RT Journal Article
T1 Beyond the hype: Why AI still cannot replace human translators and interpreters in high-stakes contexts
A1 Postigo Pinazo, Encarnación
A1 Parrilla Gómez, Laura
K1 Public service interpreting
K1 Artificial Intelligence
K1 High-stakes communication
K1 Ethics and accountability
K1 Public service interpreting training
AB Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have significantly improved machine translation and real-time interpreting, fostering optimism about faster and more accessible cross-linguistic communication. However, this feature article argues that such developments pose critical limitations when applied to high-stakes public service domains such as legal, medical, immigration, and asylum contexts. In those settings, communicative failure can have profound consequences. Drawing on research from interpreting studies, sociolinguistics, and AI ethics, this study explains how language in these environments is not merely informational: it is also performative, culturally embedded, and deeply influenced by power relations, trust, and accountability. While AI systems may achieve high accuracy in non-critical interactions, they struggle with ambiguity, cultural nuance, minority languages, emotional distress, and unpredictable discourse conditions. Moreover, a range of issues including bias, confidentiality, ethical responsibility, and legal liability raise serious concerns regarding the substitution of human interpreters by AI.
PB Universidad de Alcalá
YR 2026
FD 2026
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10433/26559
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10433/26559
LA en
NO Parrilla Gómez, L. & Postigo Pinazo, E. (2026). Beyond the Hype: Why AI still cannot replace human translators and interpreters in high-stakes contexts. FITISPos International Journal, 13(1), 13-24. https://doi.org/10.37536/FITISPos-IJ.2026.13.1.450
NO Proyectos de investigaciónHUM106-G-FEDER
NO Universidad Pablo de Olavide. Departamento de Filología y Traducción
DS RIO
RD May 23, 2026