Revitalising te reo Māori: How Generative AI is Transforming Translation
In a significant stride towards preserving and promoting te reo Māori, a collaboration between Straker Translations and Microsoft has led to the development of an AI-powered translation platform. This initiative addresses the challenge faced by New Zealand news organizations: the scarcity of fluent te reo Māori speakers to produce or translate content swiftly and at scale. Given that Māori and Pacific languages are among the most expensive to translate due to the limited number of translators, this scarcity has hindered the widespread use and flourishing of te reo Māori in mainstream media.
The partnership culminated in the launch of Stuff's new te reo Māori translation tool, which combines Straker's existing translation technologies with Microsoft's Translator platform and AI capabilities. This platform enables the rapid translation of entire news articles and other content into te reo Māori, significantly enhancing the inclusion of te reo Māori speakers and supporting the language's vitality in everyday life.
A key feature of this AI-driven model is the central role of human oversight. Recognizing the rich nuance of te reo Māori, where a single term can have multiple meanings, the AI-generated drafts are reviewed by human translators to ensure contextual accuracy. Stuff has even created new roles, such as the kaiwhakamāori (translator), to oversee bilingual content and verify translations before publication. This collaborative approach not only improves the quality of translations but also accelerates the AI's learning process, enabling more content to be translated effectively.
This initiative exemplifies how technology can be harnessed to support cultural preservation and promote diversity and inclusion. By integrating AI with human expertise, the project offers a scalable solution to language translation challenges, potentially serving as a model for other organizations aiming to preserve and promote indigenous languages.
For more details, read the full article here: How generative AI is transforming te reo Māori translation.
