The Application of Artificial Intelligence Technology in Language Translation: A Case Study of Using ChatGPT in Translating Korean Public Service Campaign Advertisements

Abstract

Background and Objectives: ChatGPT is a chatbot-based translation tool which is notable for its ability to translate a wide range of languages with accuracy. This research article employed ChatGPT to assist in translating Korean into Thai. The research materials consisted of Korean public service campaign advertisements, chosen because advertisements are intended to persuade and motivate audiences to take specific actions, making literal translation from the source language particularly challenging if the intended effect is to be preserved.The objectives of this research were 1) to examine the translation of vocabulary, idioms, and sentences from Korean into Thai using ChatGPT, and 2) to investigate the strengths and errors of ChatGPT’s Korean–Thai translations.

Methods: This research is a qualitative study. The source data were television and radio advertisements from the Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation (Kobaco). Award-winning advertisements produced over a 20-year period (2004–2024) were selected, totaling 42 samples. Then, ChatGPT (GPT-5 Plus version) was used as the translation tool.

Results: The study found that ChatGPT’s translations of vocabulary, idioms, and sentences can be discussed in three main points: 1) Vocabulary translation of general words did not show major problems. However, caution was required when translating country names, as there was ambiguity regarding whether the terms referred to the source or target country. As for the translation of culture-specific terms, translators should exercise caution when using ChatGPT to translate them, while pronoun translation also posed challenges. In contrast, personal name translation did not show many problems. However, the translator should verify whether the transliteration is in line with the accepted standards. 2) Idiom translation by ChatGPT did not show problems, whether by adapting phrases into catchy slogans or using contemporary language. ChatGPT translated by referring to the context of the content and then linking the sentences consistently. 3) Sentence translation showed problems when there were gender-specific markers of the speaker in the sentence. The translator had to check with the original video whether the speaker was female or male. The advantages of ChatGPT translations are that 1) for the advantages of using ChatGPT, the translations showed wordplay, lexical variety, and fairly accurate choices of words in the target language. ChatGPT also provided functions such as automatically adding quotation marks and bolding important parts. 2) for the areas for improvement, ChatGPT had problems when translating archaic words, too short words or sentences, and synonyms. In these cases, the translations deviated from the actual meaning.

Application of this study: The findings of this research show the application of artificial intelligence to the translation of Korean public service advertisements into Thai. This provides a guideline for analyzing and applying artificial intelligence to the translation of other types of content, other types of advertisements, and other source and target languages

Conclusions: Over the past 20 years (2004–2024), public service advertisements of the Republic of Korea reflected vocabulary themes of individuality, family, and society, with the five most frequently used words being: 1) 부모 (parents), 2) 우리 (we, us), 3) 당신 (you), 4) 사회 (society), and 5) 배려 (consideration, caring for others). These words are part of the characteristics of advertisements for the public good, aiming to encourage audiences to change behaviors and motivate audiences to contribute toward a better society. This is a key message that translators should understand when producing translations of public service advertisements.