Frontier | A Real - world Test of "Man - Machine Battle" in Simultaneous Interpretation: AI Translation Leads in Accuracy, while Human Interpreters Excel in Fluency

Author | Lin Qingqing

Editor | Peng Xiaoqiu

Recently, an AI translation exchange event called "Simultaneous Interpretation Man - Machine Battle 2.0" was held in Shenzhen. At the event site, the human simultaneous interpretation team composed of professional simultaneous interpreters and the AI simultaneous interpretation team using the Timekettle W4Pro product competed on the same stage in the translation tasks of four languages: English, Japanese, French, and Spanish. The event was live - streamed on platforms such as the Dute client of Shenzhen Press Group, and the number of online viewers exceeded one million.

Poster of the "Man - Machine Battle" competition site

At the event site, professional simultaneous interpretation booths were set up strictly in accordance with international conference standards. The Timekettle W4Pro, representing artificial intelligence, was worn on a carefully designed head model. The competition system was designed to ensure fairness. The question bank categories and professional vocabulary were announced three days before the competition. Foreign guests drew lots on - site to determine the specific questions, and interference factors such as a noisy environment and regional accents were set. Senior practitioners in the translation industry served as judges, evaluating from four dimensions: translation accuracy, language fluency, professional field adaptability, and cultural adaptability.

The "Man - Machine Battle" competition site

In the basic translation session, the competition between humans and machines showed a distinct contrast. The human translation team produced smooth and natural translations based on practical experience; while the AI intelligent team demonstrated its advantages in handling professional terms. Jin Di, a Spanish judge, pointed out: "The vocabulary reserve of professional translators mainly comes from acquired learning and accumulation, and in terms of quantity, it cannot compare with artificial intelligence, especially in fields with high professional barriers." Che Zhongyu, a Japanese judge, said: "I was surprised that artificial intelligence can accurately translate professional cultural terms such as 'the tenth year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty'." Zou Yuexian, a professor at Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, the executive deputy director and secretary - general of the Shenzhen Artificial Intelligence Society, also pointed out: "Currently, artificial intelligence still has obvious deficiencies in reaction speed, especially with a long delay in translating the first sentence."

The basic translation session

After multiple rounds of competition, the AI intelligent team led the human translation team with a total score of 1170 points to 1062 points. The judges and experts reached a consensus: in terms of reaction speed and language fluency, professional translators performed more prominently; while in terms of translation accuracy, artificial intelligence showed more excellent performance.

The round - table forum session

During the post - competition round - table forum session, Zou Yuexian, a professor at Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, the executive deputy director and secretary - general of the Shenzhen Artificial Intelligence Society, Wu Bo, a professor in the English Department of the China Foreign Affairs University, Zhao Chenwei, the co - founder of Cadence Translate, and Shi Wei, the CTO of Shenzhen Timekettle Technology Co., Ltd. conducted in - depth discussions.

Zhao Chenwei, the co - founder of Cadence Translate, cited data and said: "Currently, more than two - thirds of language service providers are already using AI tools, and more than one - quarter have started to develop customized models. The future of translation work will change greatly under the influence of AI." Shi Wei, the CTO of Shenzhen Timekettle Technology Co., Ltd., emphasized: "Technology should be used for the good of humanity. As AI technology matures and devices become more popular, the cost of cross - language communication for ordinary people will be significantly reduced." He specifically explained that the W4Pro "significantly improves the ability to understand context, adapt to complex scenarios, and correct errors" by introducing generative large - language model technology.

Wu Bo, a professor in the English Department of the China Foreign Affairs University, believes that "the accuracy of professional simultaneous interpretation usually hardly exceeds 90%, while the Timekettle product has reached 96%." He also called on: "Enterprises in the field of artificial intelligence should not neglect humanistic values while improving technology and should strengthen cooperation with universities." Zou Yuexian, the executive deputy director and secretary - general of the Shenzhen Artificial Intelligence Society, predicted: "I conservatively estimate that it will take at least five and a half years, but many of my colleagues optimistically believe that within 1 to 3 years, artificial intelligence will bring huge changes to society. However, what remains unchanged is that people generally have high expectations for the prospect of artificial intelligence as a human - assisted and supporting tool."

This event clearly shows that in standardized information - processing scenarios, AI demonstrates its advantages in term accuracy; while in high - complexity communication fields, the fluent expression and context - understanding ability of human translators are still irreplaceable.

The industry consensus points to the development path of "human - machine collaboration", where AI processes basic information and professional terms, while humans focus on context optimization and emotion transmission. If there is a rematch in the form of a "human - machine collaborative team" in the future, it may truly present a new picture of language communication.