10-14-2026, 12:45 PM
I've been asked recently about adding machine translations to my mods - and not just by one person; there were a couple of these already, and I've decided to post my stance on the matter.
I understand that AI is a powerful tool and it is being widely used. I too experimented with it before - you've seen results in Juniper and the Stone Leech, for example. However, since then, more and more questions have appeared in my heart, as well as some doubts. And let's be honest, AI isn't going anywhere, but it doesn't matter; we cannot have doubts or ask ourselves some important questions and decide on drawing some lines in regard to using that tool.
Since my experiments with it, I've decided that I do not want to depend on it like that, and I do want to promote the work of others or try harder and make - for example - good portraits without just generating them. It's not always easy, but I do my best.
But there is also a matter of translations. Over almost 20 years, I worked with many translators. They have distinct styles; some issues were raised, and I dare to say that there were even some traditions worked out. There are multiple reasons why proper care needs to be applied when AI is being used:
1. Quality - it's been improved over the last few years (or even months), but there are still inconsistencies. Furthermore, when AI is being fed with text alone, sometimes specific likes are being gender-swapped in some languages. The references (for example, to other mods) are not translated with consistency in mind. Sometimes machine "stutters" and makes mistakes. AI also has a distinct "style" and uses some patterns that may be recognized, and it's not for good reasons. And then there is formatting - each language uses specific formats or uses specific symbols in a very specific way. That was, for example, discussed when preparing the Polish SoD translations: rules were set to work best with specific products in mind. AI wasn't part of that discussion. That leads to the next point.
2. Culture of modding and translating mods - I believe we all (modders, translators, users) worked very hard on creating our ecosystem. It's great. And at times, it is fragile. That is why I think we need to keep asking some questions and talking - for example, to know what modders need to provide new mods, so players could enjoy new adventures, characters, romances, friendships, items, spells, tweaks... We really want to make this game better, but it always requires a lot of time, work, and hope (that what we do makes sense; that our content may be enjoyable to some; that we will be able to be happy with what we created). For this to work, we need some trust, and we need the feeling that we are somewhat respected or that what we do matters. That we can still manage our work, for example.
3. Ethics - when I create, I try to remember about the work of others; about people who supported me somehow. Many people helped me because they saw some sense in my work, and it honours me. I worked with coders, writers, artists, and some great translators. I do not want to send a message that they can be easily replaced. My experiments already might have caused some harm, but that made me realize a few things. I do want to show that their work is important. Because it is. It's as simple as that. And it's as great as that. Sure, these are my rules, some ideas I want to implement while working on my mods, but we all have rules, and we all do our best to live by them. Some of those rules may influence what I can do with AI, and what lines I don't want to cross.
There are also many other thoughts I have while writing this message. Like, is it ok to feed AI databases with the work of others (artists, modders, writers)? I feel that it is the creator who should decide about this - no matter if there is a chance it was snatched before. This may be why I feel weird when I find out that someone uploaded my work to some database. I think it should be the decision of the specific work's author. It's not just about me, but the agency. Feeling that I can decide about my own work, because I put years of work into it.
I am sure that I crossed some lines before, but it doesn't mean I cannot do better. That is also why I do want to support human translators rather than include machine translations. If someone really wants such translations, it's not like they cannot do that themselves. I advise against it, but I cannot do anything to limit that. What I can do is make decisions about what I will endorse and what I cannot endorse.
I endorse human-created translations, and that is why, if you are creating a translation, I might ask you how it was created and I will focus on those when maintaining my mods, especially when I am sent 30 translations all at once. (Including them would be strange, and the question would remain: who should I even credit? The one who prompted it? Or just the AI that was used?) It is suspicious. I may be unable to identify machine translations, so I will also ask you, my weaselly great fans - send me translations you worked on and that are in a dominant percentage and effect of your own work. It's that kind of effort I want to be grateful for, not machine work. It's the translators that deserve recognition and praise, because we create this community together, and together we are responsible for.
