarity - translation is constantly working with the unfamiliar, the frustrating, and the daunting, and this is what truly allows you to expand your intellectual horizons and develop the expertise and understanding to succeed.

Hope for the future

If there is one thing I always say to anyone who asks what I think will happen to the translation profession, it’s that humans possess innate qualities that a machine could never replicate. Humans are creative, original, culturally, and contextually aware, and above all, we have lived experience and emotions. These are the key ingredients for strategic thinking and allow us to produce high-quality work in an ethical way, from the translation of culturally nuanced speech patterns, down to the accuracy needed in specialised medical translation.

We as humans are knowledgeable in an irreplicable way. We will always be important to the translation process, but what’s changing is simply the way in which we get involved. Roles will change, AI will advance, and the industry will evolve, but within that, humans remain invaluable. Aspiring translators shouldn’t stand back and lose hope. Instead, we should grasp the opportunities this new era presents with both hands, embracing the combination of technology and human expertise to foster meaningful cross-cultural communication.