"I recently found a packet of letters that had been saved by my family through five generations. They are written in a language I am unfamiliar with—and in an old German script. I showed them to someone fluent in German, and while she could pick out words here and there, she was unable to translate them.

Next, I turned to the always confident ChatGPT.

     I fed it the letters and out popped the “translations.” They seemed sort of reasonable, but I decided to run a test. In this pack of letters was one written in similar, difficult-to-read cursive, but in English. 

I fed that letter to ChatGPT, asking for a transcription. Well, I had already done my own transcription, and what the AI gave me was a wild fabrication! This proved that AI is not reliable for translating or even transcribing old (and fairly illegible) handwritten letters.

     I now knew that I needed a reliable, non-AI translator, so I contacted the very human Abigail Huber. And I am so happy I found her!!! The translating of these letters was a difficult task, and it took some time and research on her part, but she did it! 

     Abby has given me insight into the life of my great-great grandmother Hattie. Before, I knew about Hattie only through family photos and vital records. Now, I am thrilled to be able to hear these voices from the past talking to my ancestor about their lives and shared stories. Further, Abby provided the translations in a beautiful format, interspersed with selected images from the originals, and with additional notes and explanations.

     Thank you, Abby!"