Does MT improve the quality of your work? Initiator des Themas: Heinrich Pesch
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Heinrich Pesch 
Finnland
Local time: 06:04
Mitglied (2003)
Finnisch > Deutsch
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We all know MT is great for saving time, but I wonder if it also improves the quality of our translations. Maybe a delicate question, we like to think we always deliver top quality, or do we?
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I’m not a big fan of CAT tools, I only use them (XTM) very occasionally for one client. In my view, it improves consistency and speed but not quality.
| | | | Samuel Murray
Niederlande
Local time: 05:04
Mitglied (2006)
Englisch > Afrikaans
+ ...
Heinrich Pesch wrote:
I wonder if MT also improves the quality of our translations.
You know what, yes, I think it may actually improve the quality of fast-paced types of translations. For such translations, if one were forced to work at a slower speed (due to not using MT), it could introduce irregularities or inconsistencies in phrasing and terminology that would otherwise not be a problem in scenarios where the bulk of the typing work was already done by the machine.
Using statistical machine translation, or using more than one MT engine simultaneously, can also improve the quality of one's translation in the long run by making you aware of ways to translate that you would otherwise not have thought of, although that is a long-term effect and not something that influences quality of the specific text at hand.
| | | | | Inconsistencies | Mar 29, 2020 |
Samuel Murray wrote:
if one were forced to work at a slower speed (due to not using MT), it could introduce irregularities or inconsistencies in phrasing and terminology that would otherwise not be a problem in scenarios where the bulk of the typing work was already done by the machine.
I have observed the exact opposite: MT results in inconsistent vocabulary.
I'm not an MT fan. When I revise translations where the translator used MT as a starting point, I often notice inconsistencies, incorrect translations, awkward syntax and other problems. The translators too willingly and uncritically accept whatever MT proposes.
Some clients 'offer' me to use MT as a starting point (without reducing the rate), but I never use it, as it railroads my thoughts into an often unnatural syntax I wouldn't have chosen, and then I just have to start from scratch anyway. I feel that MT gets in the way of the creative process.
Only in very simple texts where the translation quality is not so important have I observed a time-saving advantage. It was consumers' replies to a survey that needed to be translated to the manufacturer's language, and the client expressly said that linguistic quality was not important. They paid 70% of my normal translation rate for this PEMT, and without applying any deductions for matches. It did not improve the quality, but it saved time.
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Yurim Jung
Korea, Republik (Süd-)
Local time: 13:04
Englisch > Koreanisch
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| I like working with machine translation programs. | Mar 29, 2020 |
Does it improve consistency? Yes. But as we all know, not the quality of one's translations.
Anyway, as I wrote above, I like working with machine translation programs. They are useful.
| | | | | The quality of your work is a function of your skills and work ethics. Not of whether you use MT | Mar 30, 2020 |
MT has nothing to do with the quality of your work. It is merely an expanded, automated version of your grandfather's paper dictionary (or rather, of a whole bunch of them working together, including combinatorics/collocation, etc. but that's not at issue here). You could start with MT and create a marvel. Or you could start from scratch and totally botch the job.
Based on my own experience, where MT may in fact play an important role is in giving you the ability to handle languages... See more MT has nothing to do with the quality of your work. It is merely an expanded, automated version of your grandfather's paper dictionary (or rather, of a whole bunch of them working together, including combinatorics/collocation, etc. but that's not at issue here). You could start with MT and create a marvel. Or you could start from scratch and totally botch the job.
Based on my own experience, where MT may in fact play an important role is in giving you the ability to handle languages of which you only have a limited understanding or, in theory, none at all. Naturally, it wouldn't help me much with, say, Swahili or Chinese, which I, blessedly, need not know anything about, but if, say, I come across a quote from or a reference to a Dutch source in a Russian or French legal text I am translating, then, between the MT translation, my rudimentary German, all the other European languages I do not speak:) and the general knowledge of the subject matter and related background I can easily figure out which is which in that piece of Dutch and offer a quality translation on a par with the rest of the text. If you ask me, that is a real advantage indeed, and it beats the heck out of having to insert [text in Dutch] or [me stoopid, me no understand].
