Tips for proofreading texts translated into English using AI
AI translation tools are constantly improving and are widely used by businesses, authorities and the general public – including at Uppsala University. In many cases, these tools can offer an efficient, fast and low-cost solution.
Despite this, AI translation still has many limitations and pitfalls. Texts produced using AI tend to be grammatically correct and free of spelling errors, which can make them feel convincing. But it is important to be observant and take the time to read properly.
All texts translated using AI must be carefully proofread before use!
If you use AI tools for translation, you have a responsibility to ensure that the text is properly proofread. This page is intended to support you in your proofreading.
We encourage you to use the English language resources on the Staff Gateway, in particular the Swedish-English glossary and the English style guide. The glossary contains, among other things, the names of organisational parts of the University and many job titles. The style guide shows how to keep the English written at the University consistent, e.g. how to write dates and times, spelling rules, how to write headings, etc.
Errors commonly found in AI-translated texts
Here are some types of errors commonly found in AI-translated texts that you should particularly watch out for when proofreading your text. Some types of errors are more difficult than others for someone who is not a native speaker of English to spot and fix. Here we list the easier errors first, followed by the more difficult ones. The examples given are from genuine AI translations.
Terms and concepts specific to the University or to the higher education sector
Some of the most important:
Swedish word | Common AI translation | UU translation |
|---|---|---|
institution (= part of a faculty) | institution | department |
vetenskapsområde | scientific area | disciplinary domain |
områdesnämnd | area board/area committee | disciplinary domain board |
rektor | rector/principal | Vice-Chancellor |
universitetshuset | university house | University Main Building |
Consistency
AI often translates the same word in different ways within the same text when consistency is important:
Swedish text | AI translation | Comment |
|---|---|---|
institution/motsvarande | institution/counterpart institution/equivalent institution/correspondent | Common expression in UU texts. ‘Institution’ should of course be translated ‘department’, but ‘motsvarande’ also needs to be translated consistently, not in three different ways, as happened in this text. (Use ‘equivalent’.) |
Context
When context determines the choice between two different words in the target language, things can easily go wrong:
Swedish text | AI translation | Context | Correct translation |
|---|---|---|---|
Irrationella tal | Irrational speech | Mathematics | Irrational numbers |
Idag ger vi ingen föreställning | Today we have no idea | Opera | No performance today |
Klor finns hos alla tidiga amnioter, men nästan aldrig hos andra tetrapodgrupper | Chlorine is found in all early amniotes, but almost never in other tetrapod groups | Fossil footprints | Claws are present in all early amniotes, … |
Singular or plural?
Is a noun like ‘forskare’, ‘lärare’ or ‘verk’ in the singular or plural? AI has difficulty deciding, especially in headings or similar. If you change from singular to plural or vice versa, pay attention to any verbs that may also need to be changed.
Real-life examples:
Swedish text | AI translation | Correct translation |
|---|---|---|
Framstående forskare får Göran Gustafssonpriset | Prominent researchers receive the Göran Gustafsson Prize | Prominent researcher receives the Göran Gustafsson Prize |
Kasper Salin-priset går till mästerverk i liten skala | Kasper Salin Prize goes to small-scale masterpieces | Kasper Salin Prize goes to small-scale masterpiece |
Are all the words there?
Sometimes AI oversimplifies and omits words or parts of compound words that are needed to convey nuances.
Swedish text | AI translation | Comment |
|---|---|---|
Vi kommer att få lära oss mer om avrundningens begränsningar | We will learn about the limitations of rounding | What happened to ‘mer’? We’re not starting from scratch… |
Att få Göran Gustafssonpriset betyder enormt mycket | Receiving the Göran Gustafsson Prize means a lot | Could show a little more enthusiasm… |
Att 1800-talets och det tidiga 1900-talets manliga folklivsforskare ägnade liten, eller ingen, tankeverksamhet åt hur kvinnor skötte sin hygien… | The fact that the male researchers of the 19th and early 20th centuries devoted little or no thought to how women managed their hygiene… | Too general – it should be ‘ethnologists’ |
Has anything been added?
Sometimes AI adds a word, for example a courtesy title:
Swedish text | AI translation | Comment |
|---|---|---|
Stipendiet på 250 000 kronor kommer att användas för att fortsätta och utveckla Magnussons forskning | The SEK 250,000 grant will be used to continue and develop Mr Magnusson's research | In this case, Magnusson is a woman. |
Information om Segerstedt hittar ni löpande här | Information about Mr Segerstedt can be found here | In this case, the reference is to a building, Segerstedthuset. |
Compound words
Sometimes AI fails to analyse compound words correctly:
Swedish text | AI translation | Comment |
|---|---|---|
Mosaiktrollsländelarv | Mosaic dragonfly heritage | AI saw ‘arv’ |
Modulen hittar du under Moduler i redigeringslisten | The module can be found under Modules in the edit list | AI saw ‘skugga’ (shadow) rather than ‘kugge’ (cog). |
När hon och de andra forskarna började söka efter signaler efter Higgbosonen i sina experiment var det långt ifrån säkert att den skulle hittas. | When she and the other researchers started looking for signals of the Higgbo son in their experiments, it was far from certain that it would be found. | Here AI fails to compensate for a typo in the original. It translated ‘Higgsbosonen’ correctly as ‘Higgs boson’ earlier in this text. |
Training effects?
