With astounding developments in technology, one cannot help but wonder whether one day, the art of translation will be completely taken over by a certain software. Although current products for such purposes are still unable to provide their users with a completely accurate translation, one can still use them for basic communication with a foreigner. Since the ability to comprehend and produce language is one of our innate abilities, nobody is fully aware just how many complex operations our brain is capable of performing.
People are capable of deciphering messages based on what is written or spoken, but not only that, we are also able to include context or tone of voice when deciphering a certain sentence. When it comes to machines, performing actions of such complexity for more than one existing language seems very improbable. Foreign languages differ in aspects of syntax and morphology, with a higher complexity of one, the other is simplified, but such circumstances provide obstacles for translation software.
About Unbabel
A company known as Unbable has ongoing endeavours to improve the AI responsible for translating foreign languages. The basic principle of work behind this company is that they use computers for translation purposes, followed by micromanagement conducted by human translators. This is probably one of the most efficient ways to approach the text, since it is still hard to believe that machines can recognize some types of context. Truth be told, if the given text is scientific in nature, more formal and abundant in terminology, a machine will be able to translate it pretty accurately.
However, metaphors, metonyms, idioms and phrasal verbs are still posing a challenge for any software. For the sake of perfecting the art of online translation, Unbable has received an admirable amount of money, 1.5 million dollars to be exact. This kind of service can provide an aid of exceptional quality in any line of work that involves foreign client management, since communication between foreign parties will be significantly accelerated. The founder of this company is Vasco Calasis Pedro and he formed this online establishment in 2013, its headquarters are in Mountain View Calif, along with the offices located in Lisbon and Portugal.
The advantages of this translation service
Unbable offers its service for the following languages: English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish. Any text in these languages can be translated to an additional fifteen languages for a price of 0,02 dollars per word. Due to this feature, people across the globe have an amazing opportunity to extend the reach of their line of work, since communication will be a lot smoother. Not only that, but now, any advertising in written form or any product description can be adapted for larger masses, making this kind of service an extremely lucrative investment for business owners.
Editors of Unbable approximately earn eight dollars per hour and, considering what this service has to offer, one must agree that it is a mutually satisfying price. The huge demand for this service is currently causing the personnel of this company to turn down some of the clients, however, they are hoping that with this new fund, they will be able to make an extension and support more users.
How does this work
The process itself is pretty simple – all one needs to do is send an e-mail which contains the text he or she needs to have translated. As it was already stated, the first draft of the translation is done via software and, afterwards, a team of people will make an input of minor changes if needed. This ensures stable and swift customer communication for the purpose of handling social media services, customer communication, feedback, etc.
Human Translators Still a Must
Taking into consideration that there is a human component added to the process, one can rest assured that his or her translation will be handled with care. According to Unbabel, translation services may be handled by artificial intelligence as long as the creative part of the work continue to be done by human translators. This approach is quite reasonable, after all, any existing language is a complex matter, highly dependent on context, making universally accurate translation software still something that is to be expected in the distant future.