Artificial Intelligence and ChatGPT in Translation

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In terms of the translation and interpretation industry, are AI and ChatGPT capable of replacing professional human interpreters and translators entirely? No – this still has a long way to go.

There’s no denying that artificial intelligence is changing our daily narrative. AI is making life easier and more efficient, from self-driving cars to virtual assistants. Or is it?

Let’s explore the impact of ChatGPT on the translation industry and its potential to shape the future of language translation.

The translation industry has seen significant technological advancements in recent years, particularly in integrating AI and machine learning. One of the latest breakthroughs in this field is the development of ChatGPT, an advanced language model developed by OpenAI.

ChatGPT is expected to generate quite accurate translations, and there is no doubt about the benefits it can bring in terms of speeding up the process. Yet there are still a number of drawbacks. Having a machine translate complex legal or medical texts without human intervention is a huge risk in anyone’s book, and one that companies would be foolish to take. The legal ramifications of inaccurate translation could be massive. Data and privacy concerns are big news these days, and with many AI engines being public and open-source it creates unnecessary added security problems for confidential data. And of course, AI is still incapable of following client rules and terminology, which can be crucial in delivering the job the client requested.

The importance of accurate and efficient language translation cannot be overstated. Communicating effectively across cultures and languages is crucial for medicine, business,  education, and other fields. At this point, we can’t guarantee this without the reliable input of a professional translator.

SEO translation for your business

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Companies looking to expand globally should seriously consider internationalising their websites. But it is important to remember that this extends beyond just regular language translation. Keywords for search engine optimisation (SEO) are perfect examples of content that cannot simply be translated word for word into a foreign language. Instead of a literal translation, this type of text has to be specially adapted to suit the specific features of the relevant target countries.

The different language versions of a website must be specifically adapted to their target audience in terms of language and structure. It’s important to understand that the same applies to the underlying search engine marketing. After all, this is the only way for companies to secure a high ranking in search results.

Also, many search engines differ in terms of the criteria they use to rank their search results. It is also worth noting that even users’ search behavior varies from country to country.

Tips for successful SEO in markets with different languages

Once a company has decided to expand into a new target market with a foreign language, it should consider the following pointers for its search engine marketing:

  • Research which search engines are preferred in the target countries. Some countries use other search engines – such as Bing, Yahoo, or Yandex – rather than Google.
  • Ideally, your website should have country-specific domains. These may refer to your company name, or even your products and their names.
  • Have the content of your website translated by qualified native speakers and ensure that it is localised to suit the specific features of both the target country and your company.
  • When translating keywords, please consider cultural and historical factors associated with the target country instead of translating each word.
Keywords
When translating websites and adapting search engine optimisation requirements to suit different countries, we always turn to qualified native speakers with high SEO understanding and know-how. In addition to localising the content, we also pay close attention to the keywords in SEO texts, as user search habits vary significantly from one country and culture to the next. This is the only way to ensure that content will be found online.

Book translations – Finding the right translation service provider

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Working with the right translation service provider is crucial to avoid the risk of devaluing your book. Do your research and find the most appropriate office that fits your needs.

To get the best results, here is a checklist that you should consider before making the big decision.

  • Ask for references
  • Clearly communicate your needs
  • Determine the deadline
  • Learn whether you’ll have full rights to the translation
  • Understand their book translation rates to make sure there are no extra costs or surprises in the end
  • Find out what the feedback process looks like and determine how often you can communicate with your provider

Working with EDMF on your book is a guarantee that you’ll receive the highest quality service.

Video Translation – Keeping Up With Multilingual Content in 2022

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It’s no secret that videos have become the most popular choice for content consumption today. Barely a day will go by without you watching a video, whether it’s on your smartphone when commuting to work, or on your laptop at home.

YouTube has over two billion users with more than one billion videos watched per day, so it’s no surprise we are bombarded with content. 86% of online marketers rely on videos to promote their content, while according to Hubspot, 61% of businesses used video as a marketing tool in 2016, but that number has now increased to 86% in 2022.

Multilingual content

With all this content being created, it’s no wonder that the demand for video translation is also rising. There’s no point in having great video marketing content about your company if the people in your target market can’t understand what you’re saying!

Video translation is quite a complex process that differs from simple text translation, and normally requires a team of experts. First and foremost, you need professional translators, one for each language you want to translate your video into. As with all professional translation projects, you’ll want people translating into their mother tongues.

For most online uses, subtitles or closed captions at the bottom of the video is the preferred option. According to Facebook, 85% of the videos viewed on its site are watched without sound, so captions are crucial for being able to follow what is said (subtitles assume the audience can hear the audio, while closed captioning assumes the audience cannot hear the audio).

