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迷失在人工智能翻译中

qimuai 发布于 阅读：53 一手编译

迷失在人工智能翻译中

内容来源：https://www.theverge.com/column/815681/optimizer-ai-translation-google-translate-pocketalk-timekettle

内容总结：

【科技体验】AI翻译器旅行实测：关键时刻不如肢体语言与常识可靠

在跨国旅行日益普及的今天，各类AI翻译设备宣称能打破语言壁垒。但《The Verge》记者维多利亚·宋的意大利之旅却证明，在真实旅行场景中，这些科技产品仍难替代最基础的沟通方式。

记者携带谷歌翻译、苹果翻译两款手机应用及Pocketalk、TimeKettle T1两款独立翻译设备踏上旅途。这些设备支持离线翻译、拍照识别，理论上能应对信号盲区。然而在实际使用中，AI翻译屡屡受挫：当记者一家在高速火车上因误判下车时间而慌乱分散时，翻译设备因未预载中文、电量耗尽等问题无法协助与同车中国老人的沟通；在米兰火车站，家人因电子车票传递失误被闸机阻拦时，繁琐的操作流程让翻译APP在焦灼氛围中彻底失效。

更典型的案例发生在庞贝古城：当家人询问矿泉水成分时，翻译APP将意大利语"calcio"（钙）误译为"足球"；在瑞士咖啡馆，ChatGPT耗时三分钟仅翻译出酒水菜单，完全忽略咖啡品类。相比之下，直接询问当地人或使用肢体沟通效率更高。

唯一体现AI价值的场景发生在威尼斯的列车上。借助谷歌翻译，记者最终与担心坐过站的中国老人建立沟通，通过手机翻译安抚对方情绪，并共享充电线解决其设备电量危机。这场跨越语言的互助，成为科技设备在旅途中最温情的注脚。

业内人士指出，当前AI翻译设备仍需完善使用条件：需预下载语言包、保持设备电量、依赖网络信号，更要求使用者具备从容的操作心态。在时间紧迫、环境嘈杂的旅行突发状况中，传统沟通方式仍具有不可替代性。正如记者所言，国际漫游流量包和基础网络服务，仍是当前出境游最可靠的技术保障。

（编译自《The Verge》科技专栏作者维多利亚·宋实地体验报告）

中文翻译：

【《优化生活》周刊简介】
欢迎订阅《优化生活》——这是由The Verge资深测评编辑Victoria Song每周五为您奉上的科技生活指南。我们将深入解析那些号称能改变生活的最新手机、智能手表、应用及各类新奇设备。周刊将于东部时间上午10点送达订阅用户邮箱，点击此处即可订阅。

【主文翻译】
当AI翻译迷失在旅途中
旅途中，AI翻译器依然比不上全世界通用的指手画脚加谷歌搜索。

想象你正坐在时速300公里的意大利北部高铁上专注看风景。从佛罗伦萨新圣母站到威尼斯圣露西亚站的两小时行程已近尾声，但智能手表上的倒计时还剩25分钟。突然家人乱作一团：“要错过下车了！现在就得下！”

混乱中一位中国老奶奶拽着你的毛衣袖，用中文高声询问，车厢广播正用意大利语报站。岳母不停按着开门键，车门纹丝不动。岳父和小姑子被落在站台上，目瞪口呆地看着列车缓缓启动。老奶奶真的慌了神。

一家人被分成了两拨——有人下错了站（但说不清是哪站），没人知道身在何处，也不知下一站何时到达。

你会怎么办？

这并非假设，而是我两周前某个周六的真实经历。正是这种令人焦虑的状况，让人们对语言不通的国度望而却步。2006年我独居东京时，没有智能手机，谷歌翻译尚不可靠，为租房叫外卖这些寻常事不知哭过多少回。当时仅有的工具是八公斤重的笔记本电脑和带词典卡带的任天堂DS。

来到2025年，我备足了各种承诺让意瑞家庭游轻松搞定的AI实时翻译设备和应用。

手机装了谷歌翻译和苹果翻译应用，还带上Pocketalk与时克T1两款独立翻译机。这两款手持设备支持蜂窝网络和摄像头拍照翻译，离线工作顺畅，能解放手机处理其他事务。

