Interpreting in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Insights from “big” interpreting data

The rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) present both challenges and opportunities for the interpreting profession. This talk explores the impact of AI on interpreting research and practice, highlighting innovative platforms that utilise “big” interpreting data to empower the next generation of interpreters. Analysing extensive datasets of interpreting interactions enables insights into language patterns, cultural differences, and communication strategies. This data can be harnessed to create digital tools and platforms, equipping interpreters with invaluable information and resources to navigate the complex interpreting landscape with increased confidence.

The talk will feature the work of two interpreting corpora: the 6.5-million-word Chinese/English Political Interpreting Corpus (CEPIC; Pan 2019, https://digital.lib.hkbu.edu.hk/cepic/) and the Chinese/English Translation and Interpreting Learner Corpus (CETILC; Pan, Wong & Wang, 2022), estimated at over 1 million word tokens. The talk will introduce the further expansion of these corpora and work regarding a subsequent collaborative project on interpreting data “mining”, which is currently funded by the General Research Fund of Hong Kong’s Grants Council (Project No. 12611717). In addition, the talk will also introduce Enter-Link, a new digital platform that is under development with funding support from the Innovation and Technology Commission and the Hong Kong Science Park. The platform integrates research from interpreting corpora data and computer-assisted interpreting tools. As AI technology continues to progress, its role in interpreter training and professional development will likely expand. Through exploring these developments and case studies, the talk aims to offer insights into how interpreting professionals and other fields can prepare for the future.

Apart from investigating the potential of AI in developing innovative interpreting platforms that provide real-time interpretation assistance and improve interpreting accuracy and efficiency, the talk will address the ethical considerations of employing AI and big data in interpreting, such as data privacy and security concerns, and potential solutions. The talk will conclude with a discussion on how to leverage AI and interpreting data to facilitate more effective and inclusive communication across languages and cultures, fostering continued innovation and growth in the interpreting profession.