If we can’t have a universal language, Google Translate wants to make communicating as seamless as possible.

The Babel “problem” refers to the fact that there is no common language and therefore the world’s population is unable to communicate with each other.

Google wants to change that, and has been tackling this small problem for several years now.

With Google Translate, Google aims to help any user translate text, websites and documents. Since its release in 2006, Google Translate has grown to include translation for more than 50 languages. The service grew from the initial language tools they offered related to their search interface and results to a mini-suite of translating tools.

Google Translate is different than any of its predecessors, like Babelfish or Microsoft Translator which use translation software SYSTRAN, because Google has developed its own translation software to use as the engine for translations. Their in-house algorithms are using a statistical learning technique for machine translation instead of the previous rule-based approach.

Their results are still not as accurate as a live translator’s results as it doesn’t take grammar rules into account when translating, but it is constantly learning and improving. Google also gives you the opportunity to try and make the results more accurate by contributing a better translation right on the spot.

In November 2009 they increased support for languages like Chinese and Arabic by allowing the text to be written and translated phonetically in addition to direct translation of the written characters of that language.

The appeal of translation tools for consumption of information is obvious, but what about for communication and discussion?

Google is working on that, too. You can now install the Google Translate code directly into your own website so that foreign visitors can translate your content into a language they understand and can communicate in. If they leave a comment, you can translate it back, compose your reply and communicate back with the user in their language.

The Google Translator Toolkit takes simply translating content a step further in that it gives you the possibility to modify and save text results from Google Translate, enabling you to enhance the machine translation and then publish it. In January 2010, they also added an integrated chat to the Translator Toolkit, effectively turning it into a real-time collaboration tool for translation.

Microsoft is not willing to be left behind and released a new version of their free translator, re-branded Bing Translator, in the summer of 2009. Bing Translator is based on the SYSTRAN translation technology and includes more than 20 languages.

If instead you prefer your site not to be automatically translated by Google Translate, you can control that, too. Just insert the below code into your page’s metadata. It will prevent the automatic translation of your content, but not the copying + pasting of your content into the translator (or any other translator not owned by Google).

<meta name=”google” value=”notranslate”>

But what about you? Do you want everyone to be able to translate your content, reply to you in other languages, and expect you to do the same?

Get started with Google Translate:

• Add it to Firefox browser as a plugin
• Make your own website available in other languages by installing the Google Translate code
• Install the Google Toolbar to translate from English
• Install the Google Translate plugin for Chrome

image by demibrooke/ / CC BY 2.0

Milan, 27. January 2010

Sara Rosso

Tags
Culture | google | Language | Microsoft


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