| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Poll: Have you done a translation of a language you can't speak with an automatic translator? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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R. Alex Jenkins 
Brazil
Local time: 06:39
Member (2006)
Portuguese to English
+ ...
| Thank God for that! | Nov 29, 2017 |
I can't begin to imagine why someone would use a translation tool to translate a language they don't even understand, and then submit it for professional payment?
Thank God nearly everyone said 'no' or 'just out of curiosity'. It's very reassuring.
| | | | Klára Kalamár
Romania
Local time: 12:39
English to Hungarian
+ ...
| Many times, for private use | Nov 29, 2017 |
I use Google Translate very often to find out the essence of texts I'm curious of (whatever language it is) and am happy to experience that it produces better and better results. In my spare time I also contribute to improve GT, via "Translate Community"platform, in Hungarian and French.
| | | | Agneta Pallinder
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:39
Member (2014)
Swedish to English
+ ...
| A few times. | Nov 29, 2017 |
Occasionally when I translate a text from English to Swedish, which is itself a poor translation from another language. Then Google can save me from completely tearing my hair out!
Once I used it in a different way and it was really useful: I was editing a translation from Chinese into English of the script of a children's video. It included a couple of little songs. I had the Chinese original available, so I put the ideogram song lyrics into Google translate and let Google speak th... See more Occasionally when I translate a text from English to Swedish, which is itself a poor translation from another language. Then Google can save me from completely tearing my hair out!
Once I used it in a different way and it was really useful: I was editing a translation from Chinese into English of the script of a children's video. It included a couple of little songs. I had the Chinese original available, so I put the ideogram song lyrics into Google translate and let Google speak the Chinese lyrics, which enabled me to count the bars/syllables, so that my little English lyrics would fit with the tune. I hope the English/American/Australian, or whatever, children who watched the video enjoyed the little songs.
[Edited at 2017-11-29 20:01 GMT]
[Edited at 2017-11-29 20:01 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Cathy Flick
United States
Local time: 04:39
Member (2004)
Russian to English
+ ...
| Only for lit cited with a warning... | Nov 29, 2017 |
I haven't used something like Google Translate since it tends to be useless into fields. But I sometimes use online Ukrainian-English dictionaries to translate titles and other items in the list of references. I translate from Russian into English, so although I can recognize cognates with Russian technical terms, I don't know the critical "little words" or the grammar. I always warn the agency that these are my best guesses and I don't actually read Ukrainian, so they need to have it checked by... See more I haven't used something like Google Translate since it tends to be useless into fields. But I sometimes use online Ukrainian-English dictionaries to translate titles and other items in the list of references. I translate from Russian into English, so although I can recognize cognates with Russian technical terms, I don't know the critical "little words" or the grammar. I always warn the agency that these are my best guesses and I don't actually read Ukrainian, so they need to have it checked by someone who actually knows Ukrainian. I might have needed to do the same with some other Slavic languages or Dutch (I can read German) on occasion, but Ukrainian appears most often (rarely, though).
I wouldn't even try to do this with languages not related to ones that I know, however. Even that restriction is taking a chance. Once in grad school I tried to translate a Romanian article for our group with just a second-year grammar (didn't have the vital first-year grammar....) and a big general English to Romanian dictionary (no Romanian to English, as I recall) borrowed from the library. (I can read technical French, Spanish, and Italian). Never got very far, even though I was very familiar with the subject matter. Those non-technical "little words" are rather crucial.
A Romanian scientist was visiting our department one day, so my dissertation adviser whipped out that article to try to get a translation on-the-fly from him. He had even more trouble than I did, because his English was enthusiastic but limited for the spoken language! He probably could read technical English well enough for his purposes, as was the case for me and the non-English languages I could read. As in similar cases with such visitors, we communicated mainly though gestures and pointing at equations in our papers. And posing for pictures, since they always came equipped with cameras.
This was decades ago, so we couldn't even try Google Translate and my adviser was too cheap to pay a professional even if we knew how to find one (we didn't). ▲ Collapse
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Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 10:39
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| I live in Spain; still learning Spanish; | Nov 30, 2017 |
I use GT a lot for personal reasons to understand newspaper articles etc, but less and less.
But so far there have been 35 people say they've taken payment for it. That's worrying.
| | | | | Yeah! For personal use | Nov 30, 2017 |
I use Google Translate.
| | | | Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 06:39
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| For a client?? | Dec 5, 2017 |
I'm really sorry, but if anyone has ever done this for a client, they don't deserve the title of professional translator. This would be a good reason to ban a translator in countries where the profession is regularized.
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