| There is an old classroom joke that writing in a | | | | is there any guarantee that human translation will |
| foreign language is easy -- you should just put | | | | be better? A general idea is enough to get |
| words in this language instead of English ones. It is | | | | interested, and MT gives rough understanding of |
| only a joke, but when it comes to applying | | | | what it is all about - that's their point of view.Who |
| machine translation, surprisingly many people | | | | is right then? Like in most arguments, both -- and |
| seem to believe it's true.In fact, substituting | | | | neither. To apply or not to apply MT depends on |
| words and word-combinations in one languages | | | | what you expect from your website translation in |
| for those in another - that's precisely what | | | | the first place. For example, ADVERTISING, |
| software for machine translation (MT) does. The | | | | when machine translated, suffers badly; often |
| result often is ...hm... to put it mildly, far from | | | | most of it turns into meaningless word-mash. So, |
| perfect. WHY?The Difference Between Human | | | | if you are an e-businessman and expect a |
| Translation and MTA computer program, however | | | | machine-translated ad or website to bring you lots |
| complex, is not a human brain. It doesn't care for | | | | of customers, you can be bitterly |
| meanings of words, word combinations, | | | | disappointed.Sometimes I doubt whether many of |
| sentences, paragraphs, or the whole text. It | | | | machine-translated Web pages are supposed to |
| knows nothing about rhetoric and style. It diligently | | | | be read at all. After all, a neat row of flags looks |
| substitutes words and expressions taken from a | | | | so cool...Will It Work?Much depends on a language |
| dictionary (system of dictionaries) for those in | | | | pair -- the more similar the languages are, the |
| another language. These dictionaries plus an | | | | more intelligible MT will be to the reader. That is |
| algorithm to compose a sentence according to | | | | why MT will be understandable only if two |
| grammar rules of another language -- that's all | | | | languages are very closely related. For example |
| what an MT engine consists of.Every good | | | | Russian and Ukrainian, or Swedish and Norwegian. |
| translator (human, of course) will agree that | | | | If their grammars are similar and there are a lot |
| words are only the means of expressing a | | | | of words with corresponding meanings in their |
| thought; they are "tools" we use to convey some | | | | lexicons, MT will do its job pretty well.Translation |
| message. A good human translator has good | | | | between less related languages will be funny; the |
| intuition, can pick the right synonym; will consult | | | | less related they are, the funnier the translation. If |
| an expert if he doesn't know something or in | | | | we machine-translate the same English text into |
| doubt. Being able to guess is also a purely human | | | | different languages, it will be more or less |
| quality. Any professional translator is expected to | | | | understandable in German; a bit less -- in French |
| be a good writer, because the translation should | | | | or Italian; Russian translation will be barely |
| be as easy-to-read as the original, without "foreign | | | | understandable (at best). As for languages from |
| touch" in its style. It is the thought that should be | | | | other language families (like Hebrew, Chinese or |
| translated, not a phrase, not words. Everybody | | | | Japanese) be prepared that most of the text will |
| knows it...except a computer program.So, the | | | | turn into something meaningless, and visitors will |
| basic difference between a translator and | | | | have to solve a linguistic puzzle, trying to guess |
| translation software is that human translator deals | | | | what you meant.What should I do to make |
| with the meaning, MT sticks to the words.To | | | | machine-translated pages more usable?Take a |
| Apply or Not to Apply MT: Two Points of | | | | close look at your MT software. Study how you |
| View"Translation from English into Nonsense"That's | | | | can use it more effectively: for example, most of |
| how some highbrow translators dubbed MT | | | | such programs offer various specialized |
| (these perfectionists look down upon anything less | | | | dictionaries, and picking the right one can help a |
| than brilliant). After MT most of the text turns | | | | bit. Make sure that the program doesn't translate |
| into a mess which only an English-speaker can | | | | names like Brown, Wood, etc.Pictures can be also |
| sort out, they say. So, why use MT if one should | | | | very helpful. If your website is for selling goods, |
| be good at English (!) to guess what the original | | | | you'd better let the merchandise advertise |
| text was | | | | themselves. Make the site navigation as simple as |
| about? What about credibility, they ask | | | | possible and less dependent on words -- it can be |
| sarcastically, if the visitors' reaction varies from | | | | crucial for your customers who visit |
| "ha-ha, what a mess" to "can't they afford decent | | | | machine-translated pages of your |
| translation?""It's Cheap -- and Better than Nothing, | | | | website.Alexandra Gamanenko is a senior |
| Anyway"Webmasters and e-businessmen are | | | | translator and editor of the Literary Translation |
| practical, pragmatic people. They apply MT | | | | Department, which is a part of a Web design |
| because they consider human translation too | | | | studio. It offers localization and translation of |
| expensive and time-consuming. Besides, if you are | | | | websites into Russian and Ukrainian, as well as lots |
| not a bilingual, you can't evaluate the quality -- so | | | | of other useful services. |