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AI for translation and interpreting : a roadmap for users and policymakers

(2026) INTERPRETING AND SOCIETY. 6(1). p.3-33
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Abstract
This Reflection Paper by the Special Interest Group on AI in Translation and Interpreting (hereafter T&I) of the European Language Council, comprising 25 scholars from 19 universities across 14 countries, calls for a more informed use of AI for T&I purposes. While acknowledging the potential of Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs), the authors point to several communicative, legal, and ethical concerns and risks and liabilities that occur when these concerns are not duly considered. The authors’ aim is to help policymakers and the wider public understand how LLMs ‘communicate’, what they are capable of, and where their limitations lie. They also seek to highlight communicative settings in which LLMs’ quality and reliability are insufficient, and in which the expertise of trained translators, interpreters, and T&I scholars is needed. A central claim is that LLMs offer powerful tools but not catch-all solutions. T&I are complex, human-centred communication activities that require much more than probabilistic prediction. In contexts where understanding, trustworthiness, and clarity are crucial, and especially where sensitive data and high-stakes settings are involved, professional expertise remains irreplaceable. Responsible AI use—anchored in human values, ethics, equity and the pursuit of quality in communication—is the only sustainable path forward.

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MLA
Peeters, Kris, et al. “AI for Translation and Interpreting : A Roadmap for Users and Policymakers.” INTERPRETING AND SOCIETY, vol. 6, no. 1, 2026, pp. 3–33, doi:10.1177/27523810251409377.
APA
Peeters, K., Daems, J., Plieseis, C., Rivas Ginel, M. I., & Şahin, M. (2026). AI for translation and interpreting : a roadmap for users and policymakers. INTERPRETING AND SOCIETY, 6(1), 3–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/27523810251409377
Chicago author-date
Peeters, Kris, Joke Daems, Claudia Plieseis, María Isabel Rivas Ginel, and Mehmet Şahin. 2026. “AI for Translation and Interpreting : A Roadmap for Users and Policymakers.” INTERPRETING AND SOCIETY 6 (1): 3–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/27523810251409377.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
Peeters, Kris, Joke Daems, Claudia Plieseis, María Isabel Rivas Ginel, and Mehmet Şahin. 2026. “AI for Translation and Interpreting : A Roadmap for Users and Policymakers.” INTERPRETING AND SOCIETY 6 (1): 3–33. doi:10.1177/27523810251409377.
Vancouver
1.
Peeters K, Daems J, Plieseis C, Rivas Ginel MI, Şahin M. AI for translation and interpreting : a roadmap for users and policymakers. INTERPRETING AND SOCIETY. 2026;6(1):3–33.
IEEE
[1]
K. Peeters, J. Daems, C. Plieseis, M. I. Rivas Ginel, and M. Şahin, “AI for translation and interpreting : a roadmap for users and policymakers,” INTERPRETING AND SOCIETY, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 3–33, 2026.
@article{01KMV1Q8D5Z6KKF81BBEND38GN,
  abstract     = {{This Reflection Paper by the Special Interest Group on AI in Translation and Interpreting (hereafter T&I) of the European Language Council, comprising 25 scholars from 19 universities across 14 countries, calls for a more informed use of AI for T&I purposes. While acknowledging the potential of Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs), the authors point to several communicative, legal, and ethical concerns and risks and liabilities that occur when these concerns are not duly considered. The authors’ aim is to help policymakers and the wider public understand how LLMs ‘communicate’, what they are capable of, and where their limitations lie. They also seek to highlight communicative settings in which LLMs’ quality and reliability are insufficient, and in which the expertise of trained translators, interpreters, and T&I scholars is needed. A central claim is that LLMs offer powerful tools but not catch-all solutions. T&I are complex, human-centred communication activities that require much more than probabilistic prediction. In contexts where understanding, trustworthiness, and clarity are crucial, and especially where sensitive data and high-stakes settings are involved, professional expertise remains irreplaceable. Responsible AI use—anchored in human values, ethics, equity and the pursuit of quality in communication—is the only sustainable path forward.}},
  author       = {{Peeters, Kris and Daems, Joke and Plieseis, Claudia and Rivas Ginel, María Isabel and Şahin, Mehmet}},
  issn         = {{2752-3810}},
  journal      = {{INTERPRETING AND SOCIETY}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{3--33}},
  title        = {{AI for translation and interpreting : a roadmap for users and policymakers}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1177/27523810251409377}},
  volume       = {{6}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}

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