Did you say Neural Machine Translation ?
Neural Machine Translation (or NMT), post-editing... You may have already heard these cryptic words. But what is it exactly ?
The advent of artificial intelligence has spared no field of activity – or almost none – and the translation industry is among the long list of victims forced to yield to the diktat of new technologies and their economic rationale. You will agree that not every sector can actually consider this to be “progress”. Although far from being a misoneist, I am convinced that the rise of machine-translation is the beginning of an impoverishment of language.
Henceforward translation will have to submit to the omnipotence of algorithms. Up to now, software made it possible to record each sentence translated by a human being and suggest it automatically whenever a document included an identical or similar sentence. This positive progress was a win-win solution for everyone. For the client, who could thus benefit from lower prices and a quicker turnaround. For the translation agency, which could ensure the utmost lexical coherence for its client while also saving time. And for editors, who could charge for their software and countless updates.
However, the universe of translation has now become abstruse like a labyrinth. The machine imposes its vision on man. Like the Minotaur, it draws from existing translations to suggest “ready-made” sentences. It takes possession of human creations and enslaves translators, making them become mere subordinates, reduced to improving its often second-rate performances. It foils human genius, language subtlety, the countless years devoted to mastering words and, by so doing, the author’s intention. It impoverishes language. It plunges an entire generation of highly qualified intellectuals into uncertainty, cutting their earnings in half. Translation cannot just be boiled down to aligning a series of words. It is not a binary world.
At Verba-Translation we have decided to oppose this trend. The translations we provide rely exclusively on our brain. We solely offer you contents that have thrilled us and which we very subjectively believe can meet your expectations and stakes. We banish aseptic translations. Our translators with a legal background detect any style issues in order to convey a clear message, in line with the author’s intention. Because each word counts.
Welcome to all those who, like us, refuse this dehumanization and cultural aridity.