Their mistake?
Relying on machine translation for published works, which led to a disastrous recall. If you're curious about the full story, check out the article here:
Translators Weigh In
Interestingly, this article only gained attention years after its original publication, when it was re-blogged in January 2015. The flood of comments that followed highlighted an ongoing debate in the translation industry—a debate that’s still very much alive today. Here are some of the comments that really stood out:
Maria Rigli: “Machine translation should not be confused with computer-assisted translation. Surely, nothing can replace human translators.”
Nancy Matis: “Crazy story. I can't read the full article in Japanese, but I guess those machine-translated texts were at least post-edited before being published… I can understand the use of MT in some sectors, but in this case, I have some doubts…”
Nellie K. Adaba: “I'm sorry, I meant to say machine or automatic translation, or translation memories cannot replace us human translators. I messed up, made a mistake, malapropism.”
Marvin Taylor: “We all make mistakes like that. While I think machine translation might be faster and more multichanneled than human translation, it never gets the ‘feel’ of human translation, 'tis true. It seldom gets the nuances as well as human translation when one goes between languages. Therefore, we all agree: machine translation cannot replace human translation.”
Maria Ortiz Takacs: “Wow, it's hard to believe that a reputable publishing company would be so sloppy!”
Mohammad Sinaei: “I think we should use both human and machine translators. Sometimes machines are useful (for typing faster), but sometimes human is the best option (makes fewer mistakes). All in all, I think both have pros and cons.”
Japanese Translation Service vs. Machine Translation: The Debate Continues
These comments underscore a broader issue in translation today. While everyone agrees that machine translation can't match the natural quality of human translators, several significant points stand out:
- Confusion About Machine Translation: Many people don’t fully understand what machine translation really is. Click here to learn more about the different types of translation
- Blaming the User, Not the Tool: Some believe that the fault lies with how machine translation is used, rather than the tool itself.
- Mixed Feelings: While machine translation has its uses, it’s clear that human translation is still superior in many cases.
We don’t necessarily endorse all these opinions, but as a Japanese Translation Service specializing in human translation, we do have a bias. Machine translation (MT) is often irresponsibly marketed as a viable alternative to professional human translation, despite its significant limitations.
One example comes to mind:
A client in Sri Lanka needed their machine-translated website re-done with professional Japanese translation. They had been led to believe that machine translation was sufficient. The result? They ended up paying 75% more than they would have with a professional translation from the start.
Why don’t you decide for yourself the efficacy of machine translation – Read
Is Free Japanese Translation Worth It?
As machine translation technology evolves, it’s increasingly associated with AI, neural networks, and deep learning. Yes, there have been improvements, but at the end of the day, machine translation is still just that—machine translation.
So, what do you think? Is it worth the risk, or does human translation still reign supreme? We’d love to hear your thoughts—your two cents are always appreciated!
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