我原以为它们关键时刻能派上用场。

但很遗憾，AI翻译设备根本敌不过我那些信奉“欧洲人都会说英语”的外向婆家人（公平地说，他们95%的情况没错）。无数次，我勇敢的岳母早已带着南方口音向路人问到了答案，我连手机都还没掏出来。当庞贝的出租车司机用英语滔滔不绝讲他家三代经营的笑话时，掏出翻译器显得多此一举。岳父已经和司机握手套近乎付完车费时，AI砍价功能更是毫无用武之地。

根本问题在于：这些设备都需要时间、耐心，最好还有稳定网络。需预装语言包保证离线使用，要费劲向对方解释设备用途，祈祷时间充裕，还得指望对方在设备故障时愿意配合。最重要的是——你自己不能太慌张。

从米兰去瑞士的火车即将发车，岳母手机存着所有车票却独自过了闸机。慌乱中她把四张票中的三张截图发到群聊，漏发了第四张。我们三人冲进站台，我先生却被拦在闸外。他反复刷已失效的票，困惑的工作人员试图帮忙，岳母急着解释，意英双语喊声响成一片。

我僵在原地权衡该用哪个设备。刚选定谷歌翻译，就听见精疲力竭的先生发出怒吼：“我——操————！！！”

这不需要翻译。米兰乘客投来鄙夷目光，推搡着经过我们身边。工作人员最终摆手放行了这个“蠢美国人”。

至少我们赶上了车。

即便万事俱备，翻译技术仍会让你迷失。

在庞贝参观前，小姑子买了瓶矿泉水。她看着营养成分表问：“Calcio是卡路里吗？”既然是矿泉水且计量单位是毫克，我猜是钙元素。但还是决定测试所有翻译工具：两个应用都把calcio译成“足球”（虽字面正确但语境错误），Pocketalk摄像头识别正确，但等它转完圈，岳母早已问完导游并高声宣布是钙元素。根本没空掏T1。

Pocketalk和T1在翻译菜单时偶有亮点。拍照等一两分钟，意大利文菜单上就会覆盖英文译文。但整本菜单翻译效果不佳——译文会挤在缩略图上。ChatGPT稍好些，前提是你有耐心等待：某瑞士咖啡馆里，它用三分钟翻译了五页酒水单，却漏掉了所有咖啡品类。

其实放下架子直接问服务员，往往更省事。

这让我想起开往威尼斯圣露西亚站的那趟列车。

在混乱发生前一个半小时，家人刚安顿好座位，邻座中国老奶奶就开始戳小姑子。几分钟后她们戳了戳我——老人正用中文翻译应用，却误认小姑子是意大利人。怎么解释她都不信。

这本是翻译设备大显身手的机会。可惜我此行只预装了意德双语，两个设备都没下载中文包，列车Wi-Fi时断时续。下载中途设备没电了——我前一晚忘了充电。苹果翻译也要现装中文包。最后靠谷歌翻译告诉老人我们是美国人，我不懂中文，请把应用调成英文。

场面尴尬：她对着手机低语，等几秒后递给我看。AI翻译尚可，显示她怕坐过站，要去威尼斯圣露西亚站，是否和我们同路？若是，能否跟我们一起下车？

我对手机说：“我们也去那站，到站叫您。”不确定翻译质量如何，甚至不确定该选简体中文还是繁体中文。但她握了我的手，我理解为“谢谢”。

一小时后她又拽我袖子，递来手机：“电量不足，能否借充电宝？”我递过C口线，她愣住了。于是我笑着拍拍她的手，摊开掌心。她交出手机，我插线指向插座，竖起大拇指。她如释重负的表情和紧握我双手的笑容，是全世界通用的语言。

列车开动后，常识终于回归：威尼斯圣露西亚是终点站，其他乘客都没起身；列车晚点20分钟；混乱前岳父说过“12:34到了！”——这本该是到站时间。谜团解开了。

我打开谷歌地图：此刻在帕多瓦，距目的地两站25分钟。轻松告知身旁的先生和岳母后，又在群聊告诉落单家人：下班车15分钟后到。接着牵老奶奶回座，插好充电线，掏出手机打字。她看到翻译后的解释终于放松，我们相视而笑。

如今回望，国际高速流量包才是此行最实用的科技。不过有翻译设备作为应急备份确实令人安心——若是独自旅行、短期旅居，或需去医院警局时会更觉如此。

此行唯一觉得AI翻译派上用场的，只有那趟混乱的威尼斯列车。倒不是帮了自家人（靠常识和网络已解决），而是帮助安抚了一位恐慌的陌生人。虽微不足道，我仍心怀感激。

然而，任何AI翻译都无法说清我帮助她的真正缘由。只能说——她像极了我母亲。若她独自身陷异国惶恐无措，我同样希望有陌生人伸出援手。站台分别时，我想祝她威尼斯之旅如愿以偿。

