From Mechanical Translation to AI: Martinet’s Legacy and the Evolution of Linguistic Mediation

Introduction Machine translation (MT) has evolved dramatically from its early rule-based methods to today’s AI-driven models. Initially, translation systems relied on word-for-word substitution, an approach that often led to nonsensical or misleading results due to the complexity of linguistic structures. In his article "The Word," André Martinet criticized this method, arguing that treating words as discrete, self-contained units of meaning created an artificial "screen" that obscured the structural and relational nature of language. This article argues that while contemporary AI translation has moved beyond simple lexical substitution, it still struggles to fully account for linguistic interdependence. Despite advancements in deep learning, modern algorithmic models continue to approximate rather than truly understand syntactic and morphological dependencies, making his critique as relevant as ever. By examining Martinet’s structuralist insights, the histori...