Dynamic Language Blog

When learning a foreign language, accurate pronunciation of new vocabulary words can be one of the toughest skills to master. As the language-learning world becomes more and more digital, language learners are more likely to turn to online tools, such as Google Translate, for pronunciation help. However, the computer voice often sounds robotic, garbled, and difficult to understand.

Here’s the situation: you’ve got TONS of text that needs translation (tens, maybe even hundreds of thousands of words) but there isn’t room in your budget for the higher cost of “standard” translation, and you’re faced with an expedited timeline. Most likely, under such circumstances, the traditional human translation process simply isn’t feasible.

Machine translation (MT) engines can translate large quantities of data in minutes or hours, and for a fraction of the cost. However, most of us have seen some comical examples of the sub-par translations produced by any of the free online MT solutions. Gibberish certainly isn't an acceptable form of communication!
 
Fortunately, the quality of customized, trained MT engines has come a long way, and for certain content, it’s the perfect option. When MT is supplemented with extensive industry-specific Translation Memories and Glossaries (e.g. Life Sciences, IT, Electronics, Medical Devices, Automotive), along with a human post-editing touch, your desired linguistic quality is within reach.

The most critical step to improving the quality of your MT results is through the post-editing process. To benefit from “the best of both worlds”, you would first run your content through MT software and then arrange for a professional translator to perform post-editing. This way, a human expert will enhance the quality by correcting grammar, terminology and punctuation, among other issues.

For a long time, Skype has been a communication pioneer, and the company has often been considered the gold standard for online video/audio chat. When your company name becomes part of the daily lexicon of terminology ("shall we Skype later?"), then you know you've arrived.

Machine translation (MT) has evolved into something very unexpected. The last few years have seen a dramatic jump in the technology that affords businesses the opportunity to use machine translation to save time and money.

Is there ever a time when machine translation (MT) is the best strategy for a translation project?

As a Quality Control specialist, although it pains me to admit it, the answer is “yes”. We all know the inaccurate translations that often result from utilizing MT, simply due to the fact that computers cannot be as attentive to context and nuances as human translators. In fact, I have talked about this topic in past blog posts.

There may soon be a way to speak 26 languages without stepping foot inside a classroom or cracking open a textbook. Researchers at Microsoft have found a way to learn the sound of your voice and use that in conjunction with machine translation to make the translated audio sound just like you!

It should come as no surprise that in translation, the more time you spend on a project, the better the result. Yes, there can come a moment while proofreading when you’ve spent so much time on a project that it all starts to look the same, or you start second guessing yourself and begin editing sentences unnecessarily.

Just as calculators have been blamed for children's lack of math skills, could it be that Machine Translation (MT) is to blame for some questionable translation practices? And does MT cause people to have unrealistic expectations for their translation projects?

I'm responsible for Quality Assurance at Dynamic Language, a.k.a. making sure things are correct and look pretty. :)

A relatively new translation practice has come to our attention that has me somewhat concerned, however. Some companies in our industry are using machine translation in lieu of human translators, thereby marketing quick lower-cost translation services. While that may sound desirable to many clients, the process is far from what we would consider a "best practice".

Are you a die-hard soccer fan and thinking about going to South Africa for the World Cup next month? It could be the trip of a lifetime, but what if you come down with an illness while you’re overseas? The language barrier could make finding care twice as difficult.