Matthew Butt
MB Translation
Professional Translation Services
Professional Translation Services
Matthew Butt - BA Hons, PGCE, Dip Trans IoLET, MCIL
Humans vs. Machines
Why do human translators even exist these days, given the huge strides made in computerised translation? Why would you pay a human to do something a computer could do?
In some circumstances, you probably would be best advised to ask AI to translate something for you, especially if it's for personal use, and provided the accuracy and style of the translation are not crucial.
But what if the translation is going to represent you and/or your company in the wider world? Do you want to run the risk of errors that could make instructions unusable, reports unintelligible, or lead to a patient being given the wrong medical treatment? In all these cases, you need a real human to check that the translation is correct and makes sense to another human.
Computer (AI) translation is good for:
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Straightforward, factual documents
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Documents for personal use only
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Conveying the gist of the text to readers who are already experts in the field
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Emergency situations where the need for speed outweighs other considerations
Human translation is best for:
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Documents with complex layouts, especially scanned documents
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Text in which style and mood really matter (advertising copy, literature, irony and humour etc.)
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Documents where linguistic accuracy and correct terminology are crucial (scientific research, medical reports etc.)
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Text with cultural references that require adaptation for the target reader (Did you know, for example, that the number 13 is lucky for Italians, and 17 is unlucky?)
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Text that will represent you or your company in the public domain
Think of a computer/AI translation as a supermarket ready meal: cheap, quick and easy to prepare, but unlikely to "wow". Whereas a human translation is the fine dining equivalent: carefully prepared and adjusted to suit the client, a little pricier maybe, but certain to impress.