最终只化作夸张的微笑、用力的挥手，以及默许她“顺”走了我的C口线。

本文摄影：Victoria Song / The Verge

【热门资讯】

英文来源：

This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent every Friday from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that dissects and discusses the latest phones, smartwatches, apps, and other gizmos that swear they’re going to change your life. Optimizer arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 10AM ET. Opt in for Optimizer here.
Lost in AI translation
When traveling, AI translators are still more cumbersome than the universal language of pointing fingers and Googling.
Imagine you’re minding your business on a high-speed train hurtling at 186mph through northern Italy. You know you’re close to the end of a two-hour trip from Firenze Santa Maria Novella to Venezia Santa Lucia station, but the timer you set on your smartwatch has 25 minutes left. All of a sudden, your family is in a tizzy. We’re about to miss our stop! We have to get off now!
Amid the pandemonium, a lone Chinese grandma is pulling at your sweater sleeve, half-shouting questions in Mandarin as the overhead announcement blares the name of the station stop in Italian. Ahead of you, your mother-in-law keeps pushing the open-door button. The door won’t open. Your father-in-law and sister-in-law are stuck on the platform, gawping through the window as the train starts pulling out of the station. The Chinese grandma starts panicking for real.
The family is split. Half of us got off at the wrong stop — though it’s unclear which. None of us knows where we are or how long it is until the next stop.
So what do you do?
This is not a hypothetical. It’s how I spent my Saturday two weeks ago. It’s the exact sort of anxiety-inducing situation that makes people hesitant to explore countries where they don’t speak the language. When I moved alone to Tokyo in 2006, before modern smartphones, before Google Translate was remotely reliable, I cried countless times trying to do normal things like rent an apartment or order a pizza. My main resources were a 17-pound laptop and a Nintendo DS with a dictionary cartridge.
In 2025, I had no shortage of AI-powered, real-time translation gadgets and apps that promised to make a family vacation to Italy and Switzerland easy-peasy.
I downloaded the Google Translate and Apple Translate apps on my phone. I also packed two standalone AI translation devices: the Pocketalk and the TimeKettle T1. The Pocketalk and TimeKettle are handheld translators with cellular connections and cameras. They work well offline, can translate signs in photos, and free up your phone to do other things.
Surely, I thought, they’d be handy in a pinch.
I regret to inform you that AI translation gadgets were no match for my extroverted in-laws and their unshakeable belief that everyone in Europe speaks English. (In fairness, they were correct 95 percent of the time.) On countless occasions, my fearless mother-in-law had already marched up to someone in her Southern twang and gotten an answer before I could pull out my phone. Likewise, there’s hardly a point in whipping out a translation gadget when a bombastic Pompeii taxi driver is cracking jokes in English about three generations of his family’s business. AI was also useless for haggling over the fare when your father-in-law has already paid the taxi driver, shakin’ hands like they just cut a backroom deal.
The fundamental issue is that each of these devices requires time, patience, and ideally, a solid internet connection. You need to predownload language pairs to ensure offline capability. You have to have the wherewithal to gesture to a conversation partner what the device is, how it works, and pray that there are no time constraints. You have to hope the person you’ve asked for help is willing to humor you if the device or internet connection glitches. Most importantly, you can’t be too stressed.
We were running late for a train from Milan to Switzerland. My mother-in-law had all the tickets on her phone but had already walked through the turnstiles, leaving the rest of us behind. Panicked, she screenshotted three of the remaining four tickets and texted them to us. She was too flustered to send the fourth. Three of us rushed through. My spouse was left stranded on the other side. A confused station agent tried to help as my spouse repeatedly tried to scan an already-used ticket. My mother-in-law also tried to explain. Much shouting in Italian and English ensued.
I froze trying to think of which device would be most helpful. By the time I settled on Google Translate, my frazzled spouse bellowed a guttural, “FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!”
That required no translation. The Milanese gave us withering glares, huffing as they shoved past. The station agent threw up his hands and manually let the stupid American through.
At least we made it to the train.
Even when everything aligns, translation tech can still leave you a little lost.
