如何避免免费在线翻译工具的陷阱
在2022年北京冬奥会之前, Chinese authorities conducted a city-wide correction campaign to fix embarrassing translation gaffes. 的 mistranslations included signs labeling people with disabilities as “deformed” and wet-floor warnings advising to “slip carefully!”
While the press had a field day with the story, many translators were left shaking their heads. 为什么? Because we’ve seen it before: business owners turning to the internet for quick solutions. 永利登录网址也不感到惊讶. Online translations apps like Google Translate have been around for years now. 的y are fast and free, but what many people don’t know is that they can also be heavily flawed.
美国.S. Department of Justice “strongly discourages” the use of machine or automatic translations for federal programs. 就连谷歌也对其使用提出了警告. 在对 板岩.com, 一位谷歌的代表说, “Google Translate is an automatic translation system that allows for greater information access, 但它从未打算取代人工翻译, 所有在高风险情况下的使用都应该经过翻译验证.”
那么,免费的在线翻译工具能帮上忙吗? 答案是肯定的. 这里有一些安全使用机器翻译的注意事项.
使用在线翻译工具的注意事项
供个人使用
Free online translation tools transform foreign content into recognizable words in a matter of seconds. 语言可能不会自然流畅, 错误的翻译可能很有趣(或令人尴尬)。, 但你会对文章有一个大致的了解.
这里有一个很好的经验法则:
Do use machine translation to understand the overall substance of content written in a foreign language. 例如, to research your next travel destination in the local language or get a sense of correspondence or newsletters.
不 用机器翻译写外语. Many of us live and volunteer in diverse communities and want to be inclusive, but the use of machine translation may actually result in miscommunication and offensive content. It’s best to approach members of your community with limited English proficiency (LEP) through an interpreter or translator to discuss how to communicate from the start. You may find that using a free online translation service is sufficient provided that a bilingual contact is available for further guidance or clarification.
专业使用
在专业环境中,翻译可能是一场高风险的游戏. Companies spend time and effort polishing their brands and communicating their values. 确保消息也 在国外市场引起共鸣 shouldn’t be left to chance, a lesson many notable brands have learned the hard way.
的一般规则 翻译专业设置的内容 如下:
Do 将机器翻译用于内部信息目的. 例如, to translate an article for research purposes or to translate content for use within an organization.
不 使用机器翻译外部出版物. 简单地说, if it’s for external consumption and the accuracy of the message is paramount, 那么人工翻译是唯一的选择. 专业使用, 无论是LinkedIn的个人资料还是整个网站, 最好聘请专业的(人工)翻译. 的 永利登录网址 是一个好的开始吗.
在线翻译工具的实际应用
以上规则提供了很好的指导, 但在现实世界中,事情往往没有这么简单. 一个组织可能想要扩大其影响范围, 但却没有足够的资金来翻译它的内容. 在这种情况下, 免费的在线翻译工具会有很大的帮助, 只要了解这些限制.
以下是两个现实世界的例子:
接触讲西班牙语的父母
A nonprofit organization that counsels parents on all matters of education offered a free virtual camp for school children during the pandemic. 的y had a professional translator translate the weekly parent newsletter to ensure Spanish-speaking parents would know the themes, 活动, 需要的材料.
然而,为了不超出预算,夏令营的内容本身并没有翻译. 而不是, they added a machine translation button to the camp website in case campers needed a little extra help or parents wanted to take a closer look.
将公司调查报告翻译成多种语言
一家公司想用20种语言做一份调查. 需求是广泛的,但调查中的措辞很简单. 在这种情况下, the company consulted a professional translator who concluded that the content could be machine translated, but that a disclaimer should be used to let readers know the survey was machine translated and might contain errors.
这是非常明显的语言按钮标记为英语, 西班牙语, 和机器翻译. 的 disclaimer also contained a contact email in case there were any questions or concerns.
免责声明的重要性
无论是在社区还是在公司, it is imperative to use a disclaimer to let your audience know that the content is machine translated and for informational purposes only. Make it very clear by labeling translation buttons accordingly as “MACHINE TRANSLATION.如果可能的话,提供一个双语联系人来解决问题或疑虑.
以下是一些免责声明的例子:
- 来自美国国土安全部网站的研究: http://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/site/google-translate-disclaimer
- 摘自纽约州网站: http://www.nysed.gov/about/google-translate-disclaimer
- 来自私营机构: http://www.ueonline.com/google-translate-disclaimer
如你所见,这些免责声明阐明:
- A free automatic translation software was used to provide content in other languages.
- 翻译可能有缺陷或不准确.
- 图形图像和pdf文件无法翻译.
- 的 organizations are not liable for damages caused by translation errors on their sites.
- 的 automatic translation is merely a tool put in place for the convenience of their users.
了解自己的局限性
Machine translation is an amazing feat of technology—and online translation tools can be useful in many settings. 诀窍在于了解风险和局限性, so you can be upfront and clear when using these tools and avoid a costly correction campaign of your own.
作者简介
加布里埃尔Aldeman 拥有WriteBetween, and is an English-to-Spanish translator for education nonprofits and children’s book authors. 永利登录网址会员, her mission is to make educational content accessible to Spanish-speaking families and engage young readers with bilingual rhymes and alliterations. 跟着她走 Instagram 在那里她玩文字游戏,沉迷于咖啡.
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ATA provides content for professional and trade publications to spread insight to a wide range of readers. 本文刊登于以下刊物:
- AllBusiness (2022)
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