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The Difference between a Professional Translation vs an AI Translation

If you haven’t been living under a rock for the past few years then you know that AI has virtually taken over the world. The role of AI technology is increasing in all walks of life from healthcare and retail to security and finance.


The AI tech is improving day by day and there isn't a single business or government entity in the world that can't take advantage of the improvement in AI technology. However, it should still be noted that it has some limitations. Individuals and businesses that don't know how to efficiently use AI for their tasks might end up creating more problems for themselves.


If you are someone who has to regularly hire translation services then you might also be tempted to try out AI translators however, before you can do that it is important to know the limitations of AI to understand if AI translators would give you better results or if you should just go with a professional translator. Below we examine the difference between a professional translation vs an AI translation.


The Major Differences between a Professional Translation and AI Translation

Choosing a professional translator vs an AI Translator can be a challenging decision especially if you don’t know the extent and limitation of the current AI technology. Many people might be tempted to use AI translation over professional translation services because of different reasons including lower price but learning about the major differences between the two will help you make a better and more informed decision.

Professional Translators

AI Translation Services

They can get fatigued and require breaks

AI Translation does not require any breaks

An individual professional translator can only translate text to a limited number of languages

AI has more range when it comes to languages

High-quality and technical professional translators might charge high prices

Can be cheaper

A professional translator can translate the text in  a way that captures the emotions and the true essence of the text

AI cannot translate emotions perfectly and is a more word-by-word translation

Can capture and incorporate nonverbal ques in the translation

Cannot capture nonverbal ques

Can translate technical and legal terms and is also familiar with the meanings of jargon

AI might not be that equipped to properly translate technical or legal languages

A professional translator will take a reasonable amount of time to translate

AI Translation is faster

Professional translators can translate your confidential documents offline

With AI translation services there is always a risk that your confidential documents can be hacked

Choosing a Professional Translator vs an AI Translator

These are just some of the major differences that people need to know when choosing a professional translator vs an AI translator. As you can see they both have their positives and negatives. In some aspects, a professional human translator is more efficient while in other areas the AI translation services take the point. So saying one is better than the other wouldn’t be right.


With current AI technology, it is almost impossible to completely shift to AI translation services. However, just relying on traditional translation methods is also not the way to move ahead in this tech-savvy world.


Based on your requirements you might opt for one or the other or you can implement a combination of both. In fact, if you want optimum results you might need to incorporate both methods. For example, the AI tool might be able to translate a lengthy document in a quick time and then the professional translation services can just add the emotions, context, and nonverbal ques and then proofread the translation for the best results.



A team of multicultual translators

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