In recent years, technology has had an impact on virtually every aspect of our lives, from the way we make purchases to the way we listen to music – and in particular, the way we communicate. From email to cellphones, messenger to social media, the rapid transformation of communication tools has changed our relationships almost beyond recognition. In fact, thanks to technology, we can also communicate more quickly than ever, with people much farther away, and using tools that didn’t even exist 20 years ago.
Part of the changes to the way we communicate are thanks to advances in the translation industry. Digital platforms and translation tools have enabled translators and interpreters to work more efficiently and effectively. One form of technology that has emerged and transformed communication is, of course, artificial intelligence (AI). Starting in the 2010s, AI played a role in helping us communicate in the form of virtual assistants. In the years that followed, AI gained significant traction in the translation sector, with online tools enabling parts of the translation process to happen much more quickly. Yet, while AI-powered tools can undoubtedly speed things up, does it come at a cost? Read on to find out more!
Is AI translation new?
Believe it or not, using technology to aid in the translation process dates as far back as the 1950s, when the very first machine translation (MT) systems were developed. These systems were created by mathematicians and scientists such as the American Warren Weaver. He put forward the idea of using computers for translation, following a rule-based approach. His persuasive memo sparked the Georgetown-IBM experiment in 1954, which was the first-ever machine translation project, translating sentences from Russian into English.
Fast forward four decades and the 1990s saw the implementation of a more statistical approach as tools began to analyze language patterns. Ten years later, statistical machine translation started to become more mainstream and 2006 saw the rise of Google Translate. Ever useful on vacation to help you figure out what to order, digital translation tools such as these became more and more popular.
However, while useful as a sort of online dictionary, they lacked the ability to translate documents or more substantial content at this point. The past decade has seen improvements, however, thanks to greater developments in artificial intelligence and more sophisticated translation software. The question is, how does it all work?
How does AI translation work?
As you might expect for technology that has taken many decades to develop, the answer to this question is not straightforward. While in the 1950s, early machine translation technology was based on a rule-based approach, followed by the use of statistical models, the latest artificial intelligence uses neural machine translation.
Neural machine translation is based on neural networks, which allow for the context of a sentence to be considered, rather than merely looking at each word (much like a dictionary).
AI translation relies on an understanding of the ways humans communicate with each other. The latest AI translation tools break down language into smaller units, identifying the parts of speech and grammatical components. This process is called tokenization and makes it easier for the AI tool to analyze. In addition, the technology uses NER, or Named Entity Recognition, which picks out key information in the text. This could include names, places or dates and ensures these important facts are accurately translated.
For AI translation to rival human translation services, it needs to be trained. The AI model can be taught how to recognize additional patterns and relationships between languages. It can then seek out equivalent phrases in the source and target languages, to ensure a high-quality translation that meets the expectations of the target audience.
Which creates the highest quality translation?
Given the significant advances over recent years, it’s no wonder the debate between AI vs human translation is in the public eye. Certainly, AI-driven tools have advanced significantly – particularly those that employ neural machine translation, which echoes human language patterns more effectively. However, a professional human translation service still has the edge, particularly in providing nuanced, culturally specific translations that take into account both context and the target audience.
Some of the ways a human translator still has the edge include:
- Subtleties and nuances
Despite the many efforts to do so, human language cannot always be systematized and categorized. Much of how we communicate is highly nuanced, full of idiomatic expressions, cultural references and meanings that are explicitly linked to the context. That’s without talking about stylistic choices, playful expressions and linguistic features such as onomatopoeia, rhyme and alliteration!
- Cultural Specificity
As well as style and context, language is also rooted in the culture from which it is born. Human translators not only possess linguistic knowledge, but they are also aware of the many cultural references and sensitivities that can be embedded within our words. Aspects such as humor and cultural norms are human facets that an AI model, no matter how intelligent, will struggle to master.
- Understanding Ambiguities
As we have learned, AI models are built on rules and statistics. That’s why ambiguities are a challenge too far for a technological platform, which can quite simply become confused. Human translators, meanwhile, can judge the ambiguity and use their expertise and experience to find a way to handle it in the target language – whether that’s with an equivalent expression, additional explanation, or something else appropriate to the context.
What’s the turnaround time of a human translation service?
Large translation agencies such as Capital Linguists work with translator teams and have a project management service overseeing the entire translation process from start to finish. A team such as this can translate documents in a timeframe that, while not identical to the time in which a machine translates an equivalent text, is nonetheless impressive. Capital Linguists’ turnaround time depends on several factors, such as the language pair, whether the text requires a translator with highly specialized vocabulary (such as an academic text or medical report) or if the text is particularly long (such as a novel). Nevertheless, we offer exceptional delivery times tailored to our clients’ requirements.
Which should you use for your projects?
The answer to this question depends on the specific requirements of your translation projects. A professional human translation service is always better for B2B projects because it guarantees a nuanced understanding of the source material. This provides a more professional result that resonates better with an international audience. In business, the importance of high-quality communication cannot be underestimated, and while huge advances have been made in AI translation, there is always the potential for error when a human has not ensured the translation aligns with the context.
Meanwhile, if you simply need an overview or to grasp the gist of a document, then AI translation is a great tool to use. Similarly, it can provide a good starting point for other content, so long as you are aware of its limitations.
Capital Linguists works with a vast network of highly experienced, accredited translators and interpreters, across the United States and beyond. We are proud of our unwavering attention to detail, our dedication to understanding cultural references and nuances, and our diligent project managers and editors who ensure our clients are always satisfied. For more information on how we can help with your next translation project, don’t hesitate to reach out!
