There isn't a more controversial topic of debate within the
translation industry than the machine vs. human translation subject. It's
understandable too, the capabilities of machines are constantly increasing and
the range of work they can be considered relevant for is growing too. In our
online lives we interact with machine translation all the time, but can we
really consider machines as a viable professional translation option yet? Machine Translation
Machine translation technology is everywhere around us these days. Translation apps, browser plugins, speech recognition software and of course the very familiar Google and Bing Translate. Traditionally these tools and software have been used for personal purposes, and we've come to expect errors in the translation as a part of the experience. Although mechanical translation has improved recently, the results can be inconsistent and unreliable. When dealing with large quantities of text, manually inputting the content and clicking the translate button has it's obvious downsides. Free online translation services also have an inherent privacy issue as the information entered is stored on their servers. This will create an IP issue for a lot of companies.
When Machine Translation Makes Sense
In spite of these flaws, the professional applications for machine translation are increasing. It's clearly not perfect, but neither are humans.
- Combining machine translation with human translation can be a happy marriage. The nuances of a language and the cultural idiosyncrasies are often lost with machine translation, however it does produce volume results quickly. Combining mechanical translation tools as a first stage with human editing as a second stage can speed up a large translation process.
- User generated content in online reviews and social media are an increasingly popular area for machine translation. TripAdvisor is a prime example, they translate over 1 billion words per month in 13 different languages. People still don't mind small errors in translation in this space, as long as they can understand the sentiments of the review.
Human Translation
The problem with machine translation methods is that they cannot understand the culture of the language, they don't understand the dialects and little nuances that a human can understand.
Translation of professional content in legal, marketing, medical and academic disciplines is not feasible with machine translation. Technical documents require the skills and accuracy of an experienced human translator with knowledge of the industry and fluency in the target language. Highly skilled and qualified translators are still very much in demand as organizations are weary of how bad translations can damage their brand and business.
Conclusion
No one can dispute the improvements in machine translation in recent years. These services are widely available across a variety of platforms for consumers to enjoy. The professional applications for mechanical translation are increasing and the speed and efficiency that machines offer in these instances cannot be denied. But, and there is a big but here, mechanical translation is still characterized by inconsistent and unreliable results. For all the gains machines have made, human translation remains unrivaled and essential for any professional translation work.
Human vs. Machine is always going to be an unsettling topic in spite of the potential of automated work. I find machine translation nowhere near being able to fully capture the context and nuance of human translation. At times it's even a source of amusement to use auto-translate online. In all honesty, the thought that machines would ever be able to translate with the complexity needed is a bit scary, though intriguing.
ReplyDeleteHuman translator is better as compare to machine translation. machine translation can require a short period of time and exit many errors in the documents, human translator can require 2 or 3 days for translation but can produce the documents full our of errors.
ReplyDeleteDocuments Translation Services
I've never thought about how intertwining human translation services with machine translation could provide a much more comprehensive product. It makes a lot of sense to have a machine initially translate the piece, and then have a human address any quirks leftover from the previous process.
ReplyDeleteI personally would use human translation. Regardless of how much machine translation has improved, using it takes jobs away from people.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to read about this subject. This article had a lot of good insights. I think people are better fit for it.
ReplyDeleteI really admire what this team is doing. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteAnd Teale Green is so brave getting up and speaking to people.
Most children his age lack the confidence to beable to handle a crowd.
Watching this has definately been a positive experience for me.
Machine translation is increasingly complete and multilanguage, very good if future machine can translate more accurately translated with artificial intelligence. But it makes you dependent and it was not really good
ReplyDeleteMan vs machine will always be a topic of conversation. With technology rapidly advancing the way it is machine becomes more and more advanced and as years go on faster more skilled. People always have the question in the future will a machine take my job. With machines I believe they can translate more acurate as well as faster in bulk with humans it feels more personable. Both have different advantages. This is a great article with great insights!
ReplyDeleteMans vs machine great article btw, in my opinion man will always beat machine because man invented all machines
ReplyDeleteThis is an innovative online translation company that has made a big impact in the online translation scene
ReplyDeleteMachines are slowly increasing in the world we live in replacing men and woman that NEED jobs.
ReplyDelete