The Possible And The Impossible of Google Translate
There is hardly anyone on the planet today that doesn’t rely on technology in some way. However, that doesn’t mean that everyone in the world is a fan of the way we are living our lives. Many are not in favor of the way things are being run in the world. But then again, every time humanity made some progress, some sections of the population ended up opposing it. Maybe our ancestors fought over the usefulness of electricity, but the matters are more complex today, and so are the solutions. The people of today need to stay connected to each other. The internet helps them accomplish that goal. Sometimes, the linguistic barrier keeps people from interacting with each other. The internet also helps with this issue by providing users with translations.
Translation and Machines:
If there is one thing technology has always helped us with, it is communication. We went from sending messages via horses to sharing them within seconds through our smartphones. This progress wasn’t made overnight. There were many steps in between that led to the present success of our machines and technology. However, people also require linguistic assistance from time to time in order to effectively communicate with each other. There was no way that the internet was going to stay behind in this category and leave us on our own with our linguistic problems.
Although human interpreters and translators have been around for centuries, people don’t have to rely on them anymore for simple conversations. They can get all the help they need from an app on their phone. Even if they don’t have the latest smartphone, they can use such apps. They can also access such services from their computer. Today, nobody goes to a foreign country without a translation app on their phone.
Google Translate:
There are many translation apps available for download for both Android and iPhone users, but not all of them are known worldwide. Google Translate, on the other hand, is very popular. Millions of people use it to communicate with others. The reasons behind its popularity are many. For starters, Google is a name that all of us have come to rely on since it always provides us with the best results. People feel comfortable trusting companies like Google. Another reason is the accuracy of the app. Although it wasn’t quite accurate in the beginning, it has gotten a lot better since. It also has an offline mood and offers features like image and voice translation.
With every passing day, Google Translate keeps on getting better. However, no one can claim it to be a hundred percent perfect. One might also point out that it does not support all the languages. But it is impossible for apps and online tools to provide the translation of all the 7000 languages that are spoken in the world. They don’t have enough data about those vernaculars to provide linguistic solutions.
The Possible and the Impossible of Google Translate:
Since there are still many language problems that Google Translate can’t solve, one must wonder if it will always have these limitations. When it comes to technology, we can start a never-ending debate and keep on discussing whether it is wholly good or bad. But we can’t deny that it has helped us in many aspects. What we can do, however, is to develop an understanding of its limitations. Linguistic experts can do the same with Google Translate and explain to people that the service will never be able to help them with some issues.
Today, Google Translate can easily provide linguistic solutions when the languages in question are popular ones like English and Spanish. But when we move to vernaculars like Hindi and Urdu, the app starts losing its accuracy. In fact, it ends up providing hilariously incorrect translations. It is also unable to assist people when they need a certified translation, as that is something only a qualified expert can handle. You can’t expect a machine to understand the cultural aspect, formatting issues, and emotional value of a text and then interpret it accordingly. And this is something that will stay impossible for Google Translate to accomplish even in the future. The program can improve itself in other features, but it cannot replace human experts.
When it comes to the possible, the biggest question is how many words Google can translate. Well, fortunately for users, it can handle up to 5000 words at a time. But it is also quite useful when it comes to phrases and sentences. The app can easily help people when they are traveling. It can help them with ordering food or explaining directions to the cab driver. It can also assist people when they are shopping for souvenirs in a foreign country. But it won’t be of much assistance in a board meeting where everyone speaks a different language. It will also fail at translating advertising content to suit the target audience’s culture and values. The impossible of Google Translate proves that humans are the only reliable experts in the language industry when it comes to important documents.
You can turn to the machines for almost everything nowadays. But it is important to be aware of the limitations of technology. You can’t expect them to be perfect at everything. We all know that the speed of the internet is a huge advantage for all of us. But we cannot think that technology will continue to progress for the better in every field. There will always be limitations to the power of machines in some fields, and in such instances, we will have to turn to human experts for help.
