Archives for May 2021

Machine translation as part of localisation

27.5.2021 by Jari Herrgård

Nearly everyone has heard of machine translation. Google Translate is an important and frequently used tool for many, and machine translations can also often be found on social media platforms. Almost every widely used social media platform gives the user the opportunity to see posts machine-translated into their own language. Machine translations can be found in many places, and the user may not always even realise that a translation is produced by a machine.

Machine translation methods

Although machine translation hasn’t been used extensively until quite recently, it has been an objective of data processing since the 1940s. The method of producing machine translations has changed a number of times over the years, sometimes basing the process on certain rules, at other times on statistics, and so on. These approaches, which are still partly used, had their advantages but have since become quite marginal. The biggest public progress in the field of machine translation in recent years was made in 2014–2015 when the first scientific article on neural machine translations was published and neural networks were used for the first time in a machine translation competition. At the moment, the market is completely dominated by neural machine translations.

Neural machine translations, often abbreviated as NMT, are the most important AI or, more accurately, machine learning application in the language industry. Neural networks calculate vectors for words that also take into account the context in which the word is used. As a result, neural networks very rarely produce grammatically incorrect text. There are some mistakes, of course, but they are primarily not grammatical and relate especially to semantics and terminology.

Today’s machine translation tools produce high-quality text, but they cannot replace human translation expertise and understanding of the broader context. Instead, they complement human competence and provide a basis for a number of new services.

Where to use machine translation

According to a Finnish proverb, fire is a good farmhand, but a bad master. The same applies to machine translation. Machine translation can be used to provide certain services that would not be possible without it. However, trying to use machine translation tools to produce all the translations you need may end up with you shooting yourself in the foot.

Let me now highlight a couple of applications that are ideal for using machine translation. (These are not the only possibilities.)

Support sites

The support sites of web services can grow quite large over time or be very extensive from the start. New companies in particular rarely have an unlimited budget for localising their support site, and even large companies do not want to unnecessarily spend huge amounts in this area.

Machine translation is an invaluable tool for localising customer support websites. In principle, it provides almost instant translations into numerous languages at a very low cost. I say “in principle” because you have to remember the limitations of machine translation. The use of machine translation alone does not guarantee a flawless end result and, in the worst case scenario, the user may receive completely inaccurate information and misuse the product or service. Where can you find good guidelines for using machine translation? Perhaps the most important piece of advice is to know your product and be aware of its special requirements. In other words, if you are manufacturing, say, circular saws, do not rely on machine translation for your support site if you want to make sure that your customers don’t cut off their fingers. If your product is not directly hazardous if misused, you can be more flexible.

Even on support sites, it is not advisable to use the same processes for all content and languages. Through analytics, you’ll probably know which articles are used the most and which issues lead to the most support requests. It is probably a good idea to translate them more carefully than pages that are used very rarely.

The best toolbox for localising support sites contains various tools: translators, translation memories and machine translation tools – not to mention glossaries and other resources. Translation memories are used to teach the machine translation tool essential content and to achieve the highest possible quality in the raw translation. Translators edit the most important pages – sometimes all of them – to ensure perfect translation quality. Your language service provider will help you manage this complex package.

By the way, here’s an important but often forgotten tip: if you offer your users a “raw” machine translation, let them know. They will be more likely to forgive minor mistakes and they can check any ambiguous parts against the original language version, even if they are not fluent with it. If a user mistakes machine-translated materials for a human translation, they may become annoyed and consider the translator and, therefore, the service provider incompetent.

Internal materials

Internal materials do not always need to be translated perfectly. The translation should simply be very close to the original text so that a reader who is not proficient in the original language can understand its content. These texts include, for example, invitations to tender or comments from external users on various services. Such translations may have such a short lifespan and a very limited readership. As internal users, readers can also be very forgiving about small mistakes.

When internal materials are needed quickly, people can be easily tempted to use free online services where text can be copied and pasted. This is often a workable solution, but it has some obvious shortcomings: document formatting is lost, the results are not based on previous translations, and data protection concerning your information is at risk.

