- “Will you leave the translation industry because of AI?”
- “Why? Have machines just become sentient?”
This is a hot topic, and I understand the panic, seeing how fast things are moving when it comes to AI adoption.
But there are two things that have to be cleared up:
● The biggest advancement is not in the quality of translation, but in convincing CEOs that AI is гood еnough, so they should just use it. In many cases they can’t read the target language. They can’t evaluate anything besides price and speed, so many of them believe—or more precisely, want to believe—that getting a translation can be that cheap.
● If, as a translator, you’re not specialized, don’t feel linguistic nuances, and don’t put much effort into making your translation perfect—then yes, AI is coming for you. If you were producing human slop before, you’re rightly afraid of machines that can produce slop faster. But the rest of us can still find our way up.
I’ve been doing this for over a decade, and my inbox still hasn’t become empty. True, 2025 was a drier year. But for me, that just meant I had to send out some CVs again. Yes, I almost forgot how to do this, because in previous years I had more work than I could process, with existing clients, referrals, and people who approached me first.
If you’re good at what you do—if you actually understand the culture and the nuance, and not just dictionary definitions—you are not replaceable. There’s plenty of work in the high-end sector, where human expertise is becoming a luxury service. Don’t let a bunch of tech bros who don’t speak a second language convince you that your brain is obsolete.
We’re not just translators anymore; we’re cultural consultants and quality gatekeepers. Hold the line. The clients who value quality aren’t going anywhere. What’s changing is that many of them only realize the risk after something goes wrong.
This is true for every field, but IMO it’s especially obvious in subtitles , where you have to take into account the visual context in a way translation bots cannot access or understand.
I’ve tried working on MTPE subtitling jobs, and with them, you basically have two options:
1) you completely rewrite almost every sentence, or
2) you keep telling yourself “They paid an MTPE rate, they get MTPE quality” and carry on—dead inside.
So, no, I’m not leaving. Because without me and my colleagues the job just can’t be done. I’ve never felt more essential.
Do you want your name to be remembered?
Join the club.
If you’re holding the line and want to sharpen your skills, I’ve written down what’s been working for me in real projects.
👇