Thank you in advance. I am locking and pinning this post as my official stance on the matter.
I understand that AI is a powerful tool and it is being widely used. I too experimented with it before - you've seen results in Juniper and the Stone Leech, for example. However, since then, more and more questions have appeared in my heart, as well as some doubts. And let's be honest, AI isn't going anywhere, but it doesn't matter; we cannot have doubts or ask ourselves some important questions and decide on drawing some lines in regard to using that tool.
Since my experiments with it, I've decided that I do not want to depend on it like that, and I do want to promote the work of others or try harder and make - for example - good portraits without just generating them. It's not always easy, but I do my best.
But there is also a matter of translations. Over almost 20 years, I worked with many translators. They have distinct styles; some issues were raised, and I dare to say that there were even some traditions worked out. There are multiple reasons why proper care needs to be applied when AI is being used:
1. Quality - it's been improved over the last few years (or even months), but there are still inconsistencies. Furthermore, when AI is being fed with text alone, sometimes specific likes are being gender-swapped in some languages. The references (for example, to other mods) are not translated with consistency in mind. Sometimes machine "stutters" and makes mistakes. AI also has a distinct "style" and uses some patterns that may be recognized, and it's not for good reasons. And then there is formatting - each language uses specific formats or uses specific symbols in a very specific way. That was, for example, discussed when preparing the Polish SoD translations: rules were set to work best with specific products in mind. AI wasn't part of that discussion. That leads to the next point.
2. Culture of modding and translating mods - I believe we all (modders, translators, users) worked very hard on creating our ecosystem. It's great. And at times, it is fragile. That is why I think we need to keep asking some questions and talking - for example, to know what modders need to provide new mods, so players could enjoy new adventures, characters, romances, friendships, items, spells, tweaks... We really want to make this game better, but it always requires a lot of time, work, and hope (that what we do makes sense; that our content may be enjoyable to some; that we will be able to be happy with what we created). For this to work, we need some trust, and we need the feeling that we are somewhat respected or that what we do matters. That we can still manage our work, for example.
3. Ethics - when I create, I try to remember about the work of others; about people who supported me somehow. Many people helped me because they saw some sense in my work, and it honours me. I worked with coders, writers, artists, and some great translators. I do not want to send a message that they can be easily replaced. My experiments already might have caused some harm, but that made me realize a few things. I do want to show that their work is important. Because it is. It's as simple as that. And it's as great as that. Sure, these are my rules, some ideas I want to implement while working on my mods, but we all have rules, and we all do our best to live by them. Some of those rules may influence what I can do with AI, and what lines I don't want to cross.
There are also many other thoughts I have while writing this message. Like, is it ok to feed AI databases with the work of others (artists, modders, writers)? I feel that it is the creator who should decide about this - no matter if there is a chance it was snatched before. This may be why I feel weird when I find out that someone uploaded my work to some database. I think it should be the decision of the specific work's author. It's not just about me, but the agency. Feeling that I can decide about my own work, because I put years of work into it.
I am sure that I crossed some lines before, but it doesn't mean I cannot do better. That is also why I do want to support human translators rather than include machine translations. If someone really wants such translations, it's not like they cannot do that themselves. I advise against it, but I cannot do anything to limit that. What I can do is make decisions about what I will endorse and what I cannot endorse.
I endorse human-created translations, and that is why, if you are creating a translation, I might ask you how it was created and I will focus on those when maintaining my mods, especially when I am sent 30 translations all at once. (Including them would be strange, and the question would remain: who should I even credit? The one who prompted it? Or just the AI that was used?) It is suspicious. I may be unable to identify machine translations, so I will also ask you, my weaselly great fans - send me translations you worked on and that are in a dominant percentage and effect of your own work. It's that kind of effort I want to be grateful for, not machine work. It's the translators that deserve recognition and praise, because we create this community together, and together we are responsible for.
Thank you in advance. I am locking and pinning this post as my official stance on the matter.