Thomas T. Frost wrote:
The translators too willingly and uncritically accept whatever MT proposes.
This is a sign of insufficient qualifications and poor attitude. Such translations need to be summarily sent to reeducation camps:)))))))) ▲ Collapse
| | | | Heinrich Pesch
Finnland
Local time: 06:04
Mitglied (2003)
Finnisch > Deutsch
+ ...
THEMENSTARTER | Different aspects | Mar 30, 2020 |
In the last few months I have seen much improvement in Google MT, the only one I use.
Consistency: very dangerous. Because GT does not understand what it is doing, it tends to suggest different translations for the same term. If you are not careful, you end up with a text where important terms are translated inconsistently. Though each sentence might be perfect, the reader starts to wonder what you really mean.
Terminology: I often get jobs about subjects I have never heard of... See more In the last few months I have seen much improvement in Google MT, the only one I use.
Consistency: very dangerous. Because GT does not understand what it is doing, it tends to suggest different translations for the same term. If you are not careful, you end up with a text where important terms are translated inconsistently. Though each sentence might be perfect, the reader starts to wonder what you really mean.
Terminology: I often get jobs about subjects I have never heard of. Previously I would have done research to get a grasp of what it is all about and how the target audience would write about it. Now I look first what GT makes of it, recheck the result and often I am surprised how well GT "understands" the matter. I have then to decide if I follow the terminology from GT or if I find something better still. I often have the feeling that some people have already translated the text and GT offers me the fruit of others.
Grammar and syntax: years ago GT threw all verbs at the end of the segment when translating into German. Not anymore, most of the results read surprisingly well. But sometimes complicated structures are misunderstood.
Often I have to admit that my first attempt at translating a segment was inferior to the result of GT. ▲ Collapse
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Teresa Borges wrote:
I’m not a big fan of CAT tools, I only use them (XTM) very occasionally for one client. In my view, it improves consistency and speed but not quality.
It worries me that people are still confusing machine translation with CAT tools.
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Cécile A.-C.
Vereinigte Staaten
Local time: 00:04
Mitglied (2010)
Portugiesisch > Französisch
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| MT helps with speed not quality | Mar 30, 2020 |
Since MT has built-in memory and glossaries set-up, it turns out to be useful speedwise but not necessarily in terms of quality of translations. Many suggestions need to be completely rephrased whereas others are helpful to put on the right track for the correct sentence.
| | | | | It can help you | Mar 31, 2020 |
MT can help you to improve your work, as long as you stay in charge and know exactly what you are doing.
Automatic translation of whole documents with publicly accessible MT systems is not an option. Note the restriction "publicly accessible".
| | | | Samuel Murray
Niederlande
Local time: 05:04
Mitglied (2006)
Englisch > Afrikaans
+ ...
| Anton Konashenok
Tschechische Republik
Local time: 05:04
Französisch > Englisch
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| Definitely not | Mar 31, 2020 |
MT can help you to improve your work, as long as you stay in charge and know exactly what you are doing.
From my observations, most translators who use MT do not stay in charge and do not exactly know what they are doing. When reviewing someone else's work, I can often spot the use of MT by the translator. The signs of it are inconsistent vocabulary, stilted phrases, the lack of stylistic devices and, most importantly, errors that totally defy human logic. Admittedly, you don't need MT to do that because the same mistakes are made by very inexperienced translators, but this fact is certainly not to the credit of MT systems.
Automatic translation of whole documents with publicly accessible MT systems is not an option. Note the restriction "publicly accessible".
Every once in a while, I am asked to post-edit the output of some 'customised and specially trained MT engine'. What I see is maybe slightly less garbage than from publicly accessible systems, yet it's garbage all right.
[Edited at 2020-03-31 09:02 GMT]
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