AI translations have been the reason why many Afghan asylum cases in the US were rejected due to ‘translation’ errors.
In 2021, the Spanish ministry of industry’s test with machine translation went wrong when they wrote about their employee named – ‘Dolores del Campo’, which translated as ‘pain of field’.
And there are many instances when human translations messed up our life.
Of course, AI translations can save a lot of money and time. But get ready to compromise on the quality of the translations.
We’ve studied all about human translation vs machine translation, and here’s why you must choose human translation over machine translation.
Accuracy and quality
If you’re very concerned about the accuracy of the translations and not the time taken, human translations offer accuracy that machine translations can never give.
Quality in translation is more than correctness, it improves readability and cultural appropriateness.
If you’re looking for translating business documents, intelligence reports or legal communications, you must have 100% accuracy and quality.
In contrast, machine translations often fall short in understanding the context and ability to make subjective decisions for effective communication.
Cultural sensitivity
Culture is deep-rooted with emotions and history which is understood only by humans. There are certain cultural nuances that should be taken into account while translating.
Here’s an instance where human translation vs machine translation has the winner.
When KFC entered the Chinese market, they experienced a backlash for its mistranslated slogan.
The slogan ‘Finger Lickin’ Good’ was translated into Chinese and actually meant – “Eat Your Fingers Off. The literal translation was a big blunder and was not well-received by Chinese consumers.
Similarly, though zillions of data are fed for an AI translator tool, it still lacks a cultural understanding that puts you at risk.
Human translators on the other hand are capable of understanding the cultural nuances and making relevant decisions.
Understanding the context
Human translators not just translate word for a word but they choose words that are relevant to the context. They read the ‘before and after’ of every content to make sure it fits perfectly into the context.
While machine translations focus more on just words and often misinterpret the context.
In 2017, Facebook’s automatic translations were flawed when a Palestinian man’s post that read ‘Good morning’ in Arabic was mistranslated as ‘Attack them’. He was even arrested by the Israeli police for this.
Translation is no joke!
While human translations are made sure to be clear, respectful and communicate smoothly.
So, comparing human translation vs machine translation, doesn’t fit in all situations.
Customization and flexibility
Human translators can adapt to your specific needs and preferences. You can have many reviews to adjust the language, tone and style to make sure you convey the exact message.
You also have the control to fine tune the formality level, regional nuances and industry-specific terminologies.
For example, when you wish to translate your message to a broader audience across different industries, machine translation isn’t the best choice.
Human translators can understand each target audience and ensure that the message connects well.
Adapting industry-specific terminology
There are words in certain industries which may not have direct meaning in a different language.
Slangs and jargons are often missed out during machine translation.
For example, for a legal document containing terms like ‘force majeure’ or ‘indemnification’ requires more than just translations. It needs a nuanced understanding of different legal systems.
A machine translation results in literal translations that miss the legal implications.
A human translator wins here by adjusting the language to suit the legal standards of the specific country.
Maintaining brand voice
If you’re representing your company in the translated document, it’s important that you maintain your brand voice.
When you consider human translation vs machine translation, one of the biggest advantages of choosing human translation is 100% accuracy and relevancy in brand voice.
Human translators have deep knowledge of cultural awareness and brand ethos. Whether it’s marketing copies or formal business communication, human translations retain the essence of brand personality.
No doubt companies spend a lot on building and maintaining a brand personality.
Machine translations often lack the understanding of a brand’s history, founding story and ethics.
Maintaining data security
When you’re translating documents that have sensitive information, people are often concerned about machine translations. The reason being threat to confidentiality and data leak.
Moreover, if you’re into handling client’s data, it’s significant that you make sure to maintain the data security.
Since human translations are managed by licensed and authorized translators, they adhere to strict ethical standards and confidentiality agreements.
You get a chance to collaborate and have direct communication with the translator maintaining a secure environment.
So, when it comes to human translation vs machine translation in maintaining data security, human translations is the only option.
Choose quality over saving money
With AI translations, you can save time and get instant translations. You don’t need a lot of resources and hence you can save a lot of money.
But the quality and accuracy of human translation is unbeatable. In fact, taking time for translation is an effective technique rather than seeing it as a disadvantage.
When you consider human translation vs AI translation, human translations take a step forward due to factors such as accuracy, cultural sensitivity, customization, maintaining data security and sticking to the brand voice.
If you’re looking for a translation service, you can consider MHM Human Translations.
With years of experience and powered by linguistic experts and licensed translators, MHM Human Translations offer 100% quality translations.
Reach us for more information!
People also ask
- Human translation vs machine translation, which is better?
If you’re more focused on quality, accuracy, data security and to maintain a brand voice, human translation is the best choice. But, if your translations are less important, you can opt for AI translations.
- How accurate are AI translations?
AI translations aren’t 100% accurate and usually need humans to interpret, verify, proof-read and make edits. Which usually makes double the work for you during translation. While human translation is accurate even though it takes time and money.
- Can I use ChatGPT instead of human translators?
No. You can’t use ChatGPT for translation since it is an AI tool fed with limited data and doesn’t stay up to the trends. Moreover, it doesn’t have accuracy and quality in translation. It is advisable to use human translation for quality translations.
