When learning a foreign language or communicating with potential clients who speak a different language, there are a plethora of tools and online resources to make the process easier and quicker.
Gone are the days when using a physical dictionary was the only way to learn new terms and build vocabulary. With the increased popularity of artificial intelligence and automation and their incorporation into many business processes, there are some drawbacks associated with online resources such as raw machine translation.
The use of raw machine translation can negatively impact the quality of your published work and have negative repercussions on your branding and business reputation, unless used as part of a controlled process by a professional to ensure quality and confidentiality.
Gone are the days when using a physical dictionary was the only way to learn new terms and build vocabulary. With the increased popularity of artificial intelligence and automation and their incorporation into many business processes, there are some drawbacks associated with online resources such as raw machine translation.
The use of raw machine translation can negatively impact the quality of your published work and have negative repercussions on your branding and business reputation, unless used as part of a controlled process by a professional to ensure quality and confidentiality.
Here are 5 reasons why you should reconsider the use of raw machine translation as the sole method of producing official publications and reaching new markets.
1. Literal translation and loss of original meaning
Online translation platforms can produce errors that may go unnoticed without the trained eye of a professional translator and reviewer. These platforms tend to translate literally and may not convey the true sense of the intended message. An idea that may be expressed in one word in English may be expressed in four words in another language and is not always the perfect match for the intended audience. Machine translation tools tend to translate word for word and the true meaning of the original text may be lost.
2.The loss of meaning in idiomatic expressions
Idiomatic expressions are an excellent way to learn more about a language and culture. Oftentimes, machine translation apps will literally translate word for word thereby losing the real sense and essence of the expression.
3.Grammatical and structural errors
Machine translation tools may not produce consistent, grammatically sound output. For example, when translating from French to English, a lengthy statement may need to be divided into multiple shorter ones. A skilled translator will take this into account, but an online translation tool may produce a document that is inaccurate, challenging to understand and filled with grammatical and structural errors.
4. Cultural and regional elements
Differences in dialect are not taken into consideration by machine translation. These platforms are unable to discern cultural and regional differences and this can result in a completely unintended or even embarrassing outcome. MT output can change the intended meaning of the original text by ignoring these elements, thus impacting accuracy.
5. Lack of confidentiality
Using free online machine translation tools means throwing all confidentiality out of the window. Text dropped into the tool will most likely be saved for future public use. This is a not advisable for sensitive legal or medical documents, for example.
Consider these 5 reasons to reconsider using raw machine translation to produce your official correspondence, contracts and corporate content, be it brochures, price lists, advertisements, marketing material or website localisation.
Investing in professional translation will benefit your corporate image in the long run, ensure that sensitive information is protected, adapt your message to your target market and respect grammatical and cultural nuances.
For professional translation services, email us at [email protected].
1. Literal translation and loss of original meaning
Online translation platforms can produce errors that may go unnoticed without the trained eye of a professional translator and reviewer. These platforms tend to translate literally and may not convey the true sense of the intended message. An idea that may be expressed in one word in English may be expressed in four words in another language and is not always the perfect match for the intended audience. Machine translation tools tend to translate word for word and the true meaning of the original text may be lost.
2.The loss of meaning in idiomatic expressions
Idiomatic expressions are an excellent way to learn more about a language and culture. Oftentimes, machine translation apps will literally translate word for word thereby losing the real sense and essence of the expression.
3.Grammatical and structural errors
Machine translation tools may not produce consistent, grammatically sound output. For example, when translating from French to English, a lengthy statement may need to be divided into multiple shorter ones. A skilled translator will take this into account, but an online translation tool may produce a document that is inaccurate, challenging to understand and filled with grammatical and structural errors.
4. Cultural and regional elements
Differences in dialect are not taken into consideration by machine translation. These platforms are unable to discern cultural and regional differences and this can result in a completely unintended or even embarrassing outcome. MT output can change the intended meaning of the original text by ignoring these elements, thus impacting accuracy.
5. Lack of confidentiality
Using free online machine translation tools means throwing all confidentiality out of the window. Text dropped into the tool will most likely be saved for future public use. This is a not advisable for sensitive legal or medical documents, for example.
Consider these 5 reasons to reconsider using raw machine translation to produce your official correspondence, contracts and corporate content, be it brochures, price lists, advertisements, marketing material or website localisation.
Investing in professional translation will benefit your corporate image in the long run, ensure that sensitive information is protected, adapt your message to your target market and respect grammatical and cultural nuances.
For professional translation services, email us at [email protected].
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