Fortunately, you can pick the best parts of each approach. Document-based machine translation considers the context, and the process can take advantage of the organisation’s approved materials through translation memories and adaptive machine translation tools.

An automated and fast solution does not have to be the simplest solution. If necessary, this process can also be integrated with a certain degree of a human touch, depending on the subject matter and purpose of the text.

Benefits of a great machine translation partner for your organisation

There are many different ways and purposes of using machine translations. Therefore, the delivery method of machine translation must also be flexible. Through API, the customer can receive machine translations directly to almost any system and, through various integrations, there are ready-made ways to deliver texts across multiple systems, such as content management systems and online stores. An ordering system based on entire documents is an easy way to make machine translations available to even more occasional users in your organisation.

The quality of machine translation is neither a random factor nor a “standard” that could not be influenced. A knowledgeable machine translation partner makes use of the customer’s text resources to improve the results, instead of simply offering what any customer would receive in any case.

A great machine translation partner also offers the most important building block: language expertise. Together with the customer, the machine translation partner is able to find the most suitable combination of machine power and human expertise.

How do you choose a good translation agency?

18.5.2021 by Katja Virtanen

Anyone who has ever looked for a translation service will have seen how much is on offer out there. There are traditional translation agencies, individual freelance translators and seemingly handy quick translation services – not to mention almost free platform services and completely free machine translation engines. Still, despite the variety it seems difficult to distinguish one translation service provider from another as the key promise of most services is high-quality translations at a low price.

Given the difficulty of choosing, here are our tips on where to order translations.

Translator or translation agency?

First, determine what you are buying: Do you need a one-off translation or are you hoping to find a translation service partner for frequent translation needs? Do you always need translations into the same language or into several different languages? Are standard document translations enough or do you need more technical localisation services, integration with your own systems or additional services not provided by individual translators? The schedule is also important: an individual translator’s capacity is limited, while a translation agency can use the capacity of several translators to respond to more challenging scheduling requests.

As a rule of thumb, the more frequent and extensive your translation needs, the more likely you, as the customer, are to benefit from the services of a slightly larger translation agency.

What is a good translation service like?

Next, define “good”. Consider what kind of translation service you value: Do you want to deal with people or would you rather enter your source text in an anonymous platform service? Can you wait longer for the translation to be completed or is speed all that matters? Define what you mean by quality. What price-quality-speed ratio do you expect? How important are the reliability and references of the service provider? Do you need “a translation only” or are you looking for a translation partner that can offer a superior customer experience?

Once it’s clear to you what issues you are looking to solve, comparing translation agencies becomes slightly easier. A good translation agency is the one that best meets your needs.

How do you assess the competence of a translation agency?

Our experience has taught us that customers are concerned about whether the translator really is familiar with a certain field of business. It may therefore come as a relief to choose a translation agency that claims on its website that it specialises in the field in question. What is often overlooked, however, is that many translation agencies claim they are experts in all fields.

Unfortunately, the professional title of “translator” is not protected and new translation agencies pop up like mushrooms. The market is global and anyone can claim they are providing high-quality translations – cheaply. Therefore, the customer should critically evaluate the competence of translation agencies.

A good translation agency cooperates with specialised translators. Professional translators have good linguistic skills, excellent information search skills and the ability to use modern language technology. A professional translation agency knows how to allocate each assignment to just the right translator, collects a term base of the customer’s terms, requests reference materials and asks the right questions to ensure quality.

As a customer, you should also check the background of the translation agency: On its website, does the company provide information that supports its competence or does it only sell “affordable and high-quality translations”? Do the experience, references and key personnel of the service provider inspire confidence in its competence? What kind of value has the translation agency produced for its customers?

The best indicator of competence is the translation agency’s customer references and results. Remember, you are buying results, not mere promises.

How much does a translation cost?

Good is rarely cheap, and hardly ever free. On the other hand, even a good translation service is not expensive if you look at the price in relation to its value and results. In fact, compared to almost all other expert services, translation costs relatively little. In most cases, pricing is based on the source language word count, and many associated tasks, such as customer meetings or terminology work that can be considered part of translation, are usually not charged separately.

