Human Translator: 4 Reasons that You Need One

Businesses that are expanding into foreign markets will probably need a human translator. In a country with different races – Chinese, Malay, Indian, etc. – and celebrates the rich diversity, many Malaysia’s organizations and corporations are on the constant need for translation as well.

We can’t deny the fact that technology is advancing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is taking the world by storm. Therefore, many people would argue that human translator will eventually be outdone by machines like Google Translate, translation apps and other translation devices.

While it’s true that these apps and devices can assist basic communications, it’s never possible for them to replace a human translator. We repeat – NEVER. They were created to aid humans with necessary tasks, but not to make human irrelevant. If you’re serious about breaking the language barrier into the lucrative markets and winning customers, you’ll definitely require a human translator. In this article, we will tell you why.

1. Translation is Culturally Specific

It is a culturally specific matter when it comes to languages and translation. It’s impossible for machines to interpret the culture difference and nuances, let alone knowing how the difference affects the translation. Machine translations are only able to provide word-for-word translations and most of the times the translated content doesn’t make sense to many natives.

In addition, in-house non-experienced translators may be unfamiliar cultures of different countries, leading to miscommunications and embarrassing social situations. Only professional translators with a deep understanding of a particular culture have the know-how, allowing them to navigate the cultural implication of languages. This is definitely something the algorithm cannot fulfill yet.

2. Industry Expertise of Professional Human Translator

Whether you’re in the retail business, international shipping and logistics, automobile, marketing and advertising, legal law, food and beverage, entertainment, or tourism, you need a native speaker with a strong knowledge of the industry. You can teach a robot to learn the meaning of words, but you can never teach them how to be an industry expert.

As mentioned earlier in point #1, Word Philocaly has a team of professional translators that will serve your industry needs when it comes to native language knowledge and fluency. We intuitively know how to handle different context of specific circumstances.

3. Words Could Have Different Meanings

It is very common that in many languages a single word can have much multiple meaning in a different context. Therefore, a regular person without deep linguistic knowledge might translate a word inadequately in a specific context.

Not to mention, machines make literal translation highly problematic because they cannot relate words to context. For examples, the word “mad” could mean someone is angry, crazy, or even foolish; “bark” could mean tree or the sharp cry of a dog, and lastly for the verb-form of “run” – don’t be shocked— it has more than 645 different meanings!

4. Only a Human Translator Is Able to Translate in Styles and Tones

Every document to be translated will have a different style and tone. For instance, when a sales copy has a persuasive and humorous style and tone, a machine will totally miss them. Without the specific style and tone, readers might not be able to fully understand the translated copy and the entire document may go down the drain for its purpose.

Thus, we can’t emphasize enough that only a human translation is possible to recreate and match the translated context to its original text. Without the style and tone in a translation, the document is downright flat and without a soul.

Only human translator can translate in styles and tones

The Final Thought

Voila! There you have it the 4 important reasons why you need a professional human translation. It is certain that machine translation can’t fix all our language issues especially when it comes to translation. The importance of “human touch” in translation is undeniable and machines can only serve as a mean to simplify the translation process, but not to replace human.

Word Philocaly provides fast, reliable and cost-effective translation services to all businesses in Malaysia and internationally. You will be able to receive the most accurate and the highest quality translation with fast turnaround, from one of our best, native and professional translator.

Call us or WhatsApp us now for more information.

Looking for writing service as well? Read our article “Copywriting vs. Content Writing: The Difference“ to find out which one suits your business needs the best!