Online Translations vs. Human Translations
Two types of translation services exist:
1. Manual Translations (Human Translations) - like offered by Transl.Net
2. Computerized machine Translations also known as Online Translators - like offered by Google Translate.
Transl.Net gets a lot of questions regarding the quality of online translations, and we are asked frequently if this can or will be an alternative in the future taking over from the traditional human translations. We have taken a look at the "competition" of online translators in order to find out what the advantages are, and what you should avoid when using them.
The biggest advantage of online translations is that it is time efficient and hardly takes any time to convert text from one language to the other. This can be suitable for small translation assignments, like:
- Translation of web pages to quickly get information when browsing the internet.
- Private correspondence when using e-mail and instant messaging when communicating with friends in other countries.
Online translation is basically done by software that converts the source text into the target text with the help of simple commands consisting of logic rules and algorithms.
Top five online translations
The five highest quality online translation services today are:
Google Translate
PROMT Translator
WorldLingo
SYSTRANet
Babylon
Low quality Translations: Texts with ambiguous words and sentences.
Machine translation is based on formal and systematic rules so it cannot solve ambiguity by concentrating on a context and using experience or mental outlook as a human translator. Online translators are not able to distinguish between texts meant for your clients, your employees, or for a specific consumer market like children or young professionals.
This means that if you rely on online machine translators for your advertising campaign, website, survey, press-release etc. the risk is very high that your message will be delivered in an incorrect way and that you will jeopardize your company’s image.
As professional translators, we do not use and will not use any of the online translation services. We try however to utilize modern technology in our daily work, but not as a substitute for our linguistic skills. As an example, we use a translation memory tool which ensures that our regular trusted clients will receive consistent translations over time. When new content is delivered for translation, the first step is to compare that content against any information already stored within the translation memory. This implies an improved accuracy and quality assurance of the work we deliver.
We at Transl.Net believe very much in the human factor and our translators ability to understand the context of your text in a way that no computerized online translation service will ever do. We use at the same time modern technology like translation memory software, but without ever compromising on our high quality standards.
Send us your request using our Free Quote Form or Contact us to learn more about our translation skills and capabilities.
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