A Paradigm Shift: The Future of Machine Translation Lies with Large Language Models

Chenyang Lyu, Zefeng Du, Jitao Xu, Yitao Duan, Minghao Wu, Teresa Lynn, Alham Fikri Aji, Derek F. Wong, Longyue Wang


Abstract
Machine Translation (MT) has greatly advanced over the years due to the developments in deep neural networks. However, the emergence of Large Language Models (LLMs) like GPT-4 and ChatGPT is introducing a new phase in the MT domain. In this context, we believe that the future of MT is intricately tied to the capabilities of LLMs. These models not only offer vast linguistic understandings but also bring innovative methodologies, such as prompt-based techniques, that have the potential to further elevate MT. In this paper, we provide an overview of the significant enhancements in MT that are influenced by LLMs and advocate for their pivotal role in upcoming MT research and implementations. We highlight several new MT directions, emphasizing the benefits of LLMs in scenarios such as Long-Document Translation, Stylized Translation, and Interactive Translation. Additionally, we address the important concern of privacy in LLM-driven MT and suggest essential privacy-preserving strategies. By showcasing practical instances, we aim to demonstrate the advantages that LLMs offer, particularly in tasks like translating extended documents. We conclude by emphasizing the critical role of LLMs in guiding the future evolution of MT and offer a roadmap for future exploration in the sector.
Anthology ID:
2024.lrec-main.120
Volume:
Proceedings of the 2024 Joint International Conference on Computational Linguistics, Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC-COLING 2024)
Month:
May
Year:
2024
Address:
Torino, Italia
Editors:
Nicoletta Calzolari, Min-Yen Kan, Veronique Hoste, Alessandro Lenci, Sakriani Sakti, Nianwen Xue
Venues:
LREC | COLING
SIG:
Publisher:
ELRA and ICCL
Note:
Pages:
1339–1352
Language:
URL:
https://aclanthology.org/2024.lrec-main.120
DOI:
Bibkey:
Cite (ACL):
Chenyang Lyu, Zefeng Du, Jitao Xu, Yitao Duan, Minghao Wu, Teresa Lynn, Alham Fikri Aji, Derek F. Wong, and Longyue Wang. 2024. A Paradigm Shift: The Future of Machine Translation Lies with Large Language Models. In Proceedings of the 2024 Joint International Conference on Computational Linguistics, Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC-COLING 2024), pages 1339–1352, Torino, Italia. ELRA and ICCL.
Cite (Informal):
A Paradigm Shift: The Future of Machine Translation Lies with Large Language Models (Lyu et al., LREC-COLING 2024)
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PDF:
https://aclanthology.org/2024.lrec-main.120.pdf