Decoding the Difference: Human Translators vs. Machine Translations

As the world becomes more connected due to globalisation, businesses need to expand their go-to-market strategies to encompass language support, resulting in a higher demand for translation services. While machine translations have been introduced, there is an ongoing debate regarding the necessity of human translators.

Each approach has its own advantages and disadvantages, and it is essential to strike a balance between them to achieve precise and efficient translations.

Artificial Intelligence NMTs or Machine Translations

Machine translations or NMT Artificial Intelligence applications can quickly translate large volumes of text, which is especially useful for businesses that frequently need to translate numerous documents. It is also cost-effective for simple content. However, idiomatic expressions, cultural nuances, and industry-specific terminology may need to be more accurate.

It's a well known fact that Machine Translations applications struggle with applying context unless there is significant language model training specific to the subject matter being translated. 

Human Translators

On the other hand, human translators take longer to translate documents. Still, they offer a higher level of accuracy and quality. They can consider the context and cultural nuances of the target language, ensuring that the translation is accurate and culturally appropriate. They are also more equipped to handle complex documents, such as legal or technical documents, which demand higher expertise.

To achieve the best results, finding a balance between human translators and machine translations is essential. Businesses can use machine translation to quickly translate large volumes of text but then have a human translator review and edit the text to ensure accuracy and quality. Alternatively, businesses can use human translators for more complex documents while relying on machine translation for more straightforward texts.

Conclusion

In conclusion, human translators and machine translations, including those powered by Artificial Intelligence, have their place in the translation industry, and finding the right balance between them is crucial to achieving accurate and effective translations.

Although machine translations offer speed and efficiency, it cannot match the accuracy and quality of human translation.

Therefore, businesses should use both approaches to achieve the best possible results. If you need further advice on how best to achieve your content localisation goals, reach out to us today.