Can Machine Translations Replace Human Translators?

As a business owner, you are always looking to maximise your revenue potential and one
way to do this is to reach out to new markets, which may include people who speak different
languages. This intrinsically means translating what you are saying into one or more languages.
By doing this you will start building trust and demonstrate to potential customers that you as a
company understand different cultures and it will also set you apart from your competitors and
can even elevate your business globally so that you start creating an international corporate
image. However, it’s imperative that you translate your company in a quality way as inaccurate
and poorly translated script can actually have a detrimental effect and may turn customers
away.
Understanding Leads To More Sales
So, would it be worth using a translation machine? It’s certainly true that AI translators are
becoming more sophisticated and *studies including one carried out by the economists at MIT
and Washington University have shown that businesses can increase sales if people have access
to products and services in their native language. The researchers looked at eBay, and saw that
sales had been boosted by just over 10%. The report concluded that language barriers greatly
hinder trade and that AI has the potential to affect both this and productivity.
Gain A Competitive Edge
It therefore gives your company a distinct advantage if you can reach out to new markets.
Language barriers have to be overcome and language translation should be an important
investment for your company. If people can understand, it could be very good for business.
• New revenue streams
• Wider customer base
• Build an international presence
• Minimise miscommunications
• Set yourself apart from your competitors
• Show your cultural sensitivity
• Demonstrate localisation
AI Translators Can Do The Job – Can’t They?
So, could the human translator be out of a job soon? The above report might lead you to
think this but it is interesting to note that by looking at eBay the researchers had picked
an established and trusted company rated by Forbes at number 67 of the World’s Most Valuable
brands in 2019. So, how reliable are machine translators? If you don’t understand the language
you are translating into, how do you know how accurate the machine has been?
Disadvantages Of Machine Translators
• Inaccurate translations
• Poor quality and make little sense
• Deliver word for word translations
• Will not recognise ambiguity or inaccuracies
• Default settings are to the most simple use of grammar and words
• Not culturally sensitive
• Security and data issues
Direct Translation Won’t Work
One huge drawback is inaccurate translation, as the machine will opt for word for word
literal translations with no comprehension of metaphors, idioms, colloquialisms or puns. It’s
probably therefore unlikely that the target audience will comprehend a direct translation.
However, a translator from a translating company will spot if there is an inaccurate or perhaps
inappropriate word in the original document and if a word has been omitted. They will also be
able to spot the emotion that is to be conveyed in the text.