Inaccuracy of the AI ​​Version of the Pocket Dictionary

Translation tools, including Google Translate, are very sophisticated. However, the human touch is still necessary.

CAHYO HERYUNANTO

The translation application, which is part of AI, cannot yet distinguish which contexts should be translated and which ones should not be translated.

When I was still a junior high school student around 1992 in Yogyakarta, English lessons were something we greatly feared. Not only were they difficult to understand, but the availability of media and aids was also greatly limited.

Pocket money is only enough to buy an English-Indonesian dictionary. That's also the pocket dictionary model which is affordable. This dictionary is small, the size of a schoolchild's front pocket, consisting of 2,000 words. Not all students have one and, even if they do, they borrow dictionaries here and there.

Now times have changed. A device or smartphone with various applications is in your hand, including applications for language switching. The “pocket dictionary” is now no joke.

Not only individual words can be translated, but more than one paragraph, even an article with 5,000 words, can be translated in the blink of an eye. In this case, translation from English to Indonesian or vice versa. Amazing, isn't it?

One of these pocket dictionaries is the Google Translate application that is on all of your devices.

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One word, two meanings

Nevertheless, this is a matter of language with all its complexities, including dealing with various options for word meanings. Language with its vocabulary is not like mathematics with its definite numbers.

One word in Indonesian can have more than one meaning in English. Vice versa. Accuracy in selecting a word or at least approaching its meaning from one language to another is a requirement.

KOMPAS/DAHLIA IRAWATI

Lontong, which is one of the fillings of lontong cap go meh, translates to rice in English. In this case, English does not yet have a concept of the exact meaning of the word lontong

The easiest and most frequently heard example is the word rice in English which has many choices of meanings in Indonesian. There are sticky rice, grain, rice, paddy, and groats.

With this sophisticated pocket dictionary, we try to translate two sentences: (1) Rice fell on the rice fields. (2) Rice falls on the rice fields. The result is the same: Rice falls on the rice fields.

The results of this translation are confusing because there is no difference between rice and padi, even though we know that rice is rice that has been cooked, while rice is still raw and not good to eat.

One way to avoid errors in language translation is to complete the meaning required in detail. We define Nasi according to the Big Indonesian Dictionary (KBBI), namely 'cooked rice'. The complete sentence would be like this: Cooked rice fell on the rice fields. The result: Cooked rice falls on the rice fields. Thus, it is clear what we mean.

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One word, two word classes

The above example is just one problem. It has long been known that in the Indonesian language, sometimes a word can have two or more word classes. These word classes will become clear when the words are used in a sentence.

The word photo for example: (1) Photo of that view! The word photo in this sentence is meant to be a verb. (2) That's a landscape photo. The word photo in this sentence is meant to be a noun.

If translated, the results are each like this: Photo of that view! and It's a landscape photo. The word photo in both sentences becomes photo with the noun class. The photo in the first sentence should be a verb because it contains a command.

Therefore, word class categorization is important. So that the word photo is detected as a verb, we complete it with the suffix or ending -lah. Take a photo of the scene! Take a photo of the scene!

Another example, Children's Internet Access, Strengthened Protection, which if then copied and pasted, will result in the translation of Children's Internet Access, Strengthened Protection. In fact, what is meant in the title of an article is Children Accessing the Internet, Protection Strengthened so the correct result is the clause Children Accessing the Internet,… and not the noun phrase Children's Internet Access,….

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

The charm of the Minangkabau Coast, the Landscape of Padang Beach

Proper name

So, what about when translating involves names of individuals or geographical locations that do not need to be translated? The names of individuals and their spellings are a fundamental human right, so there is nothing wrong with that. Translation issues often arise when a person's name is also the name of an object.

For example, sorry if by chance there is a name mentioned, Mutiara Siahaan. This sophisticated pocket dictionary translates into English as Wasted Pearls. "Hey, this is a person's name, why are you translating it?" That's when the protest happened.

There is no cure for this latest case. This pocket dictionary, with its sophisticated application, is not as smart as our language, our minds, and our intelligence.

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ARSIP PRIBADI

Personal names such as Mutiara Azka, who is a singer, cannot and should not be translated. Mutiara Azka is a proper name, not a generic name.

Precautionary principle

"It's dangerous now if we use translation applications with pasrah bongkokan (trusting or giving 100 percent to solve the problem). "The translator application, which is part of artificial intelligence (AI), cannot yet distinguish which contexts should be translated and which ones should not be translated, for example people's names," said my friend who worked as a programmer in a foreign company for 18 years.

AI also cannot differentiate between figurative meanings, idioms, and actual meanings or denotations, said my friend again. For example, it would be wrong if moment of truth which is a figure of speech is translated into moment of truth as a denotational meaning. "Perhaps it is not language translation that is produced, but disinformation. "Human intervention and touch is still needed," he said.

”After all, AI is a tool, a tool. "It can be used during the language translation process, but there must still be human intervention, at least at the final stage," he said before hanging up the phone.

At present, in 2024, it is still necessary to recheck the results of the sophisticated pocket dictionary's work to ensure its accuracy in accordance with its intended meaning. Users must examine and recheck whether there are any errors in word selection. The tool, which is part of this technology, presents challenges in its use, but at the same time, it is very promising in terms of speed. We look forward to further developments.

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Antonius Galih Rudanto, Kompas Language Coordinator