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    "title" : "Introduction to translation technology |Digital.gov",
    "description": "Introduction to translation technology",
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    {"title" :"Introduction to translation technology","deck" : "How and why to use translation technology to create multilingual content","summary" : "What is translation technology? This introductory resource will help you understand how and when to use translation technology to provide meaningful access for people with limited English proficiency.","date" : "2023-05-11T15:28:00-05:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"fedora-braverman" : "Fedora Braverman"},"topics" : {
        
            "communication" : "Communication",
            "communication" : "Communication",
            "content-strategy" : "Content strategy",
            "content-strategy" : "Content strategy",
            "multilingual" : "Multilingual"
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      "filename" :"introduction-to-translation-technology.md",
      
      "filepath" :"resources/introduction-to-translation-technology.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/resources/introduction-to-translation-technology.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/resources/introduction-to-translation-technology.md","slug" : "introduction-to-translation-technology","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/introduction-to-translation-technology/","aliases" : {"0" : "/2012/10/01/automated-translation-good-solution-or-not/","1" : "/2018/12/20/designing-for-translation/"},"weight" : "1","content" :"\u003ch2 id=\"key-takeaway\"\u003eKey takeaway\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAgencies should work with competent human translators for all translations\u003c/strong\u003e, including translations supported by translation technology.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"why-create-multilingual-content\"\u003eWhy create multilingual content?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll people in this country, regardless of the language they speak, deserve meaningful access to programs and activities that are conducted or supported by federal agencies.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly \u003ca href=\"https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/12/languages-we-speak-in-united-states.html\"\u003e68 million people spoke a language other than English\u003c/a\u003e in 2019.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy providing \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/topics/multilingual/\"\u003emultilingual\u003c/a\u003e digital content in languages other than English, the government delivers digital services that are accessible to all communities. This leads to a more interconnected public and greater satisfaction and trust in government.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003carticle class=\"dg-ring\" aria-labelledby=\"7b7b9724cc6d56920037bea23db79ecd\"\u003e\n  \u003ch2 id=\"7b7b9724cc6d56920037bea23db79ecd\" class=\"dg-ring__title\"\u003eRelated policy\u003c/h2\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e‌Two executive orders affirm the federal government’s commitment to improving language access services and ensuring full participation by individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/resources/requirements-for-improving-access-to-services-for-people-with-limited-english-proficiency-lep/\"\u003eExplore the requirements for improving access to services for people with limited English proficiency (LEP)\u003c/a\u003e\n‌\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003c/article\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"what-is-translation-technology\"\u003eWhat is translation technology?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTranslation technology is a rapidly evolving field that involves the use of computer software and other tools to support the translation process.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ccode\u003eComputer-aided technology\u003c/code\u003e and \u003ccode\u003emachine translation\u003c/code\u003e are two common approaches to language translation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith computer-aided technology, the translation is created by a human translator with some aspects of the process aided by software. With machine translation, the translation is mostly automated.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe table below highlights other key differences between the two approaches.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable class=\"usa-table usa-table--borderless\"\u003e\n\u003cthead\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth scope=\"col\"\u003e \u003c/th\u003e\n\u003cth scope=\"col\"\u003eComputer-aided technology\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003cth scope=\"col\"\u003eMachine translation\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003c/thead\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth scope=\"row\"\u003eQuality\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHigh-quality translations.\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAccurate translations for simple and routine text; may struggle with more complex or idiomatic language.\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth scope=\"row\"\u003eCost and time\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eExpensive and time-consuming.\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLow cost and quick; may require additional costs and time for post-editing to ensure quality and accuracy.\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth scope=\"row\"\u003ePersonnel\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRequires human translators who use translation software to assist in the translation process; provides a library and translation suggestions for reuse.\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMostly automated; doesn’t require human translators.