Technology has virtually limitless applications in all aspects of life. For this reason, it is now widely used for writing, editing, and translation services. In particular, machine translation can be used in standalone mode with the help of sophisticated artificial intelligence tools. Or, a professional translator can use such a tool to support their work.
This article will present the role of modern technology in translation. Also, it will highlight what machine translation is. In addition, it will provide advantages and disadvantages of such technology.
About Machine Translation
To understand machine language transformation, you must understand what artificial intelligence (AI) is. In simple terms, AI refers to the capacity of a technology to conduct activities primarily associated with intelligent entities. As such, machine language transformation may be done via tools that use evolving intelligence to provide translations from one language to another.
The most common AI-based translator is Google Translate, which provides real-time conversion of words, phrases, and sentences from one language to another. You can input information into such tools via speech or typing. Google Translate leverages the might of Google search results and data to provide better conversions with every update.
If you prefer to translate your documents using humans, there are several excellent platforms to consider. Translation Report provides you with details about the best translation services available online. Also, it gives you a brief description of each service, its ratings, and its pros & cons.
Contributions and Limits
As briefly highlighted, there are multiple advantages to using modern technology for translation. Below are some of the contributions to consider.
Contributions
- The entire process of machine-based translation is fast and occurs within a short duration.
- Machine language transformation is scalable and flexible. Therefore, you can quickly translate larger content from one language to another with this tool. Also, you have the option of making conversions to different dialects seamlessly.
- The best part of translation using technology is its ease of use. Thus, any person can use this tool without needing any special training.
- The use of technology allows for the automation of translation services.
However, like anything, there are drawbacks to these tools.
Limits
- There is much to be desired about the quality of AI-based translation. The quality of conversions is not as good as what human translators offer due to a lack of context and understanding of cultural implications. However, this may change rapidly as AI gets better.
- Machine dialect transformation is not always consistent. The harder a language is, the more likely the quality of the translation will drop. Also, the AI algorithm used can make a big difference in quality.
- Many machine translations offer a line-by-line translation, which can easily miss out on essential information.
- Technology-based dialect conversion tools still struggle with the construction of grammar. This concept remains challenging due to the complex nature of human grammar and how different it is across people and languages. In simple terms, technology-based translations cannot provide human-like language conversions.
Conclusion
Modern technology is playing an integral role in the evolution of translations. It primarily used the power of Artificial Intelligence to convert one language into another. As such, this translation type provides multiple advantages. Despite all the contributions, there are various other limitations of modern technology in this industry.
About the Author
Mark Wooten is a writer with a long career in the writing industry. As a writer and editor, he has worked with some of the best content creators in the world. Mark has also published several academic articles.