Google Translitigation: Oops! Watch Your Words
Google Translate is a great translation option for one-time sentences or quick word checks, but it does not work well for longer and more intricate translations. Google Translate is a generic program and, as with any computer program, the software is only as good as it has been programmed to be. Mistranslations on generic programs like Google Translate range from outrageously silly to just slightly wrong enough to result in a big mistake.
Here is a ridiculous example:
According to author and translation expert David Bellos, “Google Translate (GT) takes it as something that has probably been said before [i.e., human translation]. It uses vast computing power to scour the Internet in the blink of an eye looking for the expression in some text that exists alongside its paired translation.”
The Google Translate machine “shreds” or divides text into sections or groups of words and translates them in chunks. Because Google Translate results are based on previous searches in Google Translate (Google’s use of memories), sometimes the result can even come—partly or wholly—in a language other than what was requested.
Another humorous example that translated into a business nightmare:
Even the smallest of errors can cause the sentence to be dangerously wrong. If you read the linked article above, you’ll see the translation simply changed the last letter of the Swedish word raps.
Google Translate can easily miss nuances of a language and it sometimes suggests the opposite of what’s intended. Alpha Omega Translations (AOT) understands that no matter how efficient or state-of-the-art a technology is, the human eye is critical for finding subtle issues. AOT has invested in the latest adaptive technology (including memoQ, SDLTrados and WordFast). These systems and our experienced translators enable us to provide accurate translations and quick turnaround times.
For an overview of our translation expertise, visit our website translation and localization page.
Category: Translation Tools
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