It is not surprising that myths, half-truths, and misunderstandings abound regarding machine translation: It seems as if the experience most players in the translation field have with this technology does not go beyond toying a little with one of the free online translation tools. Almost every week, I come across an article informing its readers either that machine translation is and always will be a complete waste of time or that machine translation, while being a waste of time today, might actually be useful some time in the distant future. In the hope of setting the record straight, here is a closer look at some of the most common myths about machine translation.
Myth: Machine translation simply does not work
With free online translation services available all over the web, anyone can run a text through a machine translation (MT) engine and then share the results with the public as proof of the fact that machine translation is capable of little more than the most rudimentary rough translations (gisting), and, of course, providing nearly endless entertainment.
The main problem with these ‘tests’ is that using any of the free online translation environments gives only a glimpse of the true power of a full-fledged professional machine translation system. For example, the typical online translation service does not allow users to select a subject field or provide user terminology, let alone set stylistic preferences. In fact, many - if not most - of the free text translation tools support no translation parameters other than the specification of the ...
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