Translating the Force Concept Inventory in the age of AI

Abstract

We present a study that translates the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) using OpenAI GPT-4o and assess the specific difficulties of translating a scientific-focused topic using Large Language Models (LLMs). The FCI is a physics exam meant to evaluate outcomes of a student cohort before and after instruction in Newtonian physics. We examine the problem-solving ability of the LLM in both the translated document and the translation back into English, detailing the language-dependent issues that complicate the translation. While ChatGPT performs remarkably well on answering the questions in both the translated language as well as the back-translation into English, problems arise with language-specific nuances and formatting. Pitfalls include words or phrases that lack one-to-one matching terms in another language, especially discipline-specific scientific terms, or outright mistranslations. Depending on the context, these translations can result in a critical change in the physical meaning of the problem. Additionally, issues with question numbering and lettering are found in some languages. The issues around the translations of numbering and lettering provide insight into the abilities of the LLM and suggest that it is not simply relying upon FCI questions that may have been part of the LLM training data to provide answers. These findings underscore that while LLMs can accelerate multilingual access to educational tools, careful review is still needed to ensure fidelity and clarity in translated assessments. LLMs provide a new opportunity to expand educational tools and assessments. At the same time, there are unique challenges using LLMs to facilitate translations that this case study examines in detail.