The lecture addressed the challenges of translation in the age of artificial intelligence, with an emphasis on preserving the naturalness of the Albanian language and the irreplaceable role of the translator.
At the invitation of the Department of Linguistics of the Institute of Albanology in Pristina, within the framework of the “Albanological Lectures” program, Professor of the University of Tetova, Prof. Dr. Berton Sulejmani, delivered a lecture titled “The Albanian language in contemporary translations: theory, practice, and challenges”.
In this lecture, he addressed issues related to both the theory and practice of translation, emphasizing the preservation of the naturalness of the Albanian language and its use in accordance with its own linguistic system. He stressed that translation is one of humanity’s greatest labors, highlighting the complexity and responsibility inherent in this process.
Among the greatest difficulties in translation, he highlighted proverbs, due to their cultural and figurative load, which makes their transfer from one language to another particularly challenging.
Referring to recent developments in the field of artificial intelligence, he emphasized that machine translation includes various tools (such as Google Translate), as well as artificial intelligence models like ChatGPT, including their more advanced versions when used for this purpose. However, it was underlined that these tools perform better in languages with larger linguistic corpora and in texts with simpler structures, while in more stylistically complex texts the results remain limited. Machine translation can serve as a preliminary basis, but it requires essential intervention by the translator, while contemporary approaches rely on hybrid models in which technology serves as an aid and the translator ensures the final quality of the text.
The lecture was followed with interest by researchers, students, and lovers of language, and was accompanied by discussions on the current challenges of translation and the use of the Albanian language in the public sphere.
“Translation can be supported by technology, but it cannot be fully replaced by it,” emphasized Prof. Dr. Berton Sulejmani during the lecture.
His participation in this activity represents an important contribution to strengthening inter-institutional cooperation between the University of Tetova and the Institute of Albanology in Pristina, as well as to the advancement of Albanological studies.
