Should we be wary of machine translation?

Out of curiosity, we asked ChatGPT for his opinion. Here’s his answer:

” The risks associated with using machine translations, whether via tools like DeepL or ChatGPT, are numerous:

1. Loss of meaning/context:Machine translations can often lack understanding of the context or nuance of the source text, which can lead to incorrect or inappropriate translations.
2. Linguistic errors:Machine translations can produce grammatical errors, typos or incorrect word choices that alter the meaning of the text.
3. Low quality:Although machine translation has made considerable progress, their quality can still be inferior to that of human translations, particularly for complex languages or specialized texts.
4. Privacy issues:When you use online translation tools, your data may be collected and used for other purposes, which raises confidentiality and security issues.
5. Loss of cultural nuances:Machine translations can often fail to take into account cultural or idiomatic nuances, which can make the text less understandable or appropriate for the target audience.
6. Inconsistencies:Machine translations can produce inconsistent translations within the same document, making reading difficult and confusing.
7. Lack of reliability:It is difficult to guarantee the reliability of machine translations, as they can vary depending on the quality of the tool used and the translation parameters chosen.

In short, although machine translation can be useful for obtaining a general understanding of a text in a foreign language, they always present risks in terms of accuracy, data quality and confidentiality. It is therefore often preferable to use a human translator for accurate, high-quality translations, especially when precision and clarity are essential. “

ChatGPT says it all!

But we didn’t stop there. We asked him to tell us about the areas of activity in which ChatGPT receives the most translation requests. And you’ll see that even in the health sector, it’s in great demand!

” Here are just a few of the industries or areas of activity where companies frequently request translations or language tasks:

1. Technology and computing:Technology companies often need to translate technical documents, user manuals, websites and other content related to their products or services for international markets.
2. E-commerce:E-commerce platforms operating on a global scale need to translate product descriptions, purchasing policies, customer reviews, etc., to reach an international audience.
3. Tourism and travel:Companies in the tourism and travel sector often translate their content, including websites, brochures, travel guides, etc., to address foreign visitors.
4. Finance and banking:Financial institutions need to translate documents such as annual reports, contracts, confidentiality policies, etc., to communicate with international customers and partners.
5. Video games and entertainment:Video game companies often translate their games, user interfaces, game descriptions, etc., to make them accessible to a global audience.
6. Media and publishing:Publishing houses and the media translate articles, books, scripts, subtitles, etc., to reach a wider audience in different languages.
7. Health and pharmaceuticals:Companies in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors translate documents such as drug inserts, research reports, product information, etc., for international markets.
8. Legal:Law firms and legal businesses often translate contracts, court rulings, legal documents, etc., for international clients or multilingual audiences.

The list of these sectors is not exhaustive, but represents some of the industries where translations and language tasks are most commonly required. “

Artificial intelligence is everywhere. And in the health sector too! Indeed, surgeons are being assisted by robots, just as translation professionals are being assisted by machine translation. In both cases, however, it’s the professional who drives the work. The patient does not grab the robot and perform the surgery by himself (as in this humorous Spanish video). Results are not guaranteed. The same applies to translation.

In short: before operating on yourself, ask a doctor if there’s anything he or she can do for you 😊! When it comes to translation, it’s all the same: contact us !