AI Usage Policy

Clarity, creativity, and human connection guide everything I do—and define how I approach every project as a certified translator. Whether I’m shaping a marketing campaign, adapting a TV show for an English-speaking audience, or producing certified translations of official documents, I believe in putting people first.

Like many translators, I may use AI to support that goal. AI helps me explore ideas faster, brainstorm more broadly and work more efficiently on translation-adjacent tasks, so that I can spend more time focusing on the most important thing: delivering quality, time and time again.

I use AI to enhance my creative work, not automate it, and I stand by these principles:

1. AI is resource-intensive. I use it sparingly and only when it provides a distinct advantage to the project.
2. Protecting your personal data matters to me. Generative AI platforms do not guarantee confidentiality, so I never share your identifiable data or other sensitive information with a public platform.
   1. I follow strict data protection standards, including redacting identifiable information and end-to-end TLS/SSL encryption.
3. Everything I produce is reviewed with a fine-tooth comb to ensure accuracy, tone, cultural and contextual sensitivity and a human voice.
   1. Quality is my bottom line; I will never take shortcuts that affect the quality of my final product.

Can’t I just run my text through AI?

Yes and no. While AI can be useful for low-stakes tasks, like creating draft content for your social media posts or getting the gist of a foreign language text for internal use, it is not reliable enough for anything client-facing where tone and brand voice matter, anything where precision is essential, anything culturally sensitive or region-specific, and perhaps most importantly, it does not understand implied context… but I do.

That’s why all of my work is fine-tuned by a human (me). AI can help me work more efficiently, and get the translation to your inbox faster, but it’s my human judgment that ensures accuracy, tone and quality.

Food for Thought

This short AI usage policy explains how I use AI to work more thoughtfully, more creatively and more efficiently, so that I can deliver better outcomes for my clients without compromising on the distinctive human voice you know and love. If you have any questions about how I use AI, please reach out at info@chicchoctranslations.com.

If you’d like to learn more about the use of AI in the translation sector, the Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec (my professional order) has a great long-form piece on considerations for using AI in translation, which includes a quick guide to help you see when you could use AI, and a list of reasons to work with professional translators. Alternatively, the UK’s Institute of Translation and Interpreting has a great piece on the merits of “slow translation,” which you can read here.