August 26, 2015 at 13:32Benefits of Human Translation over Google Translate
By the 24th anniversary of Independence of Ukraine, Internet users have actively begun to correct the translation of the phrase “Revolution Gidnosti” in the popular online translation service Google Translate .
With the development of computer and online translators, commonly known simply as machine translation, it is no longer difficult to translate words, documents, or even entire sites from one language to another. Although simplicity does not make such a translation option the most efficient and convenient. Most languages do not stand still, but develop, change over time, which cannot be taken into account by machine translation, where strict rules are used instead of objective judgment, and examples are used instead of professional expertise.
How machine translation works
To understand the principle of machine translation, you can use the example of the most common and frequently used online translator Google Translate . Like most online tools, Google Translate works using the so-called principle of Statistical Machine Translation, which is based on downloading data from the Internet, organizes it and, as a result, gives the best, in the opinion of the system, translation combination in any required language pair. This principle, based on statistical data, crashed in Google Translate and led to the fact that the phrase "revolution gidnostі" (Ukrainian) was translated until recently as "political crisis in Ukraine":
Such a translation was the result of publications of identical material in Ukrainian and Russian by ill-wishers with an incorrect translation in advance, which suggests that machine translation is easy to circle around the finger.
Human translation
The story of living translators began long before the invention of computers. People who speak foreign languages have edited and translated royal decrees and messages since the time of Caesar, when it was necessary to convey information about the new laws of the ruler of the Roman Empire to residents of the occupied lands, who often spoke other languages, which sometimes required more than one translator. Over time, between the cultures of different peoples social bridges were laid, which required in-depth knowledge not only of the cultures and history of different peoples, but, first of all, of foreign languages.
Benefits of Human Translation
• Qualified Language Expertise
A living specialist, when translating a text, can adapt the speech turn of one language to analogues of another, which often have a completely different meaning in literal translation. A human translator is able to convey the tone, structure of speech, style and all the nuances of the source language when translating without loss, not only the meaning, but even idioms and phraseological units in the language.
• Knowledge of the topic
Understanding technological or legal documents can sometimes be a real test for us even in our native language, and even more so through a machine translation from another language. Only a live translator can possess the necessary skills to translate such specialized texts. Thus, only a specialist can ensure accurate transfer of material, observing all the details and nuances of the translation of terms. The situation with machine translation is much more complicated and such a translation can lead to the fact that the final translation will be radically different and serious distorted perception of the final material may arise.
• Creativity
Computer and online translation services lack ingenuity in the process of converting text, so machine translation can be exclusively verbatim. A living translator will always be able to choose the most suitable translation option, proceeding not only from experience and knowledge, but also a sense of language, and, as you know, they have not yet learned how to feel machines.
• Cultural perception.
The language of any nation is closely related to its culture and social norms. During the translation into his native language, the linguist will be able to adapt the text to his cultural peculiarity and even the target audience, using different speech styles. Elements of the text, which in the translation may sound excessive, rude or even offensive, can be modified in the way that only a live translator can do.
Thus, only a living specialist in the language sphere has a clear understanding and perception of the features of the language, the subject of the text and the cultural environment, for which the translation is performed. Only with the help of human translation can all the flexibility, beauty and richness of each individual language be used in translation. Just as a computer can never write an excellent musical symphony or create an invention of art, machine translation can never completely replace a living linguist.
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With the development of computer and online translators, commonly known simply as machine translation, it is no longer difficult to translate words, documents, or even entire sites from one language to another. Although simplicity does not make such a translation option the most efficient and convenient. Most languages do not stand still, but develop, change over time, which cannot be taken into account by machine translation, where strict rules are used instead of objective judgment, and examples are used instead of professional expertise.
How machine translation works
To understand the principle of machine translation, you can use the example of the most common and frequently used online translator Google Translate . Like most online tools, Google Translate works using the so-called principle of Statistical Machine Translation, which is based on downloading data from the Internet, organizes it and, as a result, gives the best, in the opinion of the system, translation combination in any required language pair. This principle, based on statistical data, crashed in Google Translate and led to the fact that the phrase "revolution gidnostі" (Ukrainian) was translated until recently as "political crisis in Ukraine":
Such a translation was the result of publications of identical material in Ukrainian and Russian by ill-wishers with an incorrect translation in advance, which suggests that machine translation is easy to circle around the finger.
Human translation
The story of living translators began long before the invention of computers. People who speak foreign languages have edited and translated royal decrees and messages since the time of Caesar, when it was necessary to convey information about the new laws of the ruler of the Roman Empire to residents of the occupied lands, who often spoke other languages, which sometimes required more than one translator. Over time, between the cultures of different peoples social bridges were laid, which required in-depth knowledge not only of the cultures and history of different peoples, but, first of all, of foreign languages.
Benefits of Human Translation
• Qualified Language Expertise
A living specialist, when translating a text, can adapt the speech turn of one language to analogues of another, which often have a completely different meaning in literal translation. A human translator is able to convey the tone, structure of speech, style and all the nuances of the source language when translating without loss, not only the meaning, but even idioms and phraseological units in the language.
• Knowledge of the topic
Understanding technological or legal documents can sometimes be a real test for us even in our native language, and even more so through a machine translation from another language. Only a live translator can possess the necessary skills to translate such specialized texts. Thus, only a specialist can ensure accurate transfer of material, observing all the details and nuances of the translation of terms. The situation with machine translation is much more complicated and such a translation can lead to the fact that the final translation will be radically different and serious distorted perception of the final material may arise.
• Creativity
Computer and online translation services lack ingenuity in the process of converting text, so machine translation can be exclusively verbatim. A living translator will always be able to choose the most suitable translation option, proceeding not only from experience and knowledge, but also a sense of language, and, as you know, they have not yet learned how to feel machines.
• Cultural perception.
The language of any nation is closely related to its culture and social norms. During the translation into his native language, the linguist will be able to adapt the text to his cultural peculiarity and even the target audience, using different speech styles. Elements of the text, which in the translation may sound excessive, rude or even offensive, can be modified in the way that only a live translator can do.
Thus, only a living specialist in the language sphere has a clear understanding and perception of the features of the language, the subject of the text and the cultural environment, for which the translation is performed. Only with the help of human translation can all the flexibility, beauty and richness of each individual language be used in translation. Just as a computer can never write an excellent musical symphony or create an invention of art, machine translation can never completely replace a living linguist.
Read Polyglot Blog →
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Are you satisfied with the quality of machine translation?
- 34.4% Yes 53
- 75.3% No 116