Despite the advancements in technology, human translators remain essential in the field of translation as they bring a level of creativity, adaptation, and quality control that is difficult for machines to replicate. Human translators can creatively adapt content to ensure it resonates with the target audience, taking into account factors like humor, tone, and cultural appropriateness. This is something that machines, like Google Translate, may not always get right. Even with the help of neural translation systems, the smallest errors in translation can have catastrophic consequences, especially in technical, financial, or legal contexts.
Moreover, human translators have a nuanced understanding of language, culture, and context that machines cannot match. Translators are able to understand and translate jokes, puns, and nuanced cultural references that are often lost in machine translation. According to Jost Zetzsche, a translation industry and translation technology consultant, big data doesn't have a big sense of humor. This is because machines lack the ability to understand the author's intentions and cultural nuances that are essential for a high-quality translation. Therefore, while technology can certainly aid and improve the translation process, human translators are still necessary for critical, nuanced, and culturally-sensitive translations.