Large-language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek, have made many tasks much easier to complete, but they also threaten to replace various kinds of human activities. In her research essay developed in Writing as Inquiry, Yutong Liu considers whether LLMs can replace the profession of translation. Her essay stood out to the editorial board, not only in addressing this timely question, but more importantly, by developing a response for the specific readership of her fellow students and by synthesizing a range of materials, including her own experiences as a translator of Chinese and English, a discussion of research on the advantages and disadvantages of LLMs, and the close analysis of the nature of certain uses of language, such as poetry, that question the feasibility of current technological mechanisms for translation. Her argumentative development is an excellent example of comparing how a range of evidence can avoid generalizations in favor of qualified interventions in important questions. As she writes in her conclusion, “though AI has lots of advantages in translation, AI cannot replace human translators due to its current limitations. However, AI holds promising applications and potential value when utilized as an effective tool and aid in the translation process.”
