Actors on Strike: Can AI Replace Human Touch in Game Translation

You might have heard of the news that major video game companies like Warner Bros. and Disney are facing strikes over the use of AI to produce human-like voices. The strike by video game performers has sent shockwaves through the localization industry. Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly capable of replicating human voice and translation, raising questions about the future of voice actors and the creative process. You might be thinking, can artificial intelligence replace human translators in the localization industry?

This article will answer your question by discussing the significance of human translation, AI’s impact on game localization, and the challenges it entails. So let’s begin. 

The Role of Human Touch in Game Localization 

Game localization is a complex process that includes adapting the game’s elements for diverse languages and cultures. The concept is simple. Localization makes a game developed in the UK easily accessible and understandable for Japanese players. A game usually contains a lot of elements that make localization a thorough process that requires special technical expertise and a deep understanding of language, culture, and the target audience.

While artificial intelligence is making strides in the video game industry through machine translation (MT) and neural machine translation (NMT), it still cannot handle nuances and provide culturally accurate translation like professional game translation services provided by human translators.

Human vs. machine translation is a never-ending debate. However, MT fails to provide accuracy and can’t replace human translators, as they play a crucial role in capturing the essence of a game and ensuring that it completely resonates with players from different backgrounds. Professional translators can create immersive and enjoyable gaming experiences by adapting humor, dialogues, and cultural references, which MT is not capable of doing.

AI’s Potential in Game Translation 

Well, we cannot completely ignore the presence of artificial intelligence in gaming translation. Let’s understand AI powered machine translation, for a clear objective. MT is a translation process done by using AI that is based on data sets. The advanced version of MT is neural machine translation. It is based on codes that function to produce results by mimicking the human mind. It means that NMT can produce results that are somehow culturally accurate, but not completely.

Even though AI doesn’t have the potential to replace human translators, it can be a valuable tool to save time and resources. Usually, a professional translation company follows a rigorous translation process based on various steps. Translating the content is a primary and time-consuming step that slows down the process. By integrating machine translation, localization companies can speed up the process and produce more results in a short period of time.

Challenges of AI in Localization 

While AI can be helpful in many ways, it still faces several limitations when applied to localization. So, if you are thinking of adding MT into the loop, do not just become completely dependent on it. Let’s see why human game translation stays ahead of the competition as compared to AI.

• Understanding Cultural Nuances

Idiomatic expressions 

Gaming language is rich with idioms and expressions that require the accurate delivery of the expressions without losing their essence. AI fails to understand and accurately deliver these nuances.

Cultural references

Each culture has its own unique references, humor, and symbols. AI, due to limitations, might misinterpret these references, leading to culturally insensitive translations.

Politeness and formality

AI cannot interpret the talking style. Different cultures have varying degrees of politeness and formality. Although it can produce human-like voices, it is not advanced enough to match the appropriate tone in the target language.

• Handling Context

Ambiguity

There are no hard and fast rules about ambiguity in languages. The meaning of words is highly based on the context. AI might misinterpret the intended meaning.

Contextual understanding

The accuracy of localization is highly dependent on the understanding of the overall message and purpose of a text. Artificial intelligence might struggle to match the human level of comprehension.

Subtext and implication

Human language is frequently riddled with subtext and hidden meanings that AI may overlook.

• Maintaining Quality 

Consistency

Accurate localization requires consistency in style and terminology across languages, which is challenging for AI to maintain.

Accuracy

Even with advanced machine translation technology, AI still fails to deliver accurate translation results leading to misinterpretations.

Post-editing

AI produces translation that requires human post-editing to correct mistakes and ensure quality output.

The Future of Game Translation

As AI evolves, it is critical to create guidelines for its appropriate use in the gaming industry. Developers and gaming companies are using the technology to improve efficiency and reduce effort. However, it is crucial to make sure that MT or NMT are highly based on AI, which means that the results you are getting are coming from the same source. It means that all the results are more or less the same, which leads to strikes from performers.

It is better to combine human creativity with AI capabilities to deliver a high-quality localized gaming experience that resonates with players worldwide.