“Could I request that this exercise is done in collaboration with my office as it is one of my assigned responsibilities. I think it is necessary that we do an in-depth comprehensive study on the latest technology and what we can do in terms of interpreting, what is cost-effective and so forth,” she said.
Some MPs, including National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza, expressed concern about the use of AI, wondering if the technology could interpret advanced language, including idioms.
She, however, supported in-depth investigation into how the interpreting issue could be addressed, suggesting parliament should engage universities’ language units to manage costs and to use students’ capacity and the Pan South African Language Board.
The EFF’s Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi motivated for recruitment of young interpreters as part of job creation instead of outsourcing the service.
The UDM’s Nqabayomzi Kwankwa was concerned about quality assurance and whether the youth and AI could preserve and show respect to indigenous languages.
He cited the SABC’s Xhosa language radio station Umhlobo Wenene as an institution that employed young people from universities, but he argued they can’t speak the language properly and said the same could happen in parliament.
“If we use this AI thing, it must not be to the detriment of African languages in particular. I believe other languages such as English and Afrikaans aren’t affected by that and I don’t think AI can interpret my (deep) Xhosa or other languages.”
Kwankwa said AI could also be a challenge for a country that wants to create jobs but relies on technology to get things done.
TimesLIVE