Humans are perhaps the most incredible creation of God. The power of the human mind has created this world we live in today.
There is nothing much humans can’t do if we put our minds to it. Like translating the Bible into over seven hundred languages, along with epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata, the classics of Shakespeare and Jane Austen, to name a few.
Even though being rapidly replaced by machines these days, translation was first introduced by humans, and even today, we use human translation widely for various purposes.
In today’s article, we will explore the realm of human translation and learn more about this translation technique because, as we already know, we cannot undermine the importance of translation in our lives and every field that makes up part of it.
The meaning of human translation
Simply put, human translation is when a human translates the content that needs to be translated.
According to Gengo.com, “Human translation (HT), by definition, is when a human translator—rather than a machine—translates text. It’s the oldest form of translation, relying on pure human intelligence to convert one way of saying things to another.”
Even though machine translation is heavily replacing human translation, it still remains the most reliable form of translation. This stands especially true for materials such as legal documents, medical documents, websites, etc.
Machine translation is very stoic. More often than not, it straightforwardly translates the context without paying much attention to the intricate details that might be fundamental. Compared to that, a professional linguist will consider every little detail during the translation process and ensure that the document’s authenticity is not compromised.
Importance of human translation:
- Attention to detail: Undeniably, as humans, we are accustomed to paying attention to every tiny detail. And hence, this attribute is undoubtedly reflected in human translation. Unlike humans, machine translation is straightforward and performs only the task allotted to them. Machines aren’t equipped to pay attention to tiny details like a human brain.
- The intricacy of human language: When we say machine, we obviously mean computers. And we all know the language that computers understand is the binary language, that is, 1’s and 0’s. The process of translation, mainly when we are translating rich literary works, requires an understanding of emotions and feelings in the text. And this is something that is only possible through human translation.
- Understanding the translation process: translation is an intricate process. As discussed above, it takes into consideration every minute detail that forms the source document. Translation is a creative pursuit, not a scientific or mathematical equation that can be programmed into machine language. And humans understand this better than a machine.
What is machine translation?
So far, we have discussed human translation. But just like human translation, machine translation is also a necessary form of translation.
Machine translation is simply translating a source text into a distinct language using machines without manual involvement—for example, Google Translate.
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Wikipedia defines machine translation as, “Machine translation, sometimes referred to by the abbreviation MT (not to be confused with computer-aided translation, machine-aided human translation or interactive translation), is a sub-field of computational linguistics that investigates the use of software to translate text or speech from one language to another.”
The phenomenon of machine translation is not a new one. It is estimated that computer translation application was introduced somewhere around 1950. But the intricacy of the process prompted it to take years before it could reach the level of sophistication we witness today.
Today, machine translation software are used every second worldwide and has become one of the most incredible inventions of the human mind.
Machine translation vs human translation: The difference
Apart from the apparent fact that machines do machine translation, while humans do human translation, several factors distinguish a machine from human translation.
Let us have a look at these factors:
- Speed: when it comes to speed of translation, undeniably, machine beats humans. As a human, a translator might get tired after some point. But a machine never gets tired and can work tirelessly and at lightning speed.
- Reliability: however, when it comes to reliability in translation, human translation is much more reliable than machines. The reason is that a human translator can understand the deeper context and demands of the source text much better than a machine based on algorithms and numbers.
- Accuracy: undeniably, machines are far more accurate when compared to humans, but in terms of translation, that might be different. A human translator can understand the context of the translation much better than a machine that is based on some pre-programmed data and algorithms.
- Cultural sensitivities: sometimes, the content that needs to be translated might contain material that could be culturally sensitive. A good example could be books that deal with history and politics. In such cases, discretion is a must, and a human translator might better grasp that than a machine translator.
- Cost: however, when it comes to the cost of translation, machine translation is undoubtedly cheaper compared to the human. A translator will charge page by page, sometimes even based on word count. Also, the content of the source text matters a lot when determining the cost of a human translation. On the other hand, translation software is cheaper and hassle-free.
Advantages and disadvantages of human translation:
Both machine and human translation have some advantages and disadvantages. Today, let us look at the advantages and disadvantages of human translation.
Advantages:
- Human translation is more accurate for understanding the text’s context than machine translation.
- A translator can better grasp the emotions, meanings, and requirements of the context and capture its essence.
- Best for creative content such as novels, poems, slogans, etc.
- A human translator is more detail-oriented than a machine, making it a reliable option for legal and medical documents.
- A human translator can grasp linguistic differences better.
Disadvantages:
- It is a comparatively slow process compared to the machine’s speed.
- Human translation is an expensive process.
- Longer turnaround time.
Conclusion:
Machine versus humans is an everlasting debate and the same can be said when it comes to the subject of translation. Both means of translation have their perks and disadvantages. But when it comes to maintaining the essence and uniqueness of the content and even adding additional touches to it, human translation undeniably does a better job.
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