\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth scope=\"row\"\u003eCustomization\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCustomizable for specific industries, such as legal, medical, or technical translations; can incorporate specialized terminology, glossaries, and translation memories.\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLittle customization.\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth scope=\"row\"\u003eExamples\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMateCat, SmartCat, Trados Studio, and WordFast, among others.\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDeepL Translate and Google Translate, among others.\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"what-are-the-downsides-of-using-translation-technology\"\u003eWhat are the downsides of using translation technology?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are many downsides to using translation technologies.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAutomated machine translation isn’t delivering 100% accuracy yet, but it is improving. Its accuracy depends largely on the language pair you need. For example, the most-used languages, such as English, Spanish, French, German, and Mandarin Chinese, have relatively high success rates of translations due to the large amount of data available for training machine learning models. However, less common languages and language pairs may have lower success rates due to the lack of available training data.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s important to consider the potential negative implications for users of a poor or inaccurate translation of health, financial, or legal information found on a government website. What is the point of having a button to translate a website if the information translated is unusable or is accompanied by a disclaimer that the government agency is not responsible for the translation’s accuracy?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlso, machine translations that dynamically generate site pages with the click of a button makes them invisible to search engines. This means that when a person searches online for information from an agency in a language other than English, the agency web page will not come up in the search results because that content does not actually exist online in that language. It was only temporarily created and presented to the user in their browser for them alone to see when they pushed the button to request the machine translation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother downside with automated machine translations is that they can struggle with idiomatic expressions and nuanced language use — how humans actually write and speak. In turn, these issues can make the translation sound unnatural and awkward.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut could \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/topics/artificial-intelligence/\"\u003eartificial intelligence (AI)\u003c/a\u003e make machine translation more accurate? AI — where algorithms learn human behavior and language use through neural networks — is a promising field. It has the potential of making translations more accurate as it learns, but we are still far from 100% automation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eComputer-aided technology is expensive and time-consuming now, but it can improve and lower costs as adoption grows.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"should-agencies-use-translation-technology\"\u003eShould agencies use translation technology?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAgencies should use translation technology to create accurate, findable content. But they should not rely solely on automatic machine translation services or computer-aided technology. All translations should be checked by a competent human translator.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to the Department of Justice’s Limited English Proficiency Committee of the Title VI Interagency Working Group:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"box \"\u003e\n  “If the entity utilizes machine translation software, the entity should have a human translator proofread all content containing vital information before posting it to ensure the accuracy of the translated information. Website content that is translated and checked by qualified human translators is more likely to be accurate and locatable by LEP users.”\n— \u003ca href=\"https://www.lep.gov/sites/lep/files/media/document/2021-12/2021_12_07_Website_Language_Access_Guide_508.pdf#page=5\"\u003eImproving Access to Public Websites and Digital Services for Limited English Proficient (LEP) Persons (PDF, 2.4 MB, 17 pages, December 2021)\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRelated, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) tells health programs covered by Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"box \"\u003e\n  “[B]ecause written translation must be provided by a qualified translator, automated translation alone likely would not be sufficient. Machine translation, which is one type of automated translation technology, translates text by performing simple substitution of words using statistical techniques. Given differences across languages in syntax, figures of speech, and vocabulary, the simple substitution of words using statistical techniques may produce highly unreliable translations for certain languages and written content. A quality check performed by a qualified translator, such as reviewing the translation for accuracy and editing the translation if needed, would likely be necessary.\u0026quot;\n— Question 42 in \u003ca href=\"https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/section-1557/1557faqs/index.html#General%20Questions\"\u003eSection 1557: Frequently Asked Questions\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHHS encourages the health programs to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the technology and software programs that qualified translators use.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"connect-with-others-interested-in-translation-technology\"\u003eConnect with others interested in translation technology\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWant to learn more about translation technology?