Interpreting Animal Language: The Role of Artificial Intelligence

Subscriber-only episode

Are we on the brink of a revolution in the world of interpreting? And no, I am not referring to the topic of AI in the interpreting industry.

What if you could converse with other species or decipher near extinct languages? Brace yourselves, because this short episode of the podcast explores these very possibilities. I also delve into the buzz around creating a safety task force for ethical AI in interpreting. If you missed their first meeting, don’t worry, I've shared a link below for more information.

Did you ever think that Dory’s whale-talk in Finding Nemo could be a prediction of the future? In this episode I share with you about an exciting article about German neuroscientists using AI to decode animal communication. How this technology is being used and its potential applications in our understanding of extinct languages and even human interaction are mind-boggling. Come along for this riveting journey as we examine the intersection of AI and language like never before. If the possibilities of AI in interpreting intrigue you as much as they do me, then this episode is for you. So, join in and let’s explore together! Whether you're learning to speak whale or simply wish to know more about the current developments in AI and interpreting, this bit-size episode will, at the very least, give you something more to think about.
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Article: The Animal Translators
Taskforce: Interpreting SAFE AI-Taskforce Workgroup
Soundbite credit: https://youtu.be/jJGeeryk0Eo

Thanks for tuning in, till next time! 👋

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www.brandtheinterpreter.com
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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:34

Hello, hello, vipers of the brand the interpreter podcast, so happy to be back to share something that I thought was pretty interesting. Now, i'm sure you all know that there's a lot of buzz right now currently with the whole AI and everything that comes with it, including the creation of potentially a new safety task force for a fair and ethical AI in interpreting. So if you didn't hear about that or if you didn't get the chance actually to attend their first meeting, i'll go ahead and put a link on the episode notes here so that you can find out a little bit more about it. They just had their first meeting, june 27. It was a call to action and they spoke a little bit about the intention. This group spoke about the intention of the task force and, of course, the process of recruitment and a survey that they are sharing out. I'll have more about that on the other side of the podcast. Hopefully, i'll have somebody that I'm inviting over that can talk a little bit more specifically about this task force. But, of course, continuing on with this topic, there is just so much more than just the issues of AI in interpreting.

Speaker 1: 1:54

There is actually something that is quite interesting, an article that I came across in the way in which some neuroscientists out in Germany are utilizing AI. Get this. The article is called the animal translators, right, and the subheading is scientists are using machine learning to eavesdrop on naked mole, rats, fruit bats, crows and whales and to communicate back What They're using the Twilight Zone theme song. Okay, so here's some of the things that they've discovered. Not only did each mole have its own vocal signature, each colony had its own distinct dialect, which was passed down culturally over generations. No-transcript. What other species has done that as well? Can't quite put my finger on it. Anyway, in recent years, the article says that scientists have begun deploying the machine learning systems to decode animal communication, using the machine learning algorithms to identify when squeaking mice are stressed or why fruit bats are shouting. It goes on to say that even more ambitious projects are underway to create a comprehensive catalog of crow calls, map the syntax of sperm whales, and even to build technologies that allow humans to talk back. Who knew Dory from Finding Nemo would be forecasting the future? And if you have no idea what I just referred to, head on over to YouTube or something and search Dory speaking whale and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Speaker 1: 3:29

Turns out, however, that this type of technology is not something that is completely new. The article states that several years ago, researchers at the University of Washington used machine learning to develop software called Deep Squeak, which can automatically detect, analyze and categorize the ultrasonic vocalization of rodents. According to the article, other major projects are underway, such as one called SETI, which is short for the Citation Translation Initiative, which is bringing together machine learning experts, marine biologists, roboticists, linguists and cryptographers, among others, at more than a dozen institutions, to decode the communication of sperm whales, which emit bursts of clicks that are organized into morse code-like sequences that are called CODAS. This is a part of the article that I found most interesting, and one of my favorite parts was that it states that the prospect of ongoing two-way dialogue with other species remains unknown, but that true conversations will require a number of prerequisites, including matching intelligent types, compatible sensory systems and, crucially, a shared desire to chat. There has to be the motivation on both sides to want to communicate, is what one of the experts in cognitive evolution mentioned, and then she said that some animals may have experiences that are so different from our own that some ideas simply get lost in translation. For example, we have a concept of getting wet, dr Braunstein said. I think whales would not even be able to ever understand what that means.

Speaker 1: 5:06

This is all from the article, oh my gosh. And it made me think of the parable about the two fish. Have you heard it? It's the one where there's two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish that's swimming in the opposite direction, who nods at them and says morning boys, how's the water? And the two young fish continue swimming And then eventually one of them turns around and looks at the other fish and says what the hell is water? Of course, this is having more to do with the fact that sometimes the most obvious things or the most important realities are often the ones that are the hardest to see right, or the ones the hardest to talk about, and it just, it just creates this awareness of what we are currently living and some of the things that are happening behind the scenes that we aren't even aware about.

Speaker 1: 5:58

Could you imagine if this technology was utilized in a way in which it is being utilized to understand other species of this world and to be able to better communicate with these species, potentially sometime in the near future, if these technologies were utilized in the same way for humans. Currently, the use of these technologies are, at least it seems, more like being pushed out for marketable reasons, for income producing reasons, for efficiencies you know everything having to do with systems and, of course, money. But imagine if it could be used for the purposes of better understanding, how much more it would bring into the table, with linguists and scientists and, of course, the interpreters and translators currently in the profession, that we would be able to decipher and understand communication of maybe even near extinct languages or things like that, i don't know. It just made me think. It's just so interesting how we emphasize the use of this technology for the improvement of one thing with species, not to minimize the importance of understanding the co-inhabitants of this world, right where we share our space or who we share our space with But seeing the difference and I'm sure there's pockets probably of scientists out there that are currently using language in order to better understand cultures, the different cultures and the different languages, and expand or not lose, i'm sure eventually I'll share an article about how technology is being used to revive some of these possibly almost near extinct languages, but it just makes you put things into perspective. I still thought it was a great article. I'm definitely going to link it in the episode notes, so if you want to read the full article, feel free. But yeah, interesting stuff out there. Absolutely, things are just changing. We are in a completely different world And I don't know, guys, the thought of maybe potentially going out to sea and being able to communicate with wildlife is, i mean, it seems like something from the twilight zone, but potentially we're nearing that in the very near future.

Speaker 1: 8:35

So you won't catch me right now learning how to speak whale, because I'm still trying to learn how to speak the only two languages that I know. But in the meantime, if you do come across something that is interesting, feel free to share it. Send it my way. I think this is really going to be the focus of these episodes or sharing with you some of the things that are out there that may or may not be affecting our industry, but are somehow still related. I love learning about these things And, of course, i'd love turning around and sharing them with you. So feel free to connect with me if you have any further ideas. In the meantime, stay safe out there and let me know if you're learning how to speak whale yourself. All right till next time. See you then. Oh, oh oh, big fella, big whale. Okay, maybe only speaks whale. What are you doing? Are you sure you speak whale?