THE PROMISE OF MACHINE TRANSLATION

Over the years machine translation has gotten better, if not more accessible, pervasive, and promising. Machine translation is typically a translation program that runs on an individual PC or an array of servers. The program is a form of Artificial Intelligence. One of the first computer translation programs I personally saw was at the IBM pavilion during the 1964-65 NY World’s Fair that ran on an IBM 360 mainframe.


A little less than 20 years later I ran Eliza on my Osborne I portable CPM computer. It was rudimentary AI, to say the least, yet entertaining for a student of Psychology.


Machine Translation is still Machine Translation


Go online to your favorite translation program. Prepare a translation from English into Spanish, or try into Polish, Russian, or Mandarin. Then take the result and back-translate it into English from your original target language. In other words, change the program where you translate back from the foreign language back into English. This also works with other native languages. Read and enjoy the 'results'.


Need I say more?


Machines have yet to equal the human brain. They lack subtleties, nuances, and literary creativity. A sense of humor is easily evoked from the reader’s review of the back-translated result. There are also consequences from misunderstandings. Proper technical language or jargon is usually hit or miss. There even may be subsequent consequences from misunderstanding or mistranslation, especially with a medical or legal document.


Machines do not offer literary style or quality. Written elegance and beauty are often hacked and chopped to pieces. On the positive side, machine translation is convenient. It does not however, make up for years of expertise in a specialized field or for years of college level studies.


A machine can not write from the heart and often lacks a writer's inner muse and voice. Translation needs to reflect the style and message of the author. A well-translated document reads like an original.


Basically machine translation enables one to communicate and begin on the path of understanding. It is without doubt, an inexpensive good start. But a computerized translation lacks refinement, polish, elegance and professionalism. Professional translation makes the right impression on your clients. It adds a personal and human touch to your communication.


In summary:


Quality Translation is an Art Form


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