How does it work?

There are various steps to the video translation process:

  • Transcription: first you have to transcribe the dialogue as well as any other relevant on-screen text in your video.
  • Timestamping: when your transcribed file is ready, you need to timestamp the text to make sure it appears at the right time in your video.
  • Translation: the transcribed text is then translated into your target language, and adjusted to make sure the target text also appears at the right time in your video.
  • Subtitle/caption files: once you have the text in the target language, it needs to be put into subtitle files so that the text can be displayed on the screen as the video plays.
  • Video editing: the last step is to integrate the translated files into your video file.

This is quite a simple overview of the video translation process, but it shows that there is quite a significant difference between this and a simple text translation. And we haven’t even delved into voice-overs either!

In an earlier blog post, we talked about transcreation, and with promotional texts or adverts in video format, you may find that this is what you need to get the message across, adding another facet to the translation process.

Whatever your requirements, if you want to broaden the reach of your video content, get in touch with us at EDMF to see how we can help you conquer those foreign markets.

All about legal translation – interview with András Moldován, former Senior Partner at Moldován & Co Attorneys at Law

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A legal translation can take on many forms. They can include documents such as contracts, patent and trademark filings, court and witness transcripts, depositions, registration documents, expert reports, legal disclaimers, affidavits, regulations, laws, confidentiality agreements, legal certifications and statements, government and legal ruling reports, letters of credit, technical documents to support litigation efforts, licenses, litigation and arbitration documents.

András Moldován was for 25 years the Senior Partner at Moldován & Co Attorneys at Law. He actively dealt with all aspects of business law, with particular expertise in the field of pharmaceuticals and healthcare. His area of expertise included corporate law, real estate law, public procurement tenders, environmental protection, commercial litigation and arbitration, as well as a wide array of commercial law matters.

We asked András Moldován about the importance of translation.

EDMF: As the senior lawyer at Moldován & Co Attorneys at Law, you worked in international fields for more than twenty years. We presume you speak more than one language. What languages do you speak and how long have you used them for?

András: I learned English in school and German and Russian on a private basis. I used only English in my legal carrier, so the other two faded away. Although I can still chit chat in German and Russian, I do not use any of those in my work.

EDMF: How important do you view translation and interpreting in your field of work, and why?

András: It is a must. It is a way of communicating people of different countries.

EDMF: Why is legal translation different from other types of translation, and why is it so intricate?

András: A legal translation has to provide the meanings of the basic language text precisely, and is usually full of formulations not used in other texts. A small misinterpretation of the intended motions may cause irreparable damages.

EDMF: Can you share with us any good or bad experiences you’ve had in connection with translation or interpreting at your firm, and what impact this had?

András: In the nineties, one translation omitted the word “not” in part of the text. We were in court for years over the issue.

EDMF: If you had to advise a lawyer colleague about finding the right translation firm, what tips would you give?

András: Contact at least three firms with the same text on a test basis, and then choose EDMF. No room for mistakes.

How does online/remote interpreting work, and when should you use it?

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Remote interpreting allows translators and interpreters to work from anywhere in the world. It permits communication between different groups of people who do not speak the same language, and can be used for any type of event: a company video conference, an important meeting, a discussion with a multilingual audience, a webinar, an interview, etc. Since the pandemic, requests for this type of service have increased, and many companies now continue to use remote interpreting out of habit.

It is important to know that remote interpreting was practised long before the arrival of COVID-19 and its related health restrictions. Remote interpreting professionals and companies were already benefiting from it.

  • Interpreters are not required to travel, and only minimal technical equipment is required. They can interpret either from home or from their office where equipment is set up specifically for their work.
  • This type of interpreting costs less because transportation, accommodation and equipment rental services are not needed.
  • You can find specialists available immediately in the case of an urgent need. This process is better for emergencies because it avoids travel time for the language professionals as well as the complex logistics organisation of on-site events.

EDMF provides remote interpreting services.

Both our clients and attendees have always been satisfied with the experience.

Remote interpreting is sometimes preferred by both clients and language professionals alike, as they consider it to be more appropriate given the reduced cost compared to face-to-face interpreting, not to mention the convenience and flexibility.

Let us know if you think we can help you remotely with your next event!
Transcreation – How Cross-Market Copywriting Helps Businesses Globally

Transcreation – How Cross-Market Copywriting Helps Businesses Globally

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Industries evolve over time. It’s a must, because if you don’t, or can’t, you find yourself left by the wayside.

While transcreation isn’t a new concept in global business, it is certainly now much more in demand by our clients at EDMF. Let’s take a look at why.

What is transcreation?

