Japan’s ambitious plans to translate manga to English using AI technologies seem to have hit a roadblock already even before things got rolling on this, PRTimes reported. The Japanese Association of Translators has come out in strong opposition to the move stating it isn’t in the best interest of the country. Earlier we came across a mega plan of translating manga from Japanese to English and maybe other languages using AI for better reach in various parts of the world.
However, the Japanese Association of Translators or JAT argues that using AI for the translation work can betray the purpose as current AI technology won’t be able to fully recreate the same magic as those who aren’t as well versed as humans in the various aspects of a manga. That includes the various characters and their cultural backgrounds, their languages, the subtle meanings they might carry, and so on.
Plus, there is also the other aspect that the human translators fear – that of the AI stealing the job of the human as it has done in the audiobook segment. While AI might do the job with less cost and in less time it might lead to mass job losses of the human translators. Further, translation work not done well will pull down the value of a manga and can lead to a spurt in piracy as well.
The JAP also stated how manga happens to be an important part of Japanese culture and helps the country project soft power in other parts of the world. Shoddy translation work can seriously undermine that capability in the long run while demeaning the value of manga itself. The JAT is calling upon all parties involved, the manga artists, publishers, the government, translators, as well as readers to come together and create a common ground that allows for manga to flourish in the years to come.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.