Revisiting AI for Latin Translation

[ZackF]

We Americans and Westerners (Aussies et al included) are plain deficient in language altogether, of which the deficiency in Greek and Hebrew (let alone Latin) is a symptom. We don't ever need more than one language in daily life, so we don't value knowing others. We certainly don't grasp what it takes to rightly translate from one culture/language to another.

Well, it is funny you mention “knowing“ one language. That is almost an exaggeration today. In the mid 1990s almost 30 years ago, I thought about going into classics after switching my major from engineering. When I was taking ancient Greek, the professor remarked more than once that he had to change textbooks because students knowledge of even English grammar that gave them to jumping off point to learning other languages had degraded so badly over the years there had to be nearly a remedial course in English grammar in order to teach the foreign language. That was 30 years ago. I seriously doubt it’s better now.

I am not a moderator nor son of a moderator, but please do not let this thread degen again into something personal and get it closed.

 

[shunoshimobe]

Of course. Everyone who disagrees with you is the archetypal medieval scribe standing in Guttenberg's way, and there's no room for doubting whether that's the correct paradigm to apply. There are absolutely no historical comparisons where someone came up with something, it didn't work that well, and we kept using the old way. That's why we all replaced our BICs with "digital pens" in the year 2008, and our phones with "Google glasses" in 2010. And that's also why we don't use helicopters or airplanes anymore or even walk, since Bell Aerospace's rocketpack made those things obsolete in the 1960's.

With all due respect, the things you linked were never created to be a replacement, but an addition. Nobody calls computer styluses "digital pens", they are meant for the computer. Google glasses was a proof-of-concept relating to augmented reality. The BIC pen replaced fountain pens. The iPhone replaced old Symbian OS based devices. So will AI be an addition or a replacement? I have a hard time believing it'll replace things entirely.

 

[Charles Johnson]

With all due respect, the things you linked were never created to be a replacement, but an addition. Nobody calls computer styluses "digital pens", they are meant for the computer.

Styluses are not digital pens.
They were a pen where one would write on paper and it would digitize the text as if one had typed it.

So will AI be an addition or a replacement? I have a hard time believing it'll replace things entirely.

That's my point. It's not a replacement for human translators. See the above.

 

[VictorBravo]

I am not a moderator nor son of a moderator, but please do not let this thread degen again into something personal and get it closed.

Moderation.
The above is apt. Keep personal beefs personal.

 

[Solparvus]

Well, it is funny you mention “knowing“ one language. That is almost an exaggeration today. In the mid 1990s almost 30 years ago, I thought about going into classics after switching my major from engineering. When I was taking ancient Greek, the professor remarked more than once that he had to change textbooks because students knowledge of even English grammar that gave them to jumping off point to learning other languages had degraded so badly over the years there had to be nearly a remedial course in English grammar in order to teach the foreign language. That was 30 years ago. I seriously doubt it’s better now.

I am not a moderator nor son of a moderator, but please do not let this thread degen again into something personal and get it closed.

The things I've heard from a middle/high school teacher about seven years ago were utter head-shakers. Not even a clue how a period works.