Nowadays, it’s all about communication. Whether you are running a small start-up or a big multinational company, one of your main focuses should be communication. By communication I mean not only with customers, but also with leads, potential customers or even between departments in your own company. It’s important that all the information, no matter what kind, goes across the big barrier that language can be.
Back in the 50’s, computers began solving problems. Today, translation is just one of their well coded skills. So when it comes to translating your business’ communication, are humans expendable?
For instance, let’s imagine you want to have your company’s website translated into another language. Why should you pay a translation agency when you can simply have it translated for free at the click of a button? I can think of a few reasons.
- CULTURE. It’s not only language that is different, cultures are also part of the barrier. If you think of slogans, for example, what is considered normal in one country, may be offensive in other. That’s where linguists have the upper hand on machines. They understand culture and, if you chose the right ones, they actually live in the target culture, thus conveying your ideas, information and style in a way a machine can’t.
- CONFIDENTIALITY. And this is a trendy subject. To translate a document, the computer must read it. And in order to do that, you have to upload it to the internet. Once on the internet, confidentiality may be compromised. So if you want to translate a very sensitive document about your company’s finances, make sure to use a real linguist with whom you can sign a non-disclosure agreement to ensure your classified data never leaves their hard drive. If opting for a machine translation service, always check the Terms & Conditions. Here’s an example from Google:
“When you upload, submit, store, send or receive content to or through our Services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (such as those resulting from translations, adaptations or other changes we make so that your content works better with our Services), communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such content. The rights you grant in this license are for the limited purpose of operating, promoting, and improving our Services, and to develop new ones. This license continues even if you stop using our Services (for example, for a business listing you have added to Google Maps)”
Google
- AVOID CLASSIC MACHINE TRANSLATION MISTAKES. Let’s be honest, we’ve all heard of machine translation failures. From “Paul is dead”, which was supposed to be the translation of “meatballs” from Arabic to English, to when a Greek wanted to tell his friend “just wipe that dirt off your shoulder” and the computer opted for a dramatic “just wipe your shoulders away” translation (you can find these pretty fast if you search). I don’t mean all MT is bad, but it sure can be a bit “silly” sometimes. Especially when idiomatic expressions come into play, because these can only be properly understood by a human being. So, do you want look sloppy and unprofessional? I’ll come back to quality later.
- COMMUNICATION. It’s important to have someone to talk to if things go south. If you don’t like the end result of a translation, for example, having someone you can call for a revision or to clarify an expression or term that you don’t consider the right choice can be very important. If you opt for a translation agency, you can usually reach the project manager pretty easily and have him ask the team of translators all your questions. On the other hand, try to argue with a computer and you’ll have to supply both sides of the conversation.
- SPECIALIZATION. Is your business specialized? Then your communication should be too. Translators usually specialize in specific areas, which means they know industries and specialized terminology. MT usually searches the web for translations to be able to translate the texts you’re feeding it, presenting you with much more generalized speech. If you need quality translation, make sure you choose specialized linguists or a company that provides you with this service. This way, you can be sure your specialized product meets the expectations of your special customers.
- CONSISTENCY. MT it not yet able to recognize what kind of text you’re translating and, to be honest, the computer couldn’t care less about you or your business. A good human translator or a translation agency know their customers. They know how you like things done, how you speak, the message you want to convey – this is very important when it comes to marketing – and which words and terms you prefer to use. And they will keep it that way for as long as they work with you. They will search through old projects, Translation Memories, and thousands of emails if they have to, but they will find that note where you said how you wanted a specific sentence to sound like in another language. All their translations will be consistent and your customers will always receive the quality communication they’re used to.
- PROOFREADING & QUALITY ASSURANCE. When it comes to translation, two is always better than one. Most translation agencies use two linguists instead of one. So you will have your translation revised by a second individual, who will explain to the translator where he disagrees with a specific translation and why. They will discuss the best options for each scenario, bearing in mind the context provided and their client’s specifications. This step has a huge impact on the quality of the target text.
- THE MANPOWER OF A NETWORK. If two is good, think of thousands! Even if you choose one single translator instead of an agency, they are is not alone. All agencies and translators have some tricks up their sleeves. There are several platforms – or as I like to explain to my friends, it’s like Facebook for translators – where linguists can ask questions and get fast accurate answers from other language professionals spread all over the world. Can you imagine the power of so much cultural knowledge?
When it comes to translation agencies, despite these platforms, some of them are groups. That means that they can send your texts to their offices where you want them to be read and understood. There, they will be translated by qualified linguists that are aware of your customers’ mindset.
- Accountability. Isn’t this why we don’t see Artificial Intelligence in warfare? Who’s accountable for pulling the trigger and taking a life? Although this may seem a bit too dramatic, a bad translation can actually cost lives. Imagine your website has information on how to operate heavy machinery. Would you risk an incorrect translation? To put it as simple as possible, who would be accountable for a terrible complaint after your customer doesn’t get what he paid for because of a bad translation of a product description? Play it safe. Make sure you have a someone you can talk to. Maybe your translation agency can explain their translation choices, come to the conclusion that your customer isn’t right at all and save you a ton of money.
- Quality. It all comes down to this one. It’s all a matter of value for money. MT comes in many forms, prices and different quality outputs. However, we can all agree that it does not replace human translation when it comes to quality or the above-mentioned topics. No matter how well coded it is, a machine cannot replace a human’s intellect, insight and understanding, nor can a machine have the same relationship with a customer as a Project Manager or an Account Manager at a translation agency. Quality will be jeopardized by the lack of context and cultural knowledge.
To put it simple, it all depends on what you need.
When it comes to companies, keep in mind that the return on investment may be substantially higher if you opt for a professional translation service. Plus, add all the advantages of working with real people, who you can talk to and who are accountable for what they have translated. Agencies are usually good at what they do. They have structure and a lot of knowhow. Of course this comes at a price, including translation, revision and project management. However, it will certainly be the best solution for clean and professionally translated documents, fully adapted to the target culture.
When hiring freelancers, make sure to choose a translator with experience in your area of business. Also, make sure they look at your business as if it were theirs, then you should be in good hands. Normally the problem here will be the output and the proofreading. One single person cannot translate the same amount of text as a more resourceful company and the proofreading will not be done by a second individual.
Now if all you need is to translate a sentence your cousin sent you by email… well then you can certainly use MT. Worst case scenario, you’ll just ruin a few family gatherings.