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJoin\u003c/strong\u003e the \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/communities/\"\u003eMultilingual Community\u003c/a\u003e to connect with government multilingual content managers who are working to expand and improve digital content in languages other than English.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReach out to\u003c/strong\u003e the \u003ca href=\"https://nlscorps.org/\"\u003eNational Language Service Corps\u003c/a\u003e, a Department of Defense program that provides language and cultural support to federal agencies. Members are highly skilled language professionals who connect, share, and grow through networking, training, and testing opportunities.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eContact\u003c/strong\u003e the \u003ca href=\"https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-management/bureau-of-administration/office-of-language-services/\"\u003eOffice of Language Services\u003c/a\u003e, a Department of State program that provides foreign language support to the White House and other federal agencies. The program increases terminology consistency by using computer-aided translation with review by qualified language professionals and glossaries.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVisit\u003c/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https://www.lep.gov/digital-services-and-websites\"\u003eLEP.gov/digital-services-and-websites\u003c/a\u003e for a wealth of resources to create multilingual content for websites and digital services, among other topics.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCheck out\u003c/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https://commission.europa.eu/resources-partners/etranslation_en\"\u003eeTranslation\u003c/a\u003e, the European Commission’s cutting-edge online machine translation tool. Use it to get the gist of a text, or as the starting point for a human-quality translation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"related-research\"\u003eRelated research\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.atanet.org/client-assistance/ata-position-paper-machine-translation-a-clear-approach-to-a-complex-topic\"\u003ePosition paper on machine translation: A clear approach to a complex topic\u003c/a\u003e. Clarifies in easy-to-understand terms what machine translation is and how it realistically relates to professional translation. (American Translators Association, 2018)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.atanet.org/client-assistance/how-to-avoid-the-pitfalls-of-free-online-translation-tools\"\u003eHow to avoid the pitfalls of free online translation tools\u003c/a\u003e. Can free online translation tools ever be of service? The answer is yes. Here are some dos and don’ts for using machine translation safely. (American Translators Association, 2022)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.atanet.org/client-assistance/machine-translation\"\u003eMachine translation\u003c/a\u003e. Can\u0026rsquo;t a computer do all this? Learn when to use automated machine translation and when to hire a professional. (American Translators Association, 2023)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://aclanthology.org/W17-3204.pdf\"\u003eSix challenges for neural machine translation\u003c/a\u003e. Despite its recent successes, neural machine translation still has to overcome various challenges, most notably performance out-of-domain and under low resource conditions. (Philipp Kohen and Rebecca Knowles in the Association for Computational Linguistics’s Proceedings of the First Workshop on Neural Machine Translation, 2017)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/240932389/Vieiraetal_ICS_2020.pdf\"\u003eUnderstanding the societal impacts of machine translation: a critical review of the literature on medical and legal use cases\u003c/a\u003e. Machine translation errors pose serious risks in some environments, but there is little understanding of the nature of these risks and of the wider implications of using this technology. The article concludes that machine translation technology can exacerbate social inequalities and put certain users at greater risk. (Lucas Nunes Vieira, Minako O’Hagan and Carol O’Sullivan in Information, Communication \u0026amp; Society, 2020)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://doi.org/10.3390/informatics7020012\"\u003eQuantifying the Effect of Machine Translation in a High-Quality Human Translation Production Process\u003c/a\u003e.  This paper studies the impact of machine translation on the translation workflow at the Directorate-General for Translation. The results show that while the machine translation leads to productivity gains on average, this is not the case for all translators. (Lieve Macken, Daniel Prou, and Arda Tezcan in Informatics, 2020)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/1087/6/062046\"\u003eResearch on the Relations Between Machine Translation and Human Translation\u003c/a\u003e Machine translation ignited a reform and transformation in the field of translation. It has gone through three stages, from early dictionary-matched machine translation to corpus-based statistical computer-aided translation, and then to neural machine translation with artificial intelligence as its core technology in recent years. This paper analyzes the problems with examples and puts forward a new model of machine translation plus human translation as well as its applications. In the age of artificial intelligence, computers with deep learning ability working together with humans will produce translation works with high efficiency and better quality. (Zhaorong Zong in Journal of Physics, 2018)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDisclaimer\u003c/strong\u003e: All references to specific brands, products, and companies are used only for illustrative purposes and do not imply endorsement by the U.S. federal government or any federal government agency.\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
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