There are big differences in the prices of translation agencies, which is something that customers often wonder about. The reason for the wide range in prices is that translation agencies sell a service, the content of which varies depending on the agency. Where one agency has automated the entire translation process, another provides expert customer service in addition to the translation. Some provide translations at the lowest possible cost, while others apply a quality management system.

When comparing prices, find out what is included in the price of the translation service. For instance, are proofreading and possible rounds of corrections included in the price? What about customer service in case of problems: Where can you find help if the translation has not been delivered by the deadline? Do the customer service personnel speak your language?

The more accurately you can define your needs, the easier it becomes to compare prices. This way you can avoid comparing apples and oranges.

Does technology matter?

Modern translation relies on technology. However, in the case of a one-off translation assignment, it is not usually necessary to pay attention to the language technology used by the translation agency. However, the more extensive the translation needs, the more essential it is that the technology used by the translation agency supports smart ways of ordering translation services.

All professional translation agencies use translation tools, which usually don’t differ that much from one another. What is more important is what the translation agency does with its translation memory software and term bases: Does it keep its customers’ data separate? Are new terms and the customer’s change proposals regularly imported into databases? How does the customer benefit from the accumulation of the translation memory?

Translations are managed in dedicated translation management systems. They offer a variety of functionalities, interfaces and automation possibilities. Select a translation agency that has a system that makes it easier for you to order translations and supports your own business. Such a solution could be, for instance, integration with your own content management system, which means you won’t have to extract the materials to be translated and send files.

Secure machine translation offered by the translation agency, combined with post-editing, could be a solution for translating large volumes of text when the traditional method of translation is too slow and not cost-efficient.

A good translation agency is capable of suggesting the right solution for each situation.

Translation agency’s data security

As part of their daily work, translation agencies handle documents containing confidential information. Unless otherwise agreed, this information is stored in the translation agency’s systems and databases. Individual materials to be translated may also contain personal data, the processing of which is governed by the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Therefore, it is not irrelevant where you order your translation.

When choosing a translation agency, keep privacy and GDPR requirements in mind. Find out if the translation agency and its servers are located in a country where the GDPR applies. What is the general data security of the agency like? What does the agency’s terms of delivery and privacy statement say?

A good translation agency is a reliable operator who takes data security and data protection seriously.

Compare several translation agencies

If you are not familiar with any translation agencies and you are seriously looking for a translation partner, you should dedicate some time to searching for a good translation service.

Define your needs, conduct background investigations, ask others for recommendations and finally make a shortlist of suitable suppliers. Only after all this should you proceed to the RFQ stage with the selected suppliers. In the RFQ, specify precisely both the goals and the requirements on the basis of which you will make the decision.

Do not organise solely price-based competitive tendering among randomly selected suppliers unless you are not concerned with any of what has been described above.

Also, don’t buy a pig in a poke: make the service providers prove their competence. Meet suppliers, test how the personal chemistry works and compare what is being offered. If necessary, have them do a test translation or request a demo of their translation systems or connectors.

You will know a good translation agency when you see one.

Who do you want to work with?

Let’s return to where we began in this article: The number of translation service providers is almost limitless. There are low prices and attractive platforms, small boutique agencies and large market leaders. Due to the global nature of the sector, many foreign translation agencies also market their services in Finnish on the Finnish market, even though they have no other connection to Finland.

Which of these alternatives is a good, or perhaps even the best, translation agency?

When choosing a translation agency, treat the decision as if you were hiring a new employee. A good translation agency is the one you want to work with and who you are willing to pay for the value it creates for your business.

Choose a translation agency with which you truly want to build a partnership and solve the language challenges of your business. Translation services are not only about expert service but also about the likes business.

Interpreting coronavirus information in a live broadcast

5.5.2021 by Delingua

Interpreter Annica Törmä now knows just about everything there is to know about the Covid-19 pandemic. She works as a simultaneous interpreter in coronavirus press conferences – often without being told the exact topic in advance.

