CAT vs Machine Translations: Cardiologist vs Proctologist
An Ethics Crisis reader asked, what's the difference between Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) and automated Machine Translation like Google's and BabelFish.
In Machine Translation, the computer translates the crucial passage from one language to another, and the human translator then corrects the process.
CAT simply helps to keep the work of a human translator organized and consistent. A main function of CAT Tools is to store text segments translated in the past in special files called Translation Memories (or TM), which are then used as a basis for new translations.
Both methods make use of computer processing power in different ways. The key is to be aware of the inherent limits and associated risks of each method., and to have an understanding of nuance and local usage.
Cardiologist vs Progtologist
If , for example, we are to translate the sentence "If in doubt, talk to your cardiologist" into, say, Hindi, and the TM already has in storage a Hindi match for "If in doubt, talk to your proctologist", the translator would get a fuzzy match for the first sentence and will only have to replace the proctologist with the cardiologist virtually leaving the rest of the sentence intact. The machine will insist it is a 99 percent match. If the translator is not paying extremely close attention, huge problems can ensue.
When used judiciously, CAT Tools help save time and costs to everyone involved in the translation project. A good translation agency, like SRF Global Translations, can always tell the projects needing this type of computerized assistance from projects that do not require it.
SRF Global Translations encourages our freelance translators to use CAT Tools only with documents and projects closely related to each other such as product packaging or instructions for use.
When applied on a new document, a CAT Tool will search for possible matches with what it has already memorized. These matches can be total (100%) or partial (fuzzy), and in the latter case the translator will have to make the necessary adjustments.
CAT Tools are thus excellent for technical translations such as technical user manuals, in which strict consistency between various modules is a must; because they lower translations costs while preserving overall quality.
Judicious Translation Requires Literate Humans
Trusting computerized TMs often means assuming that text segments (usually sentences) function as fundamental text units, which is incorrect, as high-quality translation should approach documents in their entirety and rigid consistency between related documents doesn't automatically guarantee successful communication.
Variation, or the possibility to choose among different forms of saying the same thing, distinguishes natural languages from artificial ones and is a basic communication tool whenever human beings talk to each other. By strictly relying on previous translations of text modules, CAT Tools sometimes impoverish language needlessly and can only be applied with great caution.
While it is imperative that an accessory, such as "battery charger", be called the same way in the target language, there is no need to have expressions such as "have a nice day" translated with the exact same wording.
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