{"id":181523,"date":"2020-12-09T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-09T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/motionpointstaging.wpmudev.host\/?post_type=blog&p=1797"},"modified":"2023-10-17T16:05:07","modified_gmt":"2023-10-17T20:05:07","slug":"the-shortcomings-of-machine-translation","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.motionpoint.com\/blog\/the-shortcomings-of-machine-translation\/","title":{"rendered":"The Shortcomings of Machine Translation"},"template":"","blog_categories":[107,15],"resource_categories":[27,28,37,34,30,35,26,23,22,17,29,18],"targeted_localized_audience":[],"document_categories":[146],"class_list":["post-181523","blog","type-blog","status-publish","hentry","blog_categories-translation-technology","blog_categories-website-translation","resource_categories-industry-b2b-manufacturing","resource_categories-industry-b2c-manufacturing","resource_categories-content-type-blog-post","resource_categories-business-goal-brand-experience","resource_categories-business-goal","resource_categories-content-type","resource_categories-industry","resource_categories-role-marketer","resource_categories-role","resource_categories-topic","resource_categories-industry-travel","resource_categories-topic-website-translation","document_categories-blog-post"],"acf":{"article_word_count":"1260","article_read_time":"5","blog_short_description":"Machine translation technologies like Google Translate can be more trouble than they\u2019re worth. The right translation partner can help you sidestep the pitfalls.","news_inline_styles":"","blog_video_id":"","article_body":"

It\u2019s tempting to rely on machine translation to localize your website for global markets.<\/p>\n

Tools like Google Translate are fast, cheap (or free), and <\/span>relatively easy<\/span> to use. While they can be handy for translating a quick phrase for a piece of content, <\/span>they\u2019re<\/span> just not ideal<\/span><\/span> for handling full-scale website translation.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Translation Accuracy<\/h2>\n

The hard truth: <\/span><\/span>Google <\/span>Translate\u2019s<\/span> accuracy <\/span>doesn\u2019t<\/span> always cut it<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s<\/span> because <\/span>there\u2019s<\/span> more to translation than just swapping out words in another language. <\/span><\/span>Machine website translation<\/span><\/span><\/a> often produces word-for-word translations, but this can lead to loss of authenticity and accuracy in the translation.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Certain English words and phrases <\/span>can\u2019t<\/span> be directly translated. Producing translations like these that can be understood requires <\/span>an expe<\/span>rt linguist who knows the language, understands the culture, and c<\/span>an <\/span>p<\/span>rov<\/span>ide<\/span> translations that reflect the <\/span><\/span>actual<\/span><\/span> language use of people in that market.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Without it, content credibility suffers.<\/p>\n

Cheap Now, Expensive Later<\/h2>\n

The accuracy problem creates more than just language and content hassles.<\/p>\n

Relying <\/span>solely<\/span> a machine translation tool like Google Translate may seem like a cost-efficient idea, but the time and effort it can take to undo bad and inaccurate machine translation can mean significant <\/span>spend<\/span> later<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Your translators should review all the content, ensuring accuracy and completeness. They should also ensure that there is nothing that could upset or offend readers in your new markets.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Translating it correctly the first time with human <\/span>expertise<\/span> takes less time and money than fixing the problem later.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Hybrid Is Better<\/h2>\n

It <\/span>doesn’t<\/span> have to be machine translation vs human translation. And it <\/span>doesn’t<\/span> mean that machine translation <\/span>doesn\u2019t<\/span> have a place in website translation. It can, and it does.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The key is to <\/span><\/span>supplement the <\/span><\/span>machine translation<\/span><\/span><\/a> process with the right human <\/span>expertise<\/span><\/span> to get the advantages of both.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Linguists and quality assurance teams can check the accuracy and relevance of content translated by Google Translate. This is useful for product descriptions or simple content that <\/span>doesn’t<\/span> require emotions or context.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But when it comes to the content that really makes your brand shine\u2014like marketing copy, thought leadership content or key customer service elements like FAQs\u2014you\u2019ll want a higher-touch solution.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when human translation experts can step in, leveraging your brand style guides, glossaries and the cultural nuances of the markets you\u2019re speaking to in order to create content that\u2019s authentic and personal.<\/p>\n

Partners Can Help<\/h2>\n

Don\u2019t be afraid to lean on your website translation partner for help with this balance.<\/p>\n

Good machine translation services should have clear criteria. We use these criteria to decide which content software can accurately translate. Additionally, they <\/span>determine<\/span> which content needs human <\/span>expertise<\/span> and linguistic knowledge<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The result is website translation that makes the most of your budget, while also avoiding awkward and costly machine translation<\/a> mistakes. This way, your global brand can shine, no matter where in the world you\u2019re doing business.<\/p>\n","article_body_code":"","news_image":{"ID":17974,"id":17974,"title":"The-Shortcomings-of-Machine-Translation_Banner.jpg","filename":"The-Shortcomings-of-Machine-Translation_Banner.jpg","filesize":87960,"url":"https:\/\/www.motionpoint.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/The-Shortcomings-of-Machine-Translation_Banner.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.motionpoint.com\/blog\/the-shortcomings-of-machine-translation\/the-shortcomings-of-machine-translation_banner\/","alt":"","author":"2","description":" \t","caption":"","name":"the-shortcomings-of-machine-translation_banner","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":181523,"date":"2018-06-19 00:00:00","modified":"2023-10-17 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Shortcomings of Machine Translation","meta_description":"Machine translation technologies like Google Translate can be more trouble than they\u2019re worth. 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