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An AI fiction translation service aimed at both traditional publishers and self-published authors has been launched in the U.K. GlobeScribe.ai is currently charging $100 per book, per language for use of its translation services.

“There will always be a place for expert human translation, especially for highly literary or complex texts,” said co-founders Fred Freeman and Betsy Reavley. “But GlobeScribe.ai opens the door to new opportunities, making translation a viable option for a much broader range of fiction.”

Freeman and Reavley said GlobeScribe conducted “extensive blind testing” of its tool. Native speakers reviewed GlobeScribe translations alongside human-translated versions of texts without being told which method had been used. According to a company statement, “The feedback consistently showed that readers could not reliably distinguish between them, and, in some cases, reviewers even felt the AI-assisted versions were closer in tone and fidelity to the original English manuscript.”

However, prominent translators and the Society of Authors’ Translators Association have expressed concern over the initiative.

“GlobeScribe may claim to unlock global access for fiction, but their approach sidelines the very people who make literature resonate across cultures,” said Ian Giles, chair of the Society of Authors’ Translators Association. “Suggesting that AI can match, or even surpass, the nuanced work of human translators on behalf of authors is flat-out wrong.”

Freeman and Reavley said that while they “recognize that parts of the industry are understandably cautious about what AI might mean for the arts,” they “believe these tools are here to stay and that they should be embraced thoughtfully and responsibly.” They added that AI could enhance creativity and help professional translators “increase their productivity and output, and that this isn’t about replacing human translators.”

“Even though I don’t think Globescribe can translate the kinds of literary texts I translate, I am gloomy about the emergence of all these new AI ‘translation’ services,” said Julia Sanches, who has translated such as works as Boulder by Eva Baltasar from Catalan into English. “They give the appearance that translation is instant, which devalues my labor, and also that it’s mediocre, which could make ‘good enough’ the new standard for the literary arts. And that’s a disservice to both authors and readers.”

The Guardian (7/8/25) By Ella Creamer