Sometimes things just go wrong for no apparent reason. This may be due to the material used for training the AI.
A few examples:
Swedish text | AI translation | Comment |
|---|---|---|
Uppsala har alltid utvecklats – här väljer människor att bo, verka och leva. | Uppsala has always evolved - people choose to live, work and play here. | Did AI see ‘leka’? Has it been trained on material where ‘live, work and play’ often came up as a set phrase? |
håvar och hinkar | pails and buckets | Why ‘pails’? All dictionaries give ‘nets’ (or some variant). |
Pristagarna ska vara som mest 45 år gamla | Prize winners must be at least 45 years old | Incomprehensible error. Should be ‘at most’. |
Konferensen pågår kl 09:00 – 16:45 i Ihresalen | The conference will take place from 09:00 - 16:45 in your room | German influence? |
Backen var full med folk vid treslaget | The hill was full of people at the wood battle | Oral influence (trä/tre)? Should be ‘on the stroke of three’. |
Problems with pronouns
AI has particular difficulties with the possessive pronoun ‘sin’ (her/his/their?) and with ‘man’.
Swedish text | AI translation | Comment |
|---|---|---|
Det kan finnas en föreställning om att transpersoner tar väldigt illa vid sig om man råkar säga fel pronomen. | There may be a perception that trans people are very offended if they accidentally say the wrong pronoun. | Here, we would read ‘they’ as a pronoun referring back to ‘trans people’, but the point is the language used by others. Use ‘you’. |
Det viktigaste är att omgivningen har goda intentioner, och att man inte säger fel med flit för att man inte accepterar personens identitet. | The most important thing is that the people around you have good intentions, and that you don't deliberately say the wrong thing because you don't accept the person's identity. | Here, the first ‘you’ refers to transgender people, so ‘man’ should be translated ‘they’ (= ‘the people around you’). Not so easy! |
AI lacks background knowledge
Sometimes knowledge of Swedish circumstances, Swedish culture or Swedish society is needed for a meaningful translation. Sometimes a realisation is also required that the reference may need to be clarified for a non-Swedish audience.
Swedish text | AI translation | Comment | Better translation |
|---|---|---|---|
analysera ändamålsenligheten i dagens myndighetsform för universitet och högskolor | analyse the appropriateness of the current form of authority for higher education institutions | AI is not familiar with the implications of ‘myndighetsform’ and current debate around this issue | analyse the appropriateness of higher education institutions being public authorities under the government, as they currently are |
en bygd som präglas av hög arbetslöshet och stor utflyttning | a city characterised by high unemployment and high emigration | The problem in Sweden is that people are moving from rural to urban areas. Both ‘city’ and ‘emigration’ are misleading. | a locality characterised by high unemployment and high out-migration |
Idioms, figurative language and humour
AI often translates literally, word for word:
Swedish text | AI translation | Comment | Better translation |
|---|---|---|---|
ni [har] varit en av ganska få individer med samma formella titel | you have been one of quite a few individuals with the same formal title | Literal translation results in an English idiom meaning the opposite | you have been one of just a few individuals with the same formal title |
Plattan i mattan med tuffa prioriteringar längs resan | The plate in the carpet with tough priorities along the journey | Literal translation produces nonsense in English. | Full speed ahead with tough priorities along the way. |
Med deras hjälp har vi kunnat se både skogen och träden. | With their help, we have been able to see both the forest and the trees. | The English idiom uses a different word for ’skog’ | With their help, we have been able to see both the wood and the trees. |
The tense is often wrong.
For example, you may need to use the future tense in English when the present tense is used in Swedish. But not always.
Swedish text | AI translation | Comment |
|---|---|---|
Av de fyra miljonerna hanteras knappt tre miljoner kronor genom de medel som reserverats för senare beslut. | Of the SEK 4 million, just under SEK 3 million is managed through the funds reserved for later decisions. | In the context, this is obviously about planning and future actions – ‘will be managed’ |
År 2024 var antalet 9 176 och 2025 är antalet 12 073 | In 2024, the number was 9 176 and in 2025 it will be 12 073 | This is an actual figure, not a forecast – ‘it is’ |
Word order
The translation sometimes follows the Swedish word order too closely, leading to unnatural English.
Swedish text | AI translation | Natural word order |
|---|---|---|
Jag väljer här en liten bild. | I choose here a small picture. | Here I choose… |
Det finns inte oändliga resurser på jorden. | There are not infinite resources on earth. | The Earth does not have endless resources. |