AI and Human Collaboration in Translation

Abstract

The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology has brought notable transformations to the translation field, particularly within language learning contexts. This study seeks to examine the effectiveness of human–AI collaboration in enhancing middle school students’ translation abilities. Employing a descriptive qualitative design, the research involved 23 eighth-grade students from Catholic Saint Francis Xavier Middle School, Tarakan. Data were gathered through interviews, observations, questionnaires, and pre-test and post-tests. The findings revealed a considerable improvement in students’ translation performance, as the average pretest score of 66.59 increased to 82.31 in the posttest. The partnership between AI and teachers proved effective in helping students grasp language structures, enrich their vocabulary, and produce more contextually accurate translations. Teachers functioned as facilitators and interpreters of translation outcomes, while AI operated as a rapid feedback provider and linguistic resource. These results reinforce the human-in-the-loop framework, which highlights the essential role of collaboration between human and artificial intelligence. The study also discovered that implementing AI–human collaboration enhanced students’ motivation, accountability, and active engagement during the learning process. Overall, this research affirms that integrating AI and human input in translation serves as an effective and innovative educational model in the digital era, offering the potential to develop both students’ linguistic competence and technological literacy.