Top 10 myths about language translation debunked Part 3

Jun 22 2012 in crowdsourced translation, human translation, human translators, language translation, Latest News, machine translation by admin

Language translation is a growing and essential necessity in the both the public and the private sector, in the world of business as well as for those involved in non-profit work.

Here’s our final installment of this three-part post -- the ten most widely held myths about language translation, according to a Huffington Post blog post by Nataly Kelly.

7. Language translation only matters to "language people."

The need for language translation exists in both the public and private sectors. Business executives at companies large and small are starting to appreciate that language translation is essential for generating more revenue and for market penetration.

Government entities are also increasingly focusing on language translation as are those engaged in international development and non-profit work. A recent Translators without Borders report indicated that greater access to translated information would improve political inclusion, health care, human rights, and even save lives in Africa.

8. Crowdsourcing puts professional translators out of work.

"Crowdsourced translation" is a phenomenon that emerges when online community groups get excited about a product and want to use it in their native languages. Occasionally these communities begin creating their own translations and posting them in user forums. Companies are learning to take advantage of this process by making it easier for these groups to suggest their translations.

Setting up these platforms actually costs companies more time and money than simply paying for professional language translation. In fact, professional translators are paid to edit the community translated content in any event. But companies believe that giving an initial say to these groups is empowering and good for business in the long run.

9. Machine translation is crushing the demand for human translation.

It’s quite the contrary. Machine translation (MT), particularly the free kind, is actually increasing demand for human translation and fueling the market as a whole. This is so because MT serves as an awareness campaign, bringing language translation to the direct attention of the average person.

Machine translation technology makes up a small percentage of the total language translation market. While MT may surpass human translators by quickly scanning large bodies of text and providing instant summaries of the information contained, humans are still needed to use MT intelligently. As Ray Kurzweil points out, “These technologies typically don't replace whole fields, in general. What they do is replace a certain way of applying them."

10. All translation will someday be free.

Each year, tens of thousands of new language translation and interpreting industry jobs are added to the global economy. Translators and interpreters are the very heart of this industry.

But the language translation industry also relies on countless other professionals including project, account, product, vendor, and production managers; schedulers; trainers; quality assurance teams; proofreaders; desktop publishing professionals; engineers; and many others.

Research indicates that demand for language translation is outpacing supply -- so human translators are becoming even more important – which is hardly a reason to work for free.

Alex Dupont