The translation industry is ever-changing. More businesses than ever are expanding their reach into other countries. Further, while COVID-19 may have lessened travel temporarily, that will soon return to normal. Translators are as busy now as they ever were. As a result, innovators are working hard to improve translation software technology. It’s always interesting to speculate on where these developments might lead.
So, what’s happening right now? Take a closer look at the top trends in translation software development.
Use of Post-Machine Translation Editing
While human translation is more accurate, it isn’t always a feasible solution. When there are huge amounts of content to contend with, machine translation is really the only option.
Machine translation technology is improving, but there’s still a lot to be desired. In addition to this, there is increased expectation that translated content be culturally sensitive, accurate, and localized. As businesses seek to recover from the difficulties of the last year or longer, they will need to be able to communicate effectively with customers on a global scale.
In order to facilitate this, companies that use machine translation are choosing to use human translators for the post-editing process. They can verify the translation, fix errors, and provide appropriate contextualization.
AI-Based Translation
Many translation software developers rely on literal translations. These can be problematic as the intended meaning is often lost. This is why Is Accurate makes a note of the translation companies that use machine translations, human translators, or a hybrid.
Now, things are changing. Instead of offering strictly literal translation, the software is now using neural networks and other AI technologies. The result is more accurate translations as well as translation software that can essentially learn as it goes. You can also utilize Cart Captioning services to get realtime translation for your products.
Industry-Specific Translation Technology
When it comes to translations, certain industries have very stringent requirements as well as a low tolerance for inaccuracy. If you wonder why technical translation is important, consider schematics for an airplane being translated for a manufacturing company in China. It’s exceptionally important that no detail is incorrect in those documents.
Further, many industries develop their own unique vocabulary. It takes very specific, very technically accurate translation software to work with industry-specific jargon, and translate it correctly. Because of this, translation software is becoming specialized, and customized translation dictionaries are being created to ensure translations are more accurate.
Increased Focus on Security
Companies that use translation software may use that technology to work with a variety of sensitive information including:
- Customer and Personal Data
- Intellectual Property
- Proprietary Company Info
- Financial Data
This information must be kept safe while it is being used or accessible to the translation software. Because of this, customers are demanding to know what measures have been taken to ensure that the translation software along with the data it processes is secure.
Speech to Text Translation
Good translators are always perfecting their craft. This means constantly updating their industry knowledge and language skills, and keeping up with the TranslateHub knowledge base to stay on top of upcoming trends. Those that do know that voice search and other speech-to-text translation technologies are really gaining traction.
Alexa and other virtual assistants now have live translation features. However, at this point, the technology is lagging a bit behind consumer demand.
Use of Translation APIs
If you implement a standard, translation solution, that involves placing an order, then submitting a batch of documents or files to be translated by a human or machine. However, that method isn’t always a workable solution. For example, if you have a content management system, you need that information translated in real time. In many cases, you may need that translated into multiple languages. To help with this, there are translation APIs that work with content management systems to boost quality and productivity.
Final Thoughts
There’s an increased demand for translation services. Much of that involves large batches of data, sensitive information, content that is in a variety of formats. All of these things have influenced many trends in the area of translation software development. Understanding these trends is beneficial whether you are a translation professional, potential customer, or business owner.
Author Bio: Merissa Moore is a content writer and blogger. You probably have seen her name connected to articles on many topics. When she isn’t working, she dabbles in gourmet cooking and music.
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