Google Translation Center, a new online market for translators?
Anil Gidwani India Local time: 14:19 Member (2002) German to English + ...
No threat to human translators
Aug 10, 2008
Machines can never put human translators out of business.
In today's knowledge economy, translation stands out as the most knowledge-based of services. Translation has been recognized by philosophers as the most complex of man's cognitive abilities. It may be decades, if at all, that machines will be programmed with sufficient intelligence to actively use human language to communicate, let alone to translate.
At best, Google would be a new online market for translators, as the topic title suggests. Even so, I don't think it could give a specialized and established site like ProZ any real competition, though. However, given Google's enormous muscle power, that would remain to be seen.
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Tom in London United Kingdom Local time: 09:49 Member (2008) Italian to English
Not happy about this if...
Aug 11, 2008
I would not be happy if Google were memorising my translated material and using it to improve their own "Google translate" TM.
I'm sure if that's the case, there would have to be something in the small print whereby I agreed to let Google do that.
Which I wouldn't.
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Jeff Whittaker United States Local time: 04:49 Member (2002) Spanish to English + ...
The only place Google makes money, and makes a whole lot of it, is with online advertising:
- Search results (prime ad real-estate)
- Content ads
I just think that Google wants to see a whole lot more non-English website. If there are more human translated websites there will be more space to sell ads.
In so doing, they'll surely also improve their machine translation and maybe get a couple of translation agencies bankrupt.
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RNAtranslator Spain Local time: 10:49 English to Spanish + ...
We must help to improve machine translation
Nov 20, 2008
Williamson wrote:
Oh, yes the classical example of how bad a translation by Google Translate is will pop up, but underneath there is a line that says "suggest a better translation". If you do, this better translation will be stored forever and the translation which was ridiculous at first will not be so ridiculous any longer.
That's great!!!
I have written this sentence:
"The doctor suggested her patient to enjoy running on the grass with his girlfriend everyday"
Google Translation to Spanish rendered:
"El médico sugirió a su paciente a disfrutar de correr sobre la hierba con su novia todos los días"
This is not very bad, but it should be improved, and I decided to do so. I suggested this to Google Translations:
"La médico sugirió a su paciente disfrutar de correrse sobre la hierba con su novia todos los días"
Back translation to English:
"The doctor suggested her patient to enjoy orgasms on the grass with his girlfriend everyday"
A good advice indeed!
Don't you think I am one of the best translators in the wolrd?
Have a lot of fun improving machine translation!!!
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Tom in London United Kingdom Local time: 09:49 Member (2008) Italian to English
Boycott it ! Refuse to help !
Nov 20, 2008
I personally won't be helping Google Translate to improve its quality. The worse machine translation is, the more work for me:)
I would suggest to other translators that they do the same. Boycott Google Translate !
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