Translation technologies: NMT, LLM, IA… which solutions for your multilingual needs?

Neural Machine Translation (NMT) has revolutionised professional translation by using neural networks to analyse and translate texts contextually. Unlike previous technologies, NMT no longer provides a mere word-by-word translation; instead, it takes into account the overall meaning of the sentence, resulting in more natural and consistent results.

How it works and its advantages

• NMT models are trained on huge bilingual corpora, enabling them to learn the linguistic and stylistic correspondences between two languages.

• Thanks to deep learning algorithms, they produce fast, accurate and context-sensitive translations.

• Tools such as Google Translate, DeepL and Smartling use these models to provide instant translations, ideal for internal communications, real-time customer support and website localisation.

Limits and points of caution

• NMT shows its limitations when it comes to highly technical texts, idiomatic expressions and languages which are under-represented in training data.

• Human post-editing is often necessary to guarantee the quality of sensitive or specialised content, particularly in regulated sectors (health, finance, legal).

The advent of Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT and Gemini heralds a new era. These models, trained on massive volumes of text, are capable of understanding and generating natural language with unprecedented finesse, integrating not only linguistic but also cultural and stylistic context.

How it works and use cases

• LLMs don’t limit themselves to translation: they can reformulate, summarise, adapt tone and brand voice and suggest stylistic alternatives.

• In translation, they excel at localising marketing content, automated post-editing, checking terminological consistency and detecting potential cultural problems.

• Their integration into translation management systems (TMS) helps to automate and optimise workflows, while reducing costs and turnaround times.

Limits and complementarity

• Despite their powerful technology, LLMs can make subtle mistakes, especially when it comes to complex cultural nuances or highly specialized content.

• Professional intervention remains essential to ensure final quality, especially when brand voice or regulatory compliance are at stake.

AI encompasses all technologies which optimise translation, from NMT and LLM to hybrid approaches combining rules, statistics and deep learning5. This convergence makes it possible to adapt the solution to each context, combining machine speed with human expertise.

Day-to-day applications

• Automating multilingual management with AI-integrated TMS to centralise, manage and control the quality of translations across all media.

• Creating customised templates for each customer, incorporating their specific terminology, style and requirements.

• Search engine optimisation (SEO) in translated languages through semantic analysis and the generation of adapted content.

Issues and challenges

• AI’s performance depends on the quality and diversity of the training data, which can be problematic for rare languages or ultra-specialised domains.

• Ethical issues (data protection, algorithmic biases) and technical issues (interoperability, security) are becoming increasingly important when choosing solutions.

Comparison

The rapid evolution of translation technologies means that we are constantly on the lookout for the solution which is best suited to your needs. At Birdwell, we combine the power of the most advanced AI tools with the human expertise of our translators to guarantee accurate, nuanced translations which meet your expectations.

Our approach:

• Careful selection of translation technologies, depending on the context and industry.

• Systematic post-editing by native linguists for impeccable quality.

• Customised support for integrating AI solutions into your multilingual processes.

In short, NMT remains the benchmark for fast contextual translations, LLM adds an extra dimension of style and culture, while AI provides the overall means to optimise your multilingual projects.

Monitoring changes in technologies ensures that you stay at the cutting edge, become more efficient and can expand to new markets with confidence.

Would you like to find out more about innovative translation solutions for your industry? Contact Birdwell, your expert partner for translation and technology monitoring.