Translation Trends for Multilingual Translators
Some of the major trends in the translation industry globally include post-editing machine translation, video translation, and transcreation. However, these trends may look different in different regions of the world. In Europe, multilingualism is on the rise, and so is the need for translators who can translate languages other than English. In Asia, machine translation is growing rapidly, as are online translation apps. Here are some of the specific trends in translation that will affect multilingual translators in different parts of the world:
Globally, translators have been post-editing machine translations for years. However, in some countries where machine translation has recently come of age, post-editing translated text is a new trend. In Japan, for example, post-editing machine translations is a major growth trend. This is because many consumers in Japan prefer translated text that matches the styling of the original English text, rather than accurate translation. This results in English translations that are full of pseudo-Anglo-Saxon words and phrases that don’t exist in other languages.
The use of machine translation post-editing (MTPE) is also a major growth trend in the United States. In 2022, American translators will enjoy translating text that has been machine translated first, then post-edited. The reason for this trend is that US businesses prefer inexpensive post-edited translations over costly fully edited translations. So, even though the quality of machine-translated text is low, US translators can enjoy the fun of post-editing by modernizing dated or obscure phrases.
AI is a major growth trend in translation. Currently, there are two major uses of artificial intelligence (AI) in translation:
AI-assisted translation: where translators use AI tools to help with the translation process.
AI-driven translation: where the machine translation system is completely powered by AI.
In 2023, AI will become a major trend in translation. As a result, more translators will have access to AI tools. By the end of the year, more businesses may start to purchase AI-assisted translation services from translators.
One of the reasons for this is because low- and middle-income countries are starting to purchase and use AI tools. For example, China is now developing its own AI translation tool for Mandarin to English translations.
Computer-assisted translation (CAT) is a major growth trend in India. In 2022, Indian translators will utilize computer-assisted translation tools to help with post-editing, as well as automated translation (automated translation will be a growth trend in 2023). Some of the most popular CAT tools in India include Idiom, Lingotek, Across, and CAT-Tool.
Multilingual translators should enjoy the new phrases and updated words that these tools provide, as well as the spellcheck functionality to fix grammatical errors. It should be noted that some of these tools are developed by the same companies that develop machine translation systems, so the quality of the translations is generally higher.
Although the infographic shows that human translation is still superior to AI-driven translation, the truth is that the gap is slowly closing. One of the reasons for this is because AI systems are now able to gather and store massive amounts of data (this data also comes from people who translate, as well as dictionaries and glossaries). The more data they have to work with, the better their translation quality becomes.
As AI-driven translation tools improve in 2022, translators should enjoy working with them in small and medium-sized projects. However, they should never replace human translators in major projects that require linguistic or cultural expertise.
AI will also be a major trend in language learning, and several tools are already being developed for this including Lingo-x, a language-learning app developed by Google that provides users with thousands of translated articles from different languages. The app also includes tools for language translation and transcription.
Major trends in translation into English
As the global economy cools off, companies will be more careful about the languages they include in their translation portfolios. There will be greater demand for translators who can translate from less common languages such as Burmese, Malay, etc.
AI-driven translation tools will also improve the quality of translations for languages that were previously not supported, including lesser-spoken languages such as Khmer (Cambodian), Malay, Punjabi, and Urdu.
In conclusion, the new translation trends in translation and technology will improve the quality and speed of translation. They will also make translation more efficient and cost-effective. The translator, meanwhile, will be needed more than ever to make sure that these tools work effectively, as well as to make judgments when automated tools fail.
Translators should be prepared for a much faster turnaround time for translation requests as companies scramble to meet demand and deadlines!
