AIF Insights No. 14 (2025) | Machine Translation: Bridging Khmer Language and Large Language Models (LLMs)

While the development of large language models (LLMs), specifically for the Khmer language, is constrained by both computational resources and the availability of quality training data, this paper presents a strategic direction highly relevant to artificial intelligence and machine learning engineers and developers working with the Khmer language. This paper highlights the significant role of high-quality machine translation in advancing Khmer natural language processing (KNLP). It argues that improving machine translation between Khmer and high- resource languages is currently the most viable approach to fully leverage LLMs and other advanced models for the Khmer language, at least in the short term.