Why so many translators hate translation technology?
The process of translation is complex and requires the human touch. Machines have not yet been able to replicate the use of language in the way humans are able to do so. Translation has many layers and the nuances of each language are not something that can be programmed into a translation tool.
Skilled Translation: More Than Word Replacement
Scans, handwriting and acronyms are all also current hurdles machines have yet to successfully overcome. Most currently required translation work is for civil or legal purposes, where it is legally necessary to have a party responsible for the translation and not AI.
A machine will miss nuances or contexts that make a passage accurate and relevant. From puns to sarcasm, machines miss those nuances, while a human translator can listen to a phrase and understand how to translate it in a way that makes sense culturally in the target language.
One of the main cons of using machine translation, such as Google Translate, is that it is not always accurate. This is because the algorithm is based on statistical models that are trained on a large corpus of text data. These models can make errors and miss important context, which can lead to mistranslations.
It is difficult to translate an idiom if you do not have its equivalent in your native language. Some of the idioms may have a different meaning and also cannot be translated word-for-word. Also, some sayings are common only in the original language.
The future of machine translation
As technology advances, computer programs will become even better at translating languages. But no matter how good they get, they will never be able to replace humans completely. Human brains are simply too complex for machines to ever fully understand.
It is highly unlikely that translators and interpreters will disappear entirely. While advancements in machine translation and interpretation technology may change the way these services are delivered, human translators and interpreters bring cultural and linguistic nuances that machines may struggle to replicate.
The fact is that AI technology is not advanced enough to completely replace humans in the process all of the time. To be blunt, it probably never will be. Looking at machine translation, the promise of completely automated translations has been around for a long time.
The future of neural machine translation is very bright, and its capabilities are only going to grow over time as artificial intelligence continues to evolve and neural networks become larger and more complex.
AI translations aren't 100% accurate; they're fast but not accurate. It lacks cultural understanding and the ability to contextualize meaning. Consequently, often misinterprets idioms and metaphors.
Why is Google Translate still bad?
The reason for all this is quite simple: Google Translate's accuracy depends on how much data is available for the target language. Since almost 60% of websites are in English, Google Translate has a lot of input to work with.
The main reason for that is that languages don't exist in a vacuum. Besides their own individual intricacies, they are part of a complex system of culture and context in which they developed and are being used. That's something you always have to be mindful of it when translating from one language to another.
The major translation problems lie in language structure, compound words, two-verb words, and cultural nuances, which translation professionals frequently deal with daily. Even senior translators with years of working experience in a specialized field can find translating some technical documents frustrating.
- Negotiating fair prices for translations.
- Translating words and phrases with multiple meanings.
- Duplicating translations of common words and phrases.
- Managing words and phrases that don't have exact translations.
Cultural Nuances: Effective translation goes beyond words; it requires understanding cultural nuances, idioms, and context. Failing to capture these subtleties can lead to misunderstandings or misinterpretations. Translators must be well-versed in both languages and cultural contexts to ensure accurate communication.
"Will AI Replace Translators? The Short Answer Is No," but It Will Transform How We Work.
That's why many experts — even Google itself — caution against relying on the popular Google Translate for complex tasks. Google advises users that its machine translation service is not “intended to replace human translators.”
Which languages are most in-demand for translation? Spanish, Mandarin, and German are the most in-demand languages for translation job ads. Immigration to the US from Latin American countries needs Spanish translation by skilled professionals of their documents.
Contrary to the fears of some professionals, the process of globalisation means that demand for translators and interpreters is actually expected to rise.
While machine translation has improved over the years, it is not likely to completely replace human translators shortly. Human translators are still needed to ensure accuracy, nuance, and cultural appropriateness.
Is Google Translate being phased out?
Yes, the Google Translate website widget has been discontinued. Now what? In this short guide, we're going to explain why the widget by Google Translate isn't available to the wider public anymore, who can still use it, and what to do as an alternative for anyone who doesn't meet Google's current requirements for use.
As to the future, for translators, their role will simply evolve, as will many professions. They will still have an extremely important role to play and the day when no human is involved in translation, done to an extremely high standard, is still a long way off.
AI-powered machines will never replace human translators, that much is clear.
It's certainly not going to replace a skilled translator who understands the source language, the target language and the associated cultures. The bottom line is that, while ChatGPT can respond to your queries in ways that might make it seem like it actually understands language, it doesn't.
In 2016, Google Translate made a significant leap by introducing neural machine translation (NMT). NMT surpassed previous translation tools, offering improved quality, fluency, and context preservation. NMT set a new commercial standard and propelled the field forward.
References
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- https://www.propublica.org/article/google-says-google-translate-cant-replace-human-translators-immigration-officials-have-used-it-to-vet-refugees
- https://locatetranslate.co.uk/artificial-intelligence-vs-human-translation/
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- https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2020/10/26/why-technology-will-not-replace-professional-translators/
- https://ititranslates.com/blog/will-ai-replace-human-translators/
- https://www.quora.com/Would-translators-still-be-needed-in-the-incoming-100-years
- https://herd.io/blogs/performance-marketing/human-vs-machine-translation-benefits
- https://www.strakertranslations.com/insights/the-major-challenges-of-translation
- https://rubric.com/en-us/machine-translation-replace-human-translators/