Screenwriting : Question on AI-assisted translation for non-native writers. by Mohammad Ali RANJBAR

Ethan Craig, thank you for your reply.

Translation is the single biggest thing that I use AI for. In my day job, I teach and encourage students to use and verify with AI for that very reason.

Using AI to translate is acceptable. But remember, don't ask AI to improve upon the original text, because if you do that, the reader will assume that the text was originally created by AI, and then hate it since AI writes in a very characteristic way. And tell someone who knows English well to proofread what you translate into English, because sometimes there are mistakes.

Mohammad Ali RANJBAR Hey Mohammad, I really appreciate you being so open about this — I think a lot of non-native writers deal with the same question and just don't say it out loud.

In my experience, most producers and industry people don’t see AI translation/polishing as a red flag, especially if the story and vision are still essentially yours. It’s not much different than working with an editor or translator really. What’s important is that the final script is strong and true to your voice.

If it helps, I do have someone who has helped me with my own script before I don't mind connecting you if you're open to working with someone who has helped me before. Let me know and I can put you in touch.

Best of luck with your writing, don’t let the scepticism slow the story down.

Ai is not for translation

Michael Dzurak, Göran Johansson and Mikel Jayden thank you all.

Ethan Cole, please explain more about the comment you made.

What I meant is that AI isn't really meant for screenplay translation if you're aiming for an industry-standard script. It translates the language, but it doesn't truly understand character voice, subtext, emotion, cultural context, or how dialogue should naturally flow in English. Those are things that matter a lot to producers and readers.

If you use AI only as a starting point, that's different. But I wouldn't rely on it as the final translation because it can make a script feel unnatural or lose the writer's original voice.

AI is a tool, and how you use it to support your story becomes your own creative method. In the end, you can always shape it your way.

Of course, AI can maintain the atmosphere and mood of the script, and I experienced this, provided you instruct it from the beginning how to translate.

Mohammad Ali RANJBAR You are welcome

hi Mohammad Ali RANJBAR I agree. English is not my first language too, so AI has been very helpful for me too, especially for translation and polishing. But I still believe the story, the concept, the characters, and the final creative choices must come from the writer. AI can be a bridge, but the voice and soul of the work should always belong to the author.

A story's meaning reaches the audience regardless of the language it's written in — but culture, nativity, behavior, and the way a character speaks will always be different. That's where a writer's real voice lives.

Using AI as a tool doesn't mean letting it write the story for you. If it does, it stops being your story — it becomes AI's story. There's nothing wrong with using AI to translate your idea, but the moment you depend on it completely, that's when the red flag appears.

AI can change the language. It should never change the meaning. The meaning is something only the writer can give. AI can be the pen — but the one who writes is still human."

Hi Leni Hasrani, thank you very much. I remembered one thing that might be useful to mention. In a script, I wanted to find sentences spoken by a cowboy in the 19th century in Texas. I wrote those slang sentences in Persian and gave them to the AI. The AI ​​automatically translated them to suit the character in the time and place, given the story.

What you said is correct, but the decision to say it that way was made by you. So who is responsible for the story is you — whether the time period is old or present, that was decided by you. AI can write according to the time period, but it cannot think like you.

Mohammad, if you want AI to translate in such a way that the person speaks some form of slang, you have a problem. Because if you write slang in your native language and ask AI to translate, the probability is high that AI will misunderstand the slang. So the option I prefer is to write grammatically correct, translate, and finally ask AI to change according to how a person in that situation would talk. And then ask someone to proofread. AI knows English well enough to handle slang and dialects. But when I once asked AI for help in my native language, the result was a complete failure.

Göran Johansson, you said it well. Definitely. I usually write the text correctly in my own language and the AI ​​translates it. It is also absolutely true that an English-speaking screenwriter must definitely see the text. As for slang writing in my own language, I must say that the AI ​​translates one or two sentences into English well, but if I write a few pages of dialogue in the same way and ask it to translate the slang into English, we will get the wrong result.

BASHA Penukonda, suppose my story takes place in a small town, and all the characters in the story speak the same language and have the same culture. In that case, AI has no problem translating. The real problem will arise when the story has cultural and linguistic complexities.

It's not about matching culture, not about characters, and definitely not just translation. It's about weaving words that resonate with your audience something that touches the hearts of the people watching. You can use AI in that process, or not it doesn't matter.

However you do it, as a content creator, the goal is simple: make it something the audience loves. However you write it, I hope it becomes a hit.

there is nothing like ai for translator

AI is a tool, it can't do everything you need and sometimes things may get lost in the translation. If you do translate from Persian to English you will want people to read the English version and give you feedback on your script to ensure it comes across the way you want. Start with any friends, family, or colleagues who may be able to help. You could also find screenwriting groups or script reading services to get feedback but some of that can also be expensive.

Thank you very much.

Someone should write a movie about that. Oh wait!

As long as it isn't the only one that knows the target language it is probably fine. If you have it translate and don't know anything of the language you are likely to have it say things you might not want.

But you might ask the question of why are you targeting a different language market. Is it something you can tell in your own language in the region you are?

Ai translation is a good tool to use but however just to make sure the translation comes out correctly I would have a English speaking person read it.that is the best advice I can give

Dave Pinero and Isla Taylor, thank you for your comment. I also believe that in any situation, a native speaker should read the script to ensure the accuracy of the translation.

Neal Levin, you’re right about the risks; I always review the AI translations myself, as it often makes mistakes. It definitely requires human oversight.

As for why I’m looking beyond my own region—that is exactly what the age of communication is all about. Writers in the past were often limited to their own local contexts, but the digital age has expanded human imagination beyond borders. Storytelling no longer has boundaries. I am currently working on another screenplay set in Japan, and I am doing it purely out of passion for the craft and the culture.