Danica Davidson
June 4, 2024 
In May, it was announced that publisher Shogakukan, JIC Venture Growth Investments (part of the state-backed Japan Investment Corp.) and more had invested 2.92 billion yen (about $19 million) in having the company Orange use artificial intelligence to translate 50,000 manga into English during the next five years. Now the Japan Association of Translators has put out an official statement in Japanese and English about why it thinks using AI for high-volume translation is a bad idea.
The statement explained:
First, in its current form, AI translation has yet to demonstrate the level of quality required to adequately portray nuance, cultural background, or character traits, which are critical to a work of fiction. Using machines to churn out mass quantities of translated works in a short amount of time (according to official announcements, 50,000 works in 5 years, with the shortest turnaround being 2 days per work) risks greatly diminishing the value of the work itself.
People who back AI translations might argue that it fights piracy, because it can get the translations done more quickly. The Japan Association of Translators disagrees, thinking it would actually increase piracy. It stated: “Poor translations undermine consumer trust, opening the window for pirated versions to flourish. Given that manga is an important facet of Japanese culture and one of the many ways that people are first introduced to Japan, it is all the more important that the words we use to convey these stories are not undervalued.”
Along with concerns about quality, the association pointed out that AI could cost many hardworking people their jobs:
Moreover, excessive reliance on AI risks putting professional manga translators, who have supported the industry for years, out of work and turns valuable human resources into throw-away commodities. We are deeply concerned about the negligent disregard for so much accumulated experience and skill for the sake of cost reduction.
Source: Japan Association of Translators via PR Times
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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