Category Archives: Free Translation

Machine translation – The Devil or a Blessing in disguise?

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Filed under Free Translation, Freelance Translators, Language Translation Advice, Translation Discussion

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Machine translation is treated as a nemesis by a majority of professional translation service providers.  But is it really so? I think most translators dismiss machine translation because of two reasons, one is of course valid, machine translation can be awkward to read and more critically, it can contain mild to severe errors. The second reason for many professional translators’ aversion to machine translation is the niggling, maybe unconscious thought that it can hurt their job prospects. This is where I beg to differ.

I strongly believe that artificial intelligence can never replicate the capability of human intelligence. When it comes to machine translations, I believe that translation buyers would always need the services of professional human translators especially when they require important documents to be translated.

Anyway let’s look at the bright side of machine translation, in my experience I have got a number of new clients who have been disappointed with machine translation and have approached me with a reinforced respect for my translation skills. :-) And then there are times when a client is not willing to pay my standard rates on a translation job, since the document itself is not very important. I readily refer them to a free online translation service or software which I believe can do the job well. This makes my client happy and I don’t have to say no a job because it is not paying well enough.

If you ever get lost in China!

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Filed under Chinese Translation, Free Translation

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Twenty phrases that might help you find your way back :-)
  1. Hello - nǐ hǎo
  2. Good morning - zǎo shàng hǎo
  3. Good evening - wǎn shàng hǎo
  4. Do you speak English? - nín huì shuō yīng yǔ ma?
  5. I don’t speak Chinese - wǒ bù huì shuō hàn yǔ
  6. What is your name? - nǐ jiào shén me míng zì?
  7. My name is .. - wǒ de míng zì jiào ..
  8. How are you? - nǐ hǎo ma?
  9. Fine, and you? - hǎo, nǐ ne?
  10. Pleased to meet you - hěn gāo xīng rèn shí nǐ
  11. How do I go to ..? - wǒ zěn me néng dào ..?
  12. Where is the railway station? - huǒchē zhàn zài nǎr?
  13. Turn to the left - wǎng zuǒ guǎi
  14. Turn to the right - wǎng yòu guǎi
  15. Can you repeat that? - nín néng zài shuō yī biàn ma?
  16. Please speak more slowly - qǐng nín màn diǎn shuō
  17. Thanks - xiè xiè
  18. Yes - shì de
  19. No - bù shì
  20. Bye  - zài jiàn