Just over a third of Belgian translators saw their turnover decline last year, partly because clients are switching to services based on artificial intelligence (AI), according to a survey conducted by the professional federation BKVT among 114 members.
Strikingly, 85% of translators use AI themselves.
The figures refer to the 2024 turnover year. Translators may therefore experience an even greater impact this year as AI tools become increasingly common. About a third of respondents (31.6%) reported the same turnover in 2024 as in 2023. For just under a third, there was an increase, while just over a third saw a decrease.
One in three translators who saw their turnover decline attributed this to the rise of AI. Another 20% say AI has nothing to do with it, but cite the loss of a major client or geopolitical and economic uncertainty.
AI has also significantly changed the translation profession: clients increasingly ask them to proofread automatically translated texts. About half of the respondents accept such assignments, while the other half flatly reject them.
Strikingly, 85% of respondents use tools like ChatGPT during translation work, and 67.5% see them as a source of inspiration. Others use them to check texts or look up information.
The professional group is convinced that human translators still offer added value, precisely because they allow AI tools to work with customised instructions, for example. Moreover, 40.4% say they can work more efficiently thanks to AI. The downside, however, is a decrease in job satisfaction, they say.