Coined from the words “translation” and “creation”, transcreation could be construed to mean creative translation, or perhaps cross-market copywriting. In reality, you have translation on the one side, transcreation on the other, and between the two you will find marketing translation.

Sometimes, just translating the words you see in front of you is the right idea. This can be the best approach when translating a technical manual, when what matters is that the reader understands what the exact equivalent of a particular component is in their language.

Yet other times, opting to translate like this will bring you up very short indeed. It’s not only the meaning that needs conveyed, you have to take into account cultural differences and harness them for mostly marketing purposes. It is no surprise that this is often required mostly with advertising or promotional texts, and also with websites. A complex website translation, for example, may well require translation, marketing translation and transcreation, and can involve several translators working together.

Why do I need it?

When you ask for a text to be translated, you obviously want it to have the same impact on your target-reader audience as it does with your original audience. That’s a given. But sometimes finding the equivalent word is not enough. Transcreation digs that bit further and looks at the emotional reaction triggered by a text, with a view to eliciting the same response in the translated language.

This is where the language professional is given freer rein than they might with conventional translations. Since it’s not so much the words and their literal meaning that count, but what effect they have on the reader, the transcreator is able to stray from the original text in order to achieve that goal, possibly even recreating everything if need be.

Transcreation in practice

One good example of transcreation is Intel, who changed its English slogan, “Intel: Sponsors of Tomorrow”, to “Intel: In Love with the Future” for its slogan in Brazil, because they had realised that in Portuguese this would otherwise imply the company would not deliver promptly as promised.

Transcreation in websites can also involve using different colour schemes or layouts, and sometimes it can even impact on the product. Red Bull, for example, changed the colours of its energy drink when entering the Chinese market. It switched to red and gold because these colours are deemed to bring good fortune in China.

I need transcreation. Where should I go?

There are many examples of companies who failed to do their research and had to rebrand newly launched products as a result, throwing money out of the window in the process. But with a bit of forethought, and the right partner, you can avoid the pitfalls with taking your product or service to other countries.

Contact EDMF today to find out more about how we can help promote your brand in today’s global market.

Untrained Translation Businesses Dilute Busy Market

Untrained Translation Businesses Dilute Busy Market

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If you’re interested in the current state of the translation businesses in Hungary then we recommend you read this article published by the Budapest Business Journal, where our managing director Douglas Arnott also gives his professional views on the business.

Untrained Businesses Dilute Busy Market
Read more:

Why is multilingualism vital for your business?

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English is a widely known and spoken language both in business circles and in private life. Nowadays, however, English alone is not enough to reach every potential market. It is crucial for multinational companies to communicate with their partners and clients in multiple languages.

Customers often do not necessarily decide based on the price of a product or service, but on the language the company communicates in. Put more simply, you can reach more people if you know what language to address them in. This reads particularly true for smaller companies, who are constantly competing with one another to attract the attentions of the market and make their brands known.

Multilingualism is a must on the web. Read on and learn why your company needs a multilingual website!

This map clearly underlines that the number of English speakers is not nearly as high as you might think, even in European countries such as Italy or Spain.

English speakers world map

source: telegraphtravel.carto.com

This shows that unless you want to deprive your company of considerable revenue, it is vital to communicate in more than one language, whether we are talking about business documentation, or digital marketing texts such as articles and blog posts. Although English is essentially spoken all over the world, it is often more effective to provide certain texts, for example promotional materials, in the mother-tongue of your prospective customers. This not only shows you are obliging, it also helps to convey the meaning of your communication to the fullest extent.

At EDMF we help our partners with this, and can ensure your company’s texts published in multiple languages reach your target audiences, thereby keeping your existing customers and acquiring new ones.

Receiving the BEM at the Residence of the UK Ambassador to Hungary

New Year’s Honours 2019: Douglas Arnott receives British Empire Medal

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We are extremely proud to announce that the owner of EDMF Language Services Kft., Douglas Arnott was awarded a British Empire Medal in the UK’s New Year’s Honours List for services to charity and UK-Hungary relations, which he received at the end of April.

This year the British Empire Medal was awarded to a total of 358 people. Apart from those living in the British Isles only four people received this prominent award, including Douglas, a Scot living in Budapest, who has been working at the Robert Burns International Foundation helping sick and underprivileged children for seven years, five of which as Chairman.

Proficient in four languages, including Hungarian, Douglas graduated from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland with an honours degree in translation and interpreting, before settling in Hungary and establishing EDMF. For more than seven years he has been involved in charitable activities, for which he was recognised with a BEM in the New Year’s Honours List. You can read an interview with him here.

The presentation of the medal in April at the Residence of the UK Ambassador to Hungary was followed by a garden party at Buckingham Palace hosted by Prince Charles. Here are a few photos of the event: