MULTILINGUAL TRANSLATION SERVICES

Machine Translation - Is it Okay to Use?

Machine translation, also known as computer translation and not to be confused with translation memory, has gone through a roller coaster of a popularity curve. It has been hailed as a breakthrough in the translation industry, all while acquiring a negative reputation for resulting in embarrassing mistakes. While machine translation has made significant progress in the past 10 years, most translators and translation agencies agree that machine translation should not be used without any precautions.

The general consensus is that machine translation may be good for:

•    Translating casual interactions such as emails, tweets, Facebook and LinkedIn
•    When timing clearly overweighs accuracy: translation of large volumes of text or short phrases for spontaneous two-way communication
•    Having an understanding of highly specialized and highly repeated documents such as patent and scholarly research in order to do further research that can be later translated professionally after condensing the material
•    Very short life span materials such as news, review of a restaurant, and weather reports

Yet the industry’s consensus is that machine translation is NOT capable in accurately translating:

•    Highly decorated language, such as romance copy for marketing materials
•    Frequently used documents such as operating manuals, maintenance instructions
and technical products intended for consumers or at the workplace
•    Documents with a high liability: HR procedures, legal contracts, product packaging and labels
  

Example of Machine Translation Output - Chinese to English

Below is an example of a Chinese text translated into English using machine translation. Machine translation results in a somewhat comprehendible sentence yet not good enough quality to use for professional purposes.

Example of Professional Translation Output - Chinese to English

Below is the same Chinese text, yet translated by a Chinese-speaking professional. The resulting language is very clear and can be used for professional purposes. Professional translators also have the ability to use translation memory technology (not the same as machine translation) and word processing tools for a better quality output.

Problematic Translation from Spanish to English

The following is a Spanish to English translation of a news piece where "escape craft" or auxiliary ships was translated as "slave ships". While the machine translation of news pieces may often serve useful in many cases, in this case it would have been confusing or even offensive.

The appropriate translation of this piece would be:

"The Russian space agency reported that six astronauts on the International Space Station were forced Tuesday to board escape craft due to the risk of a collision with floating space debris".

Machine Translation May be Useful - Translation of Email from Spa to Eng

The following is an e-mail that has been translated from Spanish to English using Machine Translation. The result was English with poor grammar but enough to be understood. Yet the English may not good enough quality to be used for professional purposes.

While it may be appropriate to use machine translation in some cases, it is often not recommended to be used as a replacement of a professional translator. If you have any more questions about machine translation, please feel free to contact us for more information.

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