This is a disclaimer both to our clients as to our fellow translator professionals wishing to collaborate with us in the future.
At Elite translations Geneva (many times mistaken for other global companies sharing the same name), and as a network of translation professionals working in our field for many years, we CARE about the translations that our entrusted to us.
When we are assigned a document to be translated, we are aware that it is not only words which will be conveyed into a different language, but also the meaning behind the words i.e., the references, tone, style, spirit, nuances, cultural differences, language uses, among others. This requires performing thorough background and terminology checks, an understanding of the intended audience, and of the message as a whole. A translation is, after all, a bridge between cultures. It may also involve different worldviews, sociodemographic or political contexts. Good translators take all of this on board.
At Elite translations we perform our translations from scratch. Meaning, we do not use machine translation. Machines and AI, as helpful as they may be, will never be human, nor have the ability to reason. Although they may be used as an assistance tool, they will never replace the entirely human creative process that is required to take place in order to fully express ones' ideas or to translate them into a different language. A translation should never "feel" like a translation, but as though it was written for its target audience. It should be idiomatic.
We are well aware that many translation agencies, more concerned about profit than quality, may be offering many different language combinations and deliveries at the speed of light, using Machine Translation, often at the expense of fair working conditions and remuneration of our fellow colleagues around the world. And although mistakes may be human, they will never be as costly as those made by a machine. To offer just an example for our clients less versed in the intricacies of our craft, paragraphs are cut into sentence parts and translated separately from the rest of the text for terminology searches performed through algorithms. The result is an inconsistent target text, full of inaccuracies, lacking in meaning, style, and/or cultural awareness.
AI certainly has it place if one wishes to quickly get the gist of something written in a different language, but in our view, it doesn't really deserve a place to faithfully convey a message, whether for professional or personal purposes.
Comments