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Machine translation has come a long way in recent years, with advances in artificial intelligence and natural language processing allowing machines to translate text and speech with increasing accuracy. However, despite these advances, machine translation is still not able to produce translations that are as accurate or nuanced as those produced by human translators.
There are several reasons why people should not rely on machine translation over human translators:
1. Accuracy: While machine translation has improved significantly in recent years, it is still not able to produce translations that are as accurate as those produced by human translators. Human translators are able to understand the context and meaning of the source text and accurately convey that meaning in the target language. Machine translation, on the other hand, is prone to errors and mistranslations, especially when dealing with idioms, colloquialisms, and other nuances of language. For example, in 2017, a translation error by Google Translate caused a significant embarrassment for the Chinese company Xiaomi. During a product launch event, the company used Google Translate to translate the phrase “Your phone will be lighter than the air” into English. However, the translation produced by Google Translate was “Your phone will be lighter than a feather,” which was not what the speaker intended to say.
2. Cultural sensitivity: Human translators are able to understand and appreciate the cultural differences between languages and countries, which is essential for accurately translating content that will be used in a different cultural context. Machine translation, on the other hand, is not able to take these cultural differences into account, which can lead to mistranslations and misunderstandings. In 2014, the European Union (EU) was criticized for using machine translation on its website to translate documents related to the Ebola outbreak. The translations were filled with errors and mistranslations, leading to confusion and criticism of the EU’s handling of the crisis.
3. Complexity: Machine translation is not yet able to handle complex or technical content as accurately as human translators. Human translators are able to understand the meaning and context of technical terms and concepts and accurately translate them into the target language. Machine translation, on the other hand, may struggle with these types of texts and produce inaccurate or misleading translations. In 2012, a translation error by Microsoft’s Bing Translator caused an embarrassing situation for the Japanese company NEC. During a product launch event, the company used Bing Translator to translate the phrase “The future of the PC is tablet” into Japanese. However, the translation produced by Bing Translator was “The PC of the future is a corpse,” which was not what the speaker intended to say.
4. Quality: While machine translation can be useful for quickly translating large volumes of content or for providing a rough draft of a translation, it cannot produce translations of the same quality as those produced by human translators. Human translators are able to carefully proofread and edit their translations to ensure that they are accurate and error-free. In 2010, a translation error by Google Translate caused an embarrassing situation for the French company Danone. During a press conference, the company used Google Translate to translate the phrase “We are a company that is close to its consumers” into Spanish. However, the translation produced by Google Translate was “We are a company that is close to its consumers with a padlock,” which was not what the speaker intended to say.
These are just a few examples of the many translation mistakes that have been caused by machine translation and have been embarrassing for companies. While machine translation has improved significantly in recent years, it is still not able to produce translations that are as accurate or nuanced as those produced by human translators.