Free translations


	Free translations Sounds great, doesn't it? Free translations on the Internet. And it's true, they do exist. So, why aren't we all using them? To put it simply, because they are often inaccurate and misleading. Unfair criticism? Well, we tested these free translators to make sure we aren't being too critical. We went to three of the most popular sites on the 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: Dutch sentence: de mens moet in de dienstverlening van de occupational health care afdeling centraal staan Free translator nr 1: The man centrally must stand in the service of the occupational health care division Free translator nr 2: People must be in the service of the occupational health care department at issue Free translator nr 3: People must be in the service of the occupational health care department at issue Correct Translation: Staff in the occupational health care department should have a central role 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 idioms. 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 me 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: Dutch sentence: om verzuimmanagement 'handen en voeten' te geven is een zogenaamd verzuimprotocol een goed instrument Free translator nr 1: oversight management 'hands and feet' a so-called oversight protocol a good instrument is to be given Free translator nr 2: to give 'hands and feet' to staff absence management a so-called staff absence protocol is a good instrument Correct Translation: To turn sick-leave management into a reality, you need efficient sickness protocol. As you can see, incorrect words have been chosen. Nor could they cope with the idiom 'handen en voeten' It just gave a literal translation. 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. \| Why Use Us? \| Write It Yourself? \| Free Translations \| \| Return Home \| Services \| About \| Prices \| FAQ \| Contact \| Resources \| Recommended Books \| Nederlands \|