Before a Pompeii tour, my sister-in-law bought a bottle of mineral water. Attempting to read the nutrition label, she asked if calcio was calories. Given it was mineral water and the amount was listed in milligrams, I guessed calcium. Nevertheless, I decided to test my entire translation arsenal. Both apps defined calcio as “soccer” — which is true but wrong in this context. Pocketalk’s camera function was correct, but by the time it finished, my mother-in-law had already asked the tour guide and loudly declared it meant calcium. There was no time to pull out the T1.
The Pocketalk and T1 were occasionally useful in translating menu items. You just take a photo, wait a minute or two, and boom — you get an image with English overlaid on top of the original Italian text. However, they weren’t much help if you tried translating an entire menu at once. The translation text would be cramped together in a tiny image. ChatGPT was a bit more useful, provided you were patient enough to wait. At a Swiss cafe, ChatGPT took three minutes to translate five pages of a drinks menu. It ignored all the coffee options, translating only the alcoholic beverages.
Here, too, swallowing your pride and asking the waiter is generally faster and easier.
Which brings me back to the train to Venezia Santa Lucia.
About 90 minutes before the chaos, after my family had settled into our seats but before the train embarked, the Chinese grandma next to my sister-in-law began poking her. After a few minutes, they poked me. The granny was attempting to use a Chinese translation app, but had assumed my sister-in-law was Italian. Nothing my sister-in-law said could convince her otherwise.
This was the perfect chance for the Pocketalk or T1 to shine. Except, I had expected to only need Italian and German on this trip. I hadn’t downloaded Chinese to either device, and the train’s Wi-Fi was spotty. Mid-download, both devices died because I’d forgotten to charge them the night before. Apple Translate also needed me to download Chinese. At last, Google Translate helped me tell this granny we were American, I didn’t speak Chinese, and to turn her app to English.
It was awkward. She’d whisper into her phone, wait a few seconds, and then hold it out for me to read. The AI translation was decent. It said she was afraid of missing her stop. She was going to Venezia Santa Lucia. Were we going to the same stop? If so, could she get off the train with us?
I spoke into my phone. We’re going to the same stop. I’ll let you know when it’s time to get off. I have no idea how good the translations were. I didn’t even know if I’d been correct in selecting simplified Mandarin over traditional. Nevertheless, she shook my hand and I took that to mean “thank you.”
An hour later, she tugged at my sleeve again and handed me her phone. The translation app said her phone was dying, did I have a battery pack she could borrow? I gave her a USB-C cable, but she froze. So I smiled, tapped her hand, and held out my palm. She gave me her phone. I plugged in the cord, pointed to the outlet, plugged it in, and gave her a thumbs up. The relief on her face was as universal as the way she clasped my hand and smiled.
As our train pulled out, our family split in half, common sense started to kick in. Venezia Santa Lucia was the last stop. None of the other passengers had gotten up when my family did. Our train had been delayed 20 minutes. Before the mayhem started, I vaguely remembered my father-in-law saying, “It’s 12:34!” Our original arrival time. The puzzle pieces fell into place.
I pulled up Google Maps. We were in Padua. I punched in public transit directions to Venezia Santa Lucia. We were two stops and 25 minutes away. It was easy to relay this to my spouse and mother-in-law. In the group chat, I told our stranded family that the next train was in 15 minutes. Afterward, I took granny’s hand, ushered her back to our seats, plugged in her phone, and pulled out my phone. She looked nervous until she read my translated account of what happened. We shared a laugh.
Now that I’m back home, I’d say an international high-speed data plan for my phone was the most useful piece of tech on my trip. Even so, it was comforting to have these gadgets as an emergency backup. I’d find them even more comforting as a solo traveler, living abroad short-term, or if I needed to go to a hospital or a police station.
On this trip, the only time that I felt AI translations saved the day was on that chaotic train ride to Venice. And not to help myself or my family. That I achieved with common sense and the internet. Instead, translation tech helped me soothe a stranger who was afraid. It’s not much, but I’m grateful nevertheless.
Even so, no AI translator can help me put into words the real reason why I helped her. All I can say is that granny looked like my mom. If she were alone and afraid in Italy, I’d want a stranger to help her, too. Before we parted ways on the platform, I wanted to tell her I hoped her stay in Venice would be everything she ever dreamed of.
I settled for an exaggerated smile, an enthusiastic wave, and letting her steal my USB-C cable.
Photography by Victoria Song / The Verge
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