Are you familiar with how machine translators work? Machine translation entails the use of software based on a translation model, which converts a text from one language to another, initially without requiring human intervention.
Machine translation has come a long way since its inception in the 1950s, with the development of diverse translation models over the years.
Machine translation models
The first machine translators relied on rule-based systems that combined grammatical structures and linguistic norms with bilingual dictionaries. Later, statistical models emerged, functioning through the analysis of extensive data (translations), applying statistical methodologies to yield specific outcomes.
Neural machine translation was the next breakthrough in machine translator technology, as it harnesses artificial intelligence to mimic the functioning processes of the human brain. This entails the use of machine learning and deep learning techniques.
How a machine translation engine works
Statistical Machine Translation (SMT), built on vast bilingual corpora, hinges on three core elements: the language model, assessing the probability of accurate phrasing in the target language; the translation model, mapping correspondence between the languages; and the decoder, pinpointing the most likely translation from among all the possibilities.
To do this, it:
- Aligns words, word groups, and phrases from parallel texts.
- Calculates probabilities of correspondence between words in one language and another in parallel texts.
- Chooses the most frequently used option.
The better the input into the corpus of parallel texts, the more accurate the translations generated will be.
Furthermore, Neural Machine Translation (NMT) requires substantial parallel text corpora that feed a system interconnected through nodes, forming expansive networks. The difference between SMT and NMT lies in NMT’s consideration of whole sentence, as opposed to statistical machine translation, which breaks sentences down into individual words and word groups.
How machine translation helps businesses
Thanks to machine translation, businesses can access translations quickly and at a lower cost, two essential criteria for effectively reaching all target markets through consistent and smooth communication.
These are the benefits of implementing a machine translation system for businesses:
- Quick translation of large volumes of text. Machine translation offers the capability to handle this task, leaving the review and post-editing to a language service to ensure a quality result.
- Streamlined content management. Automating the workflow in a single connected space enables visualization, review, and validation of ongoing tasks.
- Customization. Translation memories and supporting glossaries store thoroughly reviewed content with appropriate terminology, progressively training the translation engines. At Linguaserve, each client has a dedicated linguistic repository with specific materials, securely kept under the highest standards of security and privacy.
You are now familiar with the inner workings of machine translators and their benefits for your internationalization strategy. Reach out to us to find the right solution for your business.
