Everyone has been talking about it lately: automation and Artificial Intelligence. About how they make our lives easier, but also about how they threaten the existence of certain professions. Robots are moving parcels and pallets, and texts are generated and even translated in no time. It’s difficult to remember how life was before ChatGPT, Google Translate and DeepL, and this applies to the technical writer and technical translator as well.
We will talk about the impact of these developments on the life of the technical writer in a future blog. But for now, we will focus on the life of the translator. Do AI and machine translation offer an opportunity or do they pose a threat?
AI: a useful tool, but no replacement for a good translator
We at Foxiz are convinced that AI and machine translation can pose threats when translators aren’t proactively responding to these developments. They can, however, offer opportunities for both translators and clients when used effectively, and when the pros and cons, and do’s and don’ts, are discussed in a transparent way. Every day we see that our translation agency is valued by our clients, because quality, dedicated attention, consultancy and support are still important factors.
From tone of voice to quality assurance – the eye of the translator remains indispensable
Being able to guarantee translation quality, for example, is only possible when working together with native professional translators that possess the necessary knowledge and are supported by the right translation software. By using machine translation you can work significantly faster and cheaper – that much is true. But does the translation machine know the unique terminology, writing style, tone of voice and brand image of your company? Should your texts be written in a formal or informal style? Are your company name and product names not accidentally translated as well? And we haven’t even started about the countless hilarious translation errors that can be found online, that made the respective companies blush at the time.
When translating technical manuals, involving human translators remains to be an absolute requirement
Even though machine translation is quite suitable for technical manuals, it remains necessary to have those machine translations checked (post-edited) by a native professional. After all, a small translation error can have dire consequences. When a device is installed or operated incorrectly, damages and injuries can easily occur.
And when we look at more creative texts, for marketing purposes, aspects like preference and style suddenly become important – aspects that translation machines still struggle with to this day. We, for one, have therefore not yet been able to find software that can truly replace the translator.
The added value of translation agencies
Now, what about translation agencies? Do they still hold value? Asking a colleague that speaks a certain language to translate a small text from time to time (with or without the usage of machine translation) is fine, in general. But what if you need various manuals, instructions and others texts translated into multiple languages, multiple times per week? In different file formats like DITA, XML, FrameMaker, MadCap or InDesign? In those cases, it’s quite nice to have a dedicated contact person managing your projects, linking the right term bases and translation memories, making sure your translated documents look flawless, and delivering them at the right time and in the right format – ready for publication. A translation agency can advise you on the optimal translation process like no one else can (and evaluate the use of machine translation for you).
Foxiz Translations – helping you today and in the future!
We are convinced that a well-organised translation agency that effectively collaborates with excellent translators still holds great value, now and in the future. Even when Google Translate or DeepL are used to make a first draft version of the translation.
We have a lot of experience with effectively and efficiently setting up translation processes, using the available translation technologies in a smart and cost-efficient way, without compromising on quality. Would you like to know more about our translation services, or talk about the abovementioned subjects? Feel free to reach out by sending us an email or giving us a call.