Danmei publisher Via Lactea has revealed they use AI and clarified how they use it.
Via Lactea recently announced the English license acquisition of Kun Yi Wei Lou’s The Fallen Blossom, leading to the publisher fall under scrutiny for its disclaimer around AI usage that can be found on its FAQ page. On June 30, an X, formerly known as Twitter, user commented on their license announcement, asking about using AI. In their comment, they noted that Via Lactea’s job requirement for translators “didn’t include CN language ability, only native English proficiency—is CN proficiency not required?”
Via Lactea did not respond and hid their reply. As more people commented on the post, asking for the publisher to confirm whether they used AI or not, the publisher finally replied to one comment, asking that commenters “refrain from posting unrelated comments under this post,” and that “comments unrelated to this announcement will continue to be hidden to keep the discussion on topic.” At one point, it appears as though the publisher also said they would block certain users but as of this article’s writing, Via Lactea’s comment seems to have been deleted.
That same day, Via Lactea put out a statement on their Patreon page regarding their AI use. Regarding their job requirement where one of the requirements is that a translator has native English proficiency, the publisher stated that it’s “much harder to find […] native English translators to improve a natural, fluent English prose.”
Their use of AI is, according to Via Lactea, only used as a “reference tool” and that “it’s similar to a dictionary or research assistant.”
In the section titled “How does AI improve translation quality and efficiency?,” Via Lactea says that AI is used as a “research tool, particularly when dealing with specialized terminology.” They listed several examples and included screenshots which include looking up terms like shixiong, shizun, or Demon Sect Leader. Screenshots from a Discord conversation in June also indicated that project team members (it is unclear whether they are the translator or editor or some other role) had a discussion on using terms in a fantasy-setting danmei where they said they “did a lot of research. AI, Google, and other platforms such as forums all provided me with different answers” and they’ve “asked ChatGPT [on whether to use “House” for clan names.]”
Via Lactea then stated that because their translators use AI to “research something, ask questions, and gather reference suggestions when [they] are uncertain,” they cannot “claim that [they] never use AI.” They reiterated that the translation and editorial process are all done by humans and ended their statement that they “promise every translation [they] publish is translated by human translators, and [they] are committed to ensuring that human translators will never be replaced by AI.”
In the case of shizun, shixiong, and Demon Sect Leader, reputable danmei publishers like Seven Seas and Rosmei have not localized those titles and kept the original Chinese term as is, although the latter has opted to localize other titles usually in a modern setting. This is usually done because there is no English equivalent that perfectly and completely encompasses the meaning of that relationship. In English translations of Korean works, publishers like Publang have also elected to keep terms like hyung rather than localizing it due to its cultural implications whereas publishers like Ize Press have either omitted it or translated it.
Although, according to Via Lactea, AI is not used to translate any of their licensed works, it did not negate the fact that the publisher uses AI in their projects even if it is for “research” purposes. AI is not trustworthy and all of the information that can be found on AI can be readily available in other much more reliable sources. GenAI in particular, like ChatGPT, has detrimental effects on the environment and is stealing content from people.
Media Do’s acquisition of Seven Seas had sparked similar concerns when it was revealed that Media Do had an AI translation system and they hoped to use AI to cut down on project timelines. Seven Seas issued a statement which said that this tool will not be implemented in their translation system.
Source: Via Lactea
