With machines driving so much of our communication, is it more vital than ever to remain human?

While new technologies like AI-driven tools can handle large volumes of text swiftly, relying on these solutions alone can have serious consequences—especially when dealing with sensitive or high-risk content. At PAB Languages Centre, human involvement remains an indispensable element in guaranteeing that all translations are both precise and culturally appropriate. Below, we explore why human touch is so vital, as well as the challenges and risks associated with solely depending on AI.

• In critical areas like law or medicine, even a 1–2% error rate can lead to major risks. AI-powered tools (like GPT or DeepL, for example) can perform quality checks (grammar, consistency, basic fluency), accuracy checks (term matching, factual consistency to some extent) as well as sentiment analysis (especially for marketing and customer content). However, some benchmark findings suggest that raw machine translations (with no human post-editing) for legal or technical texts often achieve 70–80% usability, but rarely over 80% accuracy in sensitive contexts. With expert human post-editing, the result can reach 100% accuracy.
• Hallucinations: Still a Real Risk - AI hallucinations refer to confident-sounding but false or invented content. In the translation or summarisation of legal and medical documents, these hallucinations can include misstating legal clauses, mistranslating critical terminology, or omitting essential information. In medical translation especially, relying on AI alone is not safe. Even with advanced tools like DeepL or GPT-4, hallucinations and mistranslations still occur.
• Protecting Data and Maintaining Compliance: Translating confidential documents—whether legal, medical, or corporate—requires a high degree of caution. Sensitive material must remain secure throughout the entire translation process, and each translation must adhere to relevant regulations. Even a small error in interpreting legal or regulatory texts can have far-reaching consequences, including legal penalties, business disruptions, and damage to reputation. Human linguists bring a level of responsibility and contextual understanding that helps maintain compliance and safeguards the integrity of the original message.
• The Risk of Miscommunication: In industries like healthcare, an inaccurate translation of patient instructions can compromise safety. In legal contexts, the wrong nuance can change the meaning of crucial clauses. When dealing with technical or industry-specific documents, machine-generated translations may miss subtle terms, jargon, or cultural references that carry significant weight.
• Regulatory Complexity: Each country has its own set of guidelines and legal requirements. Failing to accurately translate these details can result in non-compliance, leading to financial penalties or even the suspension of services.
• Confidentiality, Data Issues and Liability Concerns: AI systems rely on quality data. If the data is flawed, the translations will inherit those flaws. If an AI tool produces an error, it’s not always clear who bears responsibility—particularly for high-stakes content. Sensitive information requires secure handling at every step. Relying on external AI without sufficient oversight can risk exposing confidential data.

With machines driving so much of our communication, how vital is it to stay distinctly human? While AI excels at processing large volumes of text quickly, it struggles with context, cultural subtleties, and linguistic nuances that experienced human translators can detect and address. Language isn’t only about words; it’s also about emotions, social norms, and cultural values. Human translators can adapt content, so it feels authentic and respectful in different cultural settings. Expert human translators can flag potential compliance issues that AI might miss, ensuring that legal, medical, or technical documents remain accurate and legally sound. AI is a powerful support tool but not a replacement for expert human translators in legal, medical, or highly technical fields. The best practice today is AI + Human Expertise: using AI to assist with speed and consistency, and certified, domain-trained translators for validation. For certified or regulatory documents, human translation remains the only reliable, compliant choice. Striking the right balance by combining powerful tools with expert oversight, organisations can protect sensitive information, stay compliant with complex regulations, and communicate authentically across different cultures and languages. PAB Languages Centre - ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management) and ISO 27001 (Information Security) certified - helps organisations across all industries connect and communicate with their audiences in over 200 languages.  Whether you need to translate legal and technical documents, produce videos in multiple languages, or localise your website, PAB is here for you. Ready to cut your turnaround time while guaranteeing 100% legal and regulatory accuracy? Please get in touch today on chambertranslations@pablanguages.co.uk or 07799 772 360 to discuss your project. Read the full article and out more about the savings you can make via your chamber membership here.