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![]() ![]() Free translations Sounds great, doesn't it? Free translations on the Internet. And it's true, they do exist. So, why not use them instead of a paid translation service? To put it simply: because they are often incorrect. Unfair comment? Well, we tested three of the most popular free translation sites onthe Internet and used a previous translation of ours to test their accuracy. The translation was for a Dutch doctor making a presentation to an international interview panel in English. Here are our results:
Let's make it clear. The free translations above are not only grammatically incorrect, they use the wrong words and give the wrong message. ![]() Why are these translators free? Because they are tools. In other words, people don't do the translation for you - a machine does. These automatic translators look at individual words, not the whole sentence, and certainly not the context. They cannot always cope with phrases and expressions. They don't always put words in the right order and they don't use natural English expressions. But they do have an answer to this: HUMAN translators! Free translators numbers 1 and 2 gave us the option to 'click for a human translator'. This is the message we got: "Professionally translate your 14 words for only $49.95 plus VAT" Wow! Suddenly this free service has become very expensive. That's $3.57 per word. Free translator number 3 - who obviously uses the same tool as translator nr 2 - didn't give us a human option. Oh dear. Do these mistakes matter? Let's put it this way. When we saw the results of the free translations, we just laughed out loud. Now imagine your customer or business partner doing that to one of your letters. Still not convinced? Have a look at a further example which includes a Dutch idiom:
The doctor wouldn't have looked very good if he'd used the free translations for his interview, would he? Now you know the risks of using these free translators. But if you want to play it safe, and you'd like to know more about the translation service at Write for Business, please click here. Free Translations | Translation prices | | Return Home | Editing & Proofreading | Translation | Copywriting | About Us | Resources | Nederlands | |
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