GeekSpeak Jost Zetzsche [email protected]

More Is Better?

I took some time the other day Translate, Translator, Systran, and MyMemory. to take an inventory of the out-of-the- itranslate4.eu, Systran, LetsMT!, box machine (MT) con- Asia Online, and MyMemory. • How it works: You can select only nectors or plug-ins that translation one engine at a time and matches environment tools (TEnTs) come • How it works: You can select var- are not shown automatically. readily equipped with these days. Just ious engines at the same time and Features an interface for writing a few months ago, most TEnTs came all matches are shown with one scripts to ease post-editing. with only a connector to Google selectable preferential engine. Translate, but Google’s decision to Lingotek start charging for its MT service (if it Déjà Vu X2 • Integrated plugins for Google is integrated into a third-party tool) • Integrated plugins for and . made most tool vendors look for other Translate, Microsoft Translator, solutions alongside Google Translate. itranslate4.eu, PROMT, and Systran. • Possible connectors to SDL What follows is an (admittedly LanguageWeaver, SAIC Omni- incomplete) list of tools and their con- • How it works: It is only possible to fluent, and Asia Online. nectors, along with some thoughts select one MT engine at a time. Déjà about their usefulness. (Note that for Vu X2 uses MT hits in combination • How it works: You can select sev- the actual use of most of these MT with translation memory hits. eral engines at a time and all tools you will need a license key.) matches are shown. Wordfast Classic 6 Trados Studio 2011 • Integrated plugins for Google Multitrans • Integrated plugins for Language - Translate, Microsoft Translator, • Possible connectors to PROMT and Weaver (BeGlobal), SDL MT, itranslate4.eu, WorldLingo, and MyMemory. Google Translate, and Microsoft MyMemory. Translator. MemSource • How it works: You can select up to • Integrated plugins for Google • Free installable plugins on SDL’s three engines at a time and all Translate, Microsoft Translator, app store OpenExchange for itrans- matches are shown, including var- Microsoft Translator Hub, and late4.eu, Systran, MyMemory, ious matches from itranslate4.eu. Systran. Google Translate, and Microsoft Translator. The two last plugins Wordfast Pro 3 OmegaT extend the ability of the out-of-the- • Integrated plugins for Google • Integrated plugin for Google box connectors. For instance, this Translate, Microsoft Translator, Translate, Belazar (for Russian<> allows you—in the case of and WorldLingo. Belarussian), Microsoft Translator, Microsoft Translator—to translate and . without a license in exchange for • How it works: You can select sev- your translation data from the cur- eral engines at a time and all Across rent project. matches are shown. • Possible connectors to Google Translator, Lucy LT, Reverso, • How it works: You can select var- Fluency 2011 Language Weaver, Moses, and ious engines at the same time and • Integrated plugins for Google Asia Online. · all matches are shown in the order Translate, Microsoft Translator, of the preference you determine. Exceptions: When selecting itrans- The GeekSpeak column has two goals: to inform the community about technological late4.eu or MyMemory, only those advances and at the same time encourage the use and appreciation of technology among matches are shown. translation professionals. Jost is the co-author of Found in Translation: How Language Shapes Our Lives and Transforms the World, a perfect source for replenishing your memoQ 6 arsenal of information on how human translation and each play • Integrated plugins for Google important parts in the broader world of translation.

32 The ATA Chronicle n January 2013 Figure 1: Suggested in Wordfast

If you need to know what these dif- some kind of combination might be box MT engines (as opposed to not ferent MT engines are and what lan- useful in the actual and final translation. using MT at all or using a customized guage combinations they support, I What role does this information play for engine). It allows you to compare the encourage you to check on their respec- the translator, though? Does it help or results very easily. Chances are that tive websites or Wikipedia pages. hinder? Is it different, for instance, than you will quickly find one of the So, what is all this good for? I will having a lot of matches from a general engines better than the others for your leave this up to your preferences translation memory shown? particular project, and this will allow (and language combination, and kinds It was interesting to discuss this you to disable the less helpful ones of translation you do, and the many likes question at a workshop I gave recently. (and stop paying for their suggestions). and dislikes that you might have about Not surprisingly, the translators in One of the (very unscientific) tests this kind of technology). But there is one attendance expressed very divergent that we did during the above-men- thing that interests me in particular: Is it opinions. Some felt that this would tioned workshop was to look at dif- helpful to have several MT suggestions stifle creativity, whereas others liked ferent MT providers with different shown as you translate? the idea of having four or five different kinds of texts in about 10 of the repre- Consider the example in Figure 1 MTs displayed. And chances are that sented language combinations. The from Wordfast (with MTs from Google the answer does indeed differ for each result? We noticed that often there was Translate, Microsoft Translator, Ling- translator and that translator’s indi- a clear “winner” on a per-project basis. uatec, Systran, and Trident MT—the vidual style of processing data. MT might not be your cup of tea as last three through itranslate4.eu). There is, however, one way that this a productivity tool, but it is important We do not need to argue about how simultaneous display of different to remember that the results of one “good” these matches are, but most of results will be helpful for anyone who MT system are always unlike those them contain some material that in is looking into using these out-of-the- of another.

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The ATA Chronicle n January 2013 33