For over a year, Törmä has been working as a simultaneous interpreter in the press conferences of the Finnish Government, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The past year has without doubt been one she will never forget.

“I was contacted on 19 March 2020 and asked if I was available for interpreting. My first thought was that surely they can handle this in Helsinki. The situation seemed a little bit too thrilling,” says Törmä, who has worked as an interpreter since the 1990s. 

The first press conference with interpreting had been held only two days earlier, on 17 March 2020. 

Sudden twists and turns and stressful situations

Last spring and summer, the press conferences were still taking shape. Sometimes, there were two press conferences in one day or they were organised late in the evening or delayed by hours. The interpreters were constantly on standby.

“Once, I got a call when a press conference was just about to start. All I could do was jump in my car and drive to Yle’s studio in Palosaari.” 

At times like that, there was no way to prepare for interpreting. Törmä had to rely on the foundation she had developed over many years: her professional competence. 

In fact, there have not been many occasions where Törmä could prepare appropriately for these press conferences. In normal interpreting assignments, she often receives some of the event’s materials in advance so that she can get familiar with the topic and terminology. However, this does not apply to the press conferences held by the government and THL. In the best case, Törmä will be told about the topic or see the draft press release 10–20 minutes before the broadcast begins. 

“At first, I was pulling my hair out; however, over the year, my tolerance for stress has increased.” 

Instead, Törmä prepares herself for the press conferences by constantly reading and listening to the news. 

“Interpreting is on a more solid basis when the topic is familiar to you.” 

Remote interpreting at Yle’s studios

Törmä usually interprets at Yle’s studio in Vaasa. The studio was built after Easter last year and allows one interpreter to work at Yle’s studio in Helsinki and the other in Vaasa. Previously, the interpreters were always working in the same place.

“Nothing like this has been done before. The solution has even attracted the interest of the European Commission. Yle probably didn’t realise they had developed something unique.” 

To put it simply, working as a simultaneous interpreter consists of listening to what is being said, understanding it, translating it in your head and then expressing it understandably and correctly. Preferably in a manner that keeps people listening. All of this takes place with a delay of 2–3 seconds of the presentation.

“The optimal situation is to interpret someone who speaks freely and in a well-structured manner, without introducing complex subordinate clauses or completely unrelated additions in the middle of the sentence.” 

Speakers who read text quickly from a piece of paper or a screen are challenging to interpret. The task becomes even more difficult if the topic is complex or if legal texts are involved. 

There are always two interpreters, who take turns. One interpreter usually cannot handle the simultaneous interpreting of an entire event alone, whether it lasts for an hour or an entire day. 

“Typically, one person interprets for 20 minutes, then we switch. At government and THL press conferences, we tend to interpret one person’s statement at a time.”

The work is also complicated by the fact that speakers will have a face mask that covers half of their face. It is important to see the movements of the mouth. It can be the decisive factor in whether the interpreter understands what has been said or not. 

Coronavirus terminology

During the past year, Annica Törmä has had to learn many new words and phrases that she never needed before. “Incidence”, “the R number” and “the National Emergency Supply Agency” are examples that weren’t part of her vocabulary. Another challenge has been the fact that the press conferences have focused on a great variety of areas. 

“The topics have included, for instance, epidemiology, vaccinations, public finances, restrictions and border crossing.”

Annica Törmä and her colleagues have also had the chance to be the first to translate completely new words and concepts into Swedish. For example, Törmä mentions the time when the different levels of the hybrid strategy were presented. At that time, the Swedish translation had to be invented quickly.

“Often, the result is a direct translation from Finnish.” 

Only afterwards does the Institute for the Languages of Finland have time to reflect on what would be the correct Swedish word to use. 

Of course, mistakes sometimes happen or the interpreter has to skip a sentence. 

“In these cases, I usually think that we’re just people, too.”

“The article is based on an interview in Swedish published in Vasabladet on 7 April 2021.”