Updated March 30, 2024
Resources regarding literary translation and generative artificial intelligence
Compiled by Ginny Tapley Takemori, March 2024
“In writing a translation, the translator establishes a set of interpretive relations with an existing text. The translator’s choices—including text selection—are inextricable from a given social and historical moment, and the translator’s aesthetic and ethical sensibilities shape the translated text for a new literary context, paving the way for dynamic and varied readings. To resort to notions of translation as purely mechanical reproduction or as “capturing” or being “faithful” to some aspect of the “original” eliminates the consideration of this cultural practice, thus reducing its artistic and intellectual possibilities—and also, necessarily, political ones—by attempting to confine the result to a single meaning. When seen as a particular kind of writing, translation emphasizes the myriad interpretations available and has the potential to combat the tendency to essentialize cultures and languages.”
— PEN 2023 Manifesto on Literary Translation
Literary translation differs from many other fields of translation in that translators are considered authors in our own right, as recognized by the UK Society of Authors and the US Authors Guild. This means that we retain the copyright and moral rights to our work, and often receive a royalty on sales in addition to our fee for translating a work.
The introduction of ChatGPT at the end of November 2022, just over a year ago, has had a dramatic effect on our industry, and is putting the jobs of not just translators, but authors, voice actors, illustrators, designers, copyeditors and proofreaders at risk.
Generative AI systems have been and continue to be trained with the unauthorized use of hundreds of thousands of copyrighted works, and moves are being taken to curb this use and protect our industry, both by industry players - including individuals and corporate entities, unions, and also by governments.
This list was compiled while preparing for a zoom discussion on AI and translation organized by Tom Gally on March 30, 2024, and provides resources on the current state of our industry, the issues posed by the use of generative AI, specific moves being taken to regulate its use, and what we as individuals can do to protect ourselves.
The PEN America 2023 Manifesto on Literary Translation
https://pen.org/report/translation-manifesto/
The Guardian (Jul 2023): It’s exciting, it’s powerful: how translated fiction captured a new generation of readers”
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jul/29/its-exciting-its-powerful-how-translated-fiction-captured-a-new-generation-of-readers
Tom Gally’s video March 2023
https://youtu.be/5KKDCp3OaMo
(Wo)man Versus Machine (Nov-Dec 2023)
Part One: How did human translators fare against their machine counterparts?
https://emergingtranslatorsnetwork.wordpress.com/2023/11/24/woman-versus-machine-part-one/
Part Two: Roy Youdale of the University of Bristol shares some thoughts on the growing impact of AI on literary translation
https://emergingtranslatorsnetwork.wordpress.com/2023/11/27/woman-versus-machine-part-two/
Part Three: AI, NMT, and literary translation: what of copyright?
https://emergingtranslatorsnetwork.wordpress.com/2023/12/01/woman-versus-machine-part-three/
The Guardian (Jan 2024): Impossible to create tools like ChatGPT without copyrighted material
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/jan/08/ai-tools-chatgpt-copyrighted-material-openai
The Guardian (Mar 2024): AI translation: how to train ‘the horses of enlightenment’
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/mar/15/ai-translation-literature
Slator (Jan 2024): The state of AI in Literary Translation
https://slator.com/state-of-ai-in-literary-translation/
The Society of Authors
Basic position
https://www2.societyofauthors.org/where-we-stand/artificial-intelligence/
SoA response to The Atlantic’s publication of a list of pirated books used to train artificial intelligence (these included many translations, including by me) (Sep 2024)
https://www2.societyofauthors.org/2023/09/26/books3-the-soa-view/
Proposed resolution on artificial intelligence, to be voted on at EGM May 2 2024
https://www2.societyofauthors.org/download/egm-2024-resolution-1-on-artificial-intelligence/?wpdmdl=142848&refresh=6604b32fb960f1711584047
The Authors Guild
Basic position and record of advocacy actions with regard to generative AI
https://authorsguild.org/advocacy/artificial-intelligence/
FAQs on the Authors Guild’s positions and advocacy around generative AI
https://authorsguild.org/advocacy/artificial-intelligence/faq/
Open letter signed by over 15,000 authors (including translators)
https://authorsguild.org/news/thousands-sign-authors-guild-letter-calling-on-ai-industry-leaders-to-protect-writers/
The EU Resolution
The Guardian (Mar 2024): What will the EU’s proposed act to regulate AI mean for consumers?
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/mar/14/what-will-eu-proposed-regulation-ai-mean-consumers
Open letter on the EU Act
https://literaturuebersetzer.de/site/assets/files/8902/open-letter_ai.pdf
UK House of Lords (Feb 2024)
Communications and Digital Committee, Large language models and generative AI bill currently being debated in Parliament
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld5804/ldselect/ldcomm/54/5402.htm
The Guardian (Feb 2024) report on committee’s recommendations
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/feb/02/uk-ministers-urged-to-protect-creatives-whose-work-is-used-by-ai-firms
Japan (March 2024)
“The draft outline of a government panel’s interim report has acknowledged that Japan’s existing laws are limited in their ability to prevent infringements of intellectual property rights by artificial intelligence technologies. It calls on AI operators to voluntarily make efforts to protect those rights.”
https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/politics-government/20240322-176137/
Contracts
Society of Authors
Recommended AI Clause
“The Publisher may not allow access to the Work (by the Publisher, or by any sub-licensee) in any manner which could help the learning or training of artificial intelligence technologies. In addition it will not without the Translator’s consent use or allow the use of AI in association with the production of this work, including but not limited to AI for translating, narrating, design of the cover or other artwork.”
Model contract
https://societyofauthors.org/SOA/MediaLibrary/SOAWebsite/Guides/Guide-to-Translator-Publisher-Contracts.pdf
Authors Guild
Recommended AI Clause
a. No Generative AI Training Use.
For avoidance of doubt, Translator reserves the rights, and [Publisher/Platform] has no rights to, reproduce and/or otherwise use the Translation in any manner for purposes of training artificial intelligence technologies to generate text, including without limitation, technologies that are capable of generating works in the same style or genre as the work, unless [Publisher/Platform] obtains Translator's specific and express permission to do so. Nor does [Publisher/Platform] have the right to sublicense others to reproduce and/or otherwise use the Translation in any manner for purposes of training artificial intelligence technologies to generate text without Translator's specific and express permission.
b. Audio Book Clause (for use with audiobook grants)
With respect to any audiobook created or distributed under this Agreement, Publisher shall not permit or cause the Work to be narrated by artificial intelligence technologies or other non-human narrator, without Translator's prior and express written consent.
Literary Translation Model contract
https://authorsguild.org/resource/translation-model-contract/