{"id":1619,"date":"2021-04-05T21:43:08","date_gmt":"2021-04-05T16:13:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ulatus.com\/translation-blog\/?p=1619"},"modified":"2021-04-11T21:58:59","modified_gmt":"2021-04-11T16:28:59","slug":"can-machine-translation-post-editing-really-replace-human-translation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ulatus.com\/translation-blog\/can-machine-translation-post-editing-really-replace-human-translation\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Machine Translation Post Editing Really Replace Human Translation?"},"content":{"rendered":"

As advances in technology occur regularly worldwide, machines are continuing to take the place of humans in numerous fields in the workforce. In the translation industry, it is easy to speculate about whether machine translation can replace human translators, especially since translation apps are available to any smart-phone user. However, despite how advanced machine translation<\/a> has become, there are numerous challenges that would have to be overcome before it can be at par with human translations.<\/p>\n

Some of those challenges include:<\/p>\n

Translating Cultural Nuances is Meant for Human Translators<\/h2>\n

To be on the same level as human translators, one of the greatest hurdles that machine translation would have to overcome lies in the human element of languages, especially the cultural nuances that are embedded in them. No matter how sophisticated translation programs become, they cannot fully capture certain cultural aspects, such as idioms and jokes.<\/p>\n

As an example, Japanese is\u00a0a language that is greatly rooted\u00a0<\/a>in its culture and social norms, meaning that cultural contexts are often needed to effectively communicate Japanese expressions. While machine translators can easily transcribe the language, the nuances in the Japanese language would get lost in the translation.<\/p>\n

Because the cultural context of communication is vital to achieving accurate translations, human translators<\/a> are essential to the process.<\/p>\n

Languages Evolve and Words Change<\/h2>\n

As languages continue to develop, new words<\/a> and phrases are generated along the way. Additionally, words take on new meanings over time and are often not used in the same way as they were in past years. Certainly, machines can be programmed to include new words, phrases, and meanings, but human translators are naturally more adaptable to these changes, making it easier for them to relay the differences.<\/p>\n

Choosing the Correct Word is Essential<\/h2>\n

Each of the major languages spoken worldwide has a large volume of words. For instance, French has about 135,000 words<\/a>, while Japanese has about 500,000 words. Add to that the fact that words have more than one meaning, and translators can have a difficult time choosing the right word. One example of the importance of selecting the correct word<\/a> is the Spanish word intoxicado, which is frequently used to describe an intoxicated person; however, the word has several other uses, including one that means to be poisoned. A machine translator likely would miss the context in which the term is being used.<\/p>\n

Specialty Areas Require a Human Touch<\/h2>\n

Some areas, such as the medical and legal fields, especially require translators who are subject matter experts and understand the jargon and terminology in a way that machine translators simply cannot. Because the meaning of words in these fields is<\/strong> often different than what the technology recognizes, crucial mistakes can be made. Additionally, the machine program might not even have the capability to decipher a term that is unique to a specialized area.<\/p>\n

In the medical field<\/a>, one translation mistake can have a grave outcome; therefore, it is vital that human translators be involved with the translation process. From understanding medical devices to surviving a life-threatening emergency, every aspect of the medical area requires completely precise translations that will be hard for a machine to achieve on its own.<\/p>\n

In addition to the medical industry, the legal field<\/a> is an area that is highly technical and specialized. Since legal requirements vary from one region to another and laws change as new ones are created, translation programs will likely have difficulties with relaying accurate information. Conversely, human translators can ensure that even the most minute legal details are expertly translated.<\/p>\n

Machine Translation Post Editing Helps Overcome the Challenges<\/h2>\n

Although machine translators cannot handle some of the most important aspects of translating, they also have numerous benefits, such as being able to efficiently translate a large volume of content and being more cost effective for many projects. As such, a viable option to achieve the benefits of machine translation while relying on human translators is to implement a machine translation post-editing<\/a> step.<\/p>\n

With post-editing, a professional editor reviews and edits machine-translated content to ensure accuracy, as well as to make certain that cultural aspects, correct words, specialized terminology, and other facets are correctly translated.<\/p>\n

While there is still a long way to go for machines to get close to producing the quality of translations that human translators can achieve, strides are quickly being made. Some language pairs will be easier than others to reach human-like translations; for instance, machine translations of Spanish<\/a> will be easier to achieve than Japanese. However, no matter how far technology comes, the human element of translation will always be needed to ensure that the human essence of communication is maintained.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/h2>\n

In the translation industry, it is easy to speculate about whether machine translation can replace human translators, especially since translation apps are available to any smart-phone user. However, despite how advanced machine translation has become, there are numerous challenges that would have to be overcome before it can be at par with human translations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As advances in technology occur regularly worldwide, machines are continuing to take the place of humans in numerous…
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