Google Translate: a guide for the complete idiot

In fact, we warned you many times: do not use Google Translate to translate your precious marketing materials. But once you persist, then at least use our advice to not look like complete idiots to achieve complete misunderstanding in dealing with customers.

Transferred to Alconost .

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About Google Translate

Google Translate is a free online tool to translate sentences, documents and websites into 71 languages. This is a statistical machine translation, during which a computer program analyzes a huge array of texts translated by people and translates the vocabulary and grammar of one language into another in digital form. The tool, launched in 2007 and saved from oblivion thanks to a protest by the global community in 2011, is one of Google’s business cards. With more than 200 million users a month from all over the world who translate words into 71 languages, Google is doing a lot of things right.

In addition to the basic translation tools, Google Translate has a set of amazing features that are equally useful for noobs and pros, such as search with translation and translation from the toolbar in the browser.

That is why profane resourceful marketing professionals turn to him for the translation of the most important texts addressed to customers.

However, we will postpone our most desperate warnings, conclusions and main arguments, and help you fulfill yours. The most. Disgusting. Task.

Write shorter and easier

Everyone knows that the majority of corporate presentations, online and offline, are overloaded with business slang, which may well be considered a separate language. Forbes once published on the website a list of 45 of the most annoying examples of this language. And if you believe 198 comments under the post, many, including those who use it daily, cannot stand business jargon.

Does not like it and Google Translate. He can speak several of the most obscure languages ​​of the world and at the same time find himself at an impasse, failing to "expand the core competencies of strategic providers, aimed at a significant shift in the perception of their products by consumers and their business going to the vanguard of innovations."



Translation from English to German: "No idea". Of course, this Google Translate screenshot is mounted. This German translation was as incomprehensible as the English text.

If you want to use Google Translate, provide the service to yourself and your customers: write the source code in short simple sentences that Google can translate in such a way that even a child can understand.

Remember: trash at the entrance - trash at the exit

In his guide to automated translation for government organizations , the United States General Service Administration very accurately notes that "the job of a translator is not so much the translation of words, but the deconstruction of messages." This means that the best translations begin with well written and meaningful source texts. It is not enough just to avoid jargon; you need to write attractive marketing messages in simple, well-written, competent texts, compiled according to all the rules of your language. Unlike human translators who try to grasp the meaning you have in mind, Google Translate will understand everything literally.

Moreover, as even this post shows, there are many ways to communicate with your consumers so that they do not have to eat, what would you like to say. Since you’re still going to use Google Translate, forget about the dialect, slang, twitter jargon and feed him good content.

Have a plan "B"

If you want to speak French, like the French, you may have to involve the French themselves. Mon Dieu!

I know that from a translation service provider it sounds biased, there can be nothing better than professionally trained live translators in reproducing the meaning of your truly incomprehensible marketing materials from elegant reservations. But just trust us - we know what we are talking about. Proofreading and editing machine translation results can at least save you from the most awkward moments.

From the translator: I would add one more tip: “Do not use Google Translate to translate important texts.” By the way, our company has an alternative to automatic translators: Nitro live online translation service. It's like “GoogleTranslate”, only translations are done by real people - professional translators. Of course, translations in Nitro are not instantaneous, but also quite quickly: from a few minutes (if the text is small and the translators for your language pair are available online) to a few hours.

Want to try the service? Register , email us at nitro@alconost.com, tell us a few lines about yourself, tell us your login name, and we will send you a personal coupon to replenish your account. Coupon valid for new accounts.


About the translator

The article is translated in Alconost.

Alconost is engaged in the localization of applications, games and websites in 60 languages. Language translators, linguistic testing, cloud platform with API, continuous localization, 24/7 project managers, any formats of string resources.

We also make advertising and training videos - for websites selling, image, advertising, training, teasers, expliners, trailers for Google Play and the App Store.

Read more: https://alconost.com