The Benefits of Machine Translation

by | Apr 2, 2016 | Machine vs. Human, Translation

With advancements happening in modern technology almost everyday, there are lots of cool things happening with the ability for machines to translate between languages. Machine translation is essentially a “machine” such as a computer, tablet, or smartphone, that uses translation software in order translate written or verbal texts from one language to another. Though it is true that language is an art that must be mastered through hundreds and thousands of hours of practice, there are some great benefits that can be derived from the use of machine translation. For example, Google has created their Google Translate App which allows you to translate words and phrases alike and get a pretty good translation in return, all with the click of a button. Though it is always recommended to use a professional translation firm to do any legal or business translation, there are many circumstances that machine translation will suffice for the translation task at hand. Below are described some of the major benefits that can be gained from machine translation.

Saves Time

Machine translation is a lot quicker than human translation. Translation software allows you to translate entire text documents within seconds. Human translation takes much longer, especially if specific meanings have to be looked up in a dictionary. Though a skilled human translator will deliver a better quality translation, there are many times when machine translation is sufficient for the task, which will help save you time.

Lower Costs

Though purchasing a language translation software may seem expensive at first, it is a much cheaper solution than hiring a human translator when one is not entirely needed. By paying the upfront costs on the translation software, you will have access to the software whenever it is needed in the future. This can help you save money for those times that you don’t necessarily need to hire a human translator. It is also worth noting that there are also many free solutions available on the market which can do different types of translating.
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Ability to Translate in Many Languages

One of the great things about machine translation is its capability to translate in many languages, sometimes even hundreds of languages. If you are working on a project that doesn’t require human translation, but does require being translated in multiple languages, you will save yourself a lot of time and money by being able to translate in many different languages. If you had to hire a human translator for each one of these languages, the project would become very costly and timely very quickly.

Memorize Key Terms

A key benefit that comes from machine translation is the fact that many translation softwares have the ability to memorize and thus re-use common words and phrases that are used within a given industry. This means that the translation software will essentially do its translation work better the more you use it.

Web Content & Web Page Translation

Because of machine translation, web content and web page translation have become extremely easy. This allows people searching the web to easily translate web content and pages into their native language when navigating on content or pages that are written in a different language. There are also opportunities for businesses to apply this type of software on their own websites, which can give their audience the ability to change the language as they are browsing through their website.
As described above, there are many benefits that come from the ability to use machine translation. There are many times when machine translation is sufficient for the given task, such as personal communication among friends or family in a second language, with colleagues within a workplace, when visiting another country, or simply to practice another language. But keep in mind that it is important to get perfect translation for both legal and business purposes. In these circumstances it is essential to get the translation 100% correct, as there many be legal or business consequences if it is not. Consider hiring a professional translation firm to do your legal and business translations for you, as they have the best experience in these types of circumstances.