There are several differences between machine translation and human translation, and one crucial one is time. Highly trained, skillful professionals produce human translations by concentrating on meaning, style, and tone. They have an excellent understanding of the purpose of the translation and the people who will be using it.
The human translator will know what tone to use for an individual client. A machine translation can be too impersonal and in this case one pre-set machine translation format will not work. The human translator must be efficient and quick, as well as have an expert knowledge of up-to-date technology and current market demand for the services the client is providing. It may be quicker to use machine translation, but it lacks the personal touch which only translations by humans can provide. Of course, human translation does take time, but it is time well spent to have the purpose and meaning appropriate and made clear to the receiver(s).
Machines do not have the capability to think or analyse. Only human translations can achieve a clear evaluation of what is needed and how best to achieve its purpose. The translation industry has thousands of companies offering translation services and numerous high calibre, educated freelancers. All of these have become necessary to meet the ever-increasing huge demand for translations. They have discovered through experience that human translations are much preferred by clients worldwide, even though they are usually much more expensive.
Machine translations are preferred when speed is absolutely essential and the receivers or clients already understand their meaning and purpose. Translation by machine follows a specific format and doesn’t vary from client to client. Machine translations are certainly less expensive than translations by humans. But, they will lack the personal touch that many clients seek and can often make critical mistakes.
In the long run, a determination must be weighed up which one is more important; the cheapest way to translate or the most appropriate way to adapt and provide meaning for the purpose of different markets.
