Looking at the rise of Translation technology today really worries the human Translations. The long running debate between machines and human Translations still remains due to the fast-growing technology in the world.

Machine Translations

Also abbreviated as MT is a sub-field of computational linguistics that investigates the use of software to translate text or speech from one language to another. The idea of machine translation may be traced back to the 17th century. In 1629. MT performs simple substitution of words in one language for words in another, but that alone usually cannot produce a good translation of a text because recognition of whole phrases and their closest counterparts in the target language is needed. This has been tackled through the use of corpus statistical and neural techniques to handle differences in linguistic typology, translation of idioms and the isolation of anomalies. (Wikipedia)

There are number of free translation tools readily available like Google translate, Skype translator among others. With such an advanced technology, Does this spell doom for human translators?

Human Translations

However much there’s a fast-growing rate of technology and it is highly affecting the way we communicate; the answer would be No, it does not spell doom to human translations. Here are some of the reasons as to why human translations cannot be substituted,

• Accuracy

It’s always the translator’s job to ensure the highest level of accuracy with work. This is done through a number of proof reading sessions and constant reviews to ensure a good quality process whereas machine translations the level of accuracy can be low.

• Context

Translators/humans can interpret context and capture the same meaning, rather than simply translating each word. In this case machines cannot translate context.

• Idiom use

Qualified translators can understand the idiomatic differences between their languages which is not the case with Machine translations. They can also interpret the creative use of language, e.g. puns, metaphors, slogans, etc.

Both translation means play a different vital role in the translation industry and it is up to the client to choose the right service for a particular product.

If communication was more effective today globally then maybe the human trafficking cancer eating up the society today wouldn’t be spreading like it is doing. It is reported that up to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year according to the U.S department of Justice.

CNN reported on a story of two African young women one from Nigeria and another from Ghana who were taken from their parents as teenagers and promised good education in the United States of America only to be falsely imprisoned while forced to work up to 14 hours a day!

“…and all this in broad day light…” as said by the reporter since for 5 good years the girls would take the same route to go to their unpaid forced labour of braiding hair in a normal American residential area without being given any of the proceeds from the hair business. It is estimated that woman behind this atrocity made almost 4 million US dollars out of it.

Why translation is important in the human trafficking fight

So just maybe if these girls had been fluent in English back then, then maybe they would have eavesdropped on the evil woman’s conversations who subjected them to miserable life and robbing them of their childhood.

This comes easy to linguists because they easily know or understand a bit of so many languages. However not everyone is a linguist and that is where translation comes in handy. Maybe if governments globally would have linguists and professional translators and interpreters to interrogate foreigners crossing into their countries so as to save those under trafficking rings unknowingly.

It should be noted that the traffickers do not necessarily have languages in common with the victims because they usually employ middle men in the first stages usually known to the victims to convince them by use of deception. Lies told to victims of human trafficking include; lucrative job opportunities, high wages, good education etc.

However, this rarely comes to pass as they are put into drug trafficking rings, illegal organ harvesting where victims are maimed and have their vital organs like kidneys removed, prostitution and for various commercial activities where they do not see a penny. They are usually subdued in inhumane ways for example severely beaten, maimed, denied food and in extreme cases killed.

It is reported that there are over 30 million slaves in the world today which is sad since it is a developed world we are living in today with human rights put at the forefront like never before in all history. Videos made round in November of 2017 with black Africans being auctioned at slave markets in places alleged to be Libya just like in the old slave trade eras!

Therefore translation and interpretation is very important and should be embraced by every organization out there if possible because professional translation aids effective communication and thus would help to try get rid of the human trafficking ring.

Interpretation is under the many translation services offered and is vital during the communication process. This unlike translation that transfers meaning among written languages, Interpretation does the same but with spoken languages. Here an interpreter relays the message from the source speaker to the intended audience in a language they understand best and different from the one of the speaker.

Some of the various types of interpretation include;

Simultaneous interpreting; this type requires special equipment like head phones and microphones requires that the interpreter is placed in a sound proof room where he speaks in to devices that enable the audience targeted to understand. The audience is usually fitted with hearing aids that they alone and maybe other only get to hear the voice of the interpreter. Here the interpreter interprets the moment the speaker finishes a sentence. This is very useful for world summits and large conferences that involve people of the same goal and initiative but who speak and understand different languages. An example here is the UN summits and conferences where there are over 139 countries with different official or native languages.

Whispered interpretation: Is also on the market and is usually for very small unofficial events like tour guides to tourist destinations. Here an interpreter interprets to only one or two people as the main speaker does his thing, the interpreter does his thing at the same time as the main speaker making it prone to misinterpretations and miscommunication.

Consecutive interpreting: Is where the interpreter is close to the speaker and interprets every after a few words or sentences. This is very suitable for smaller gatherings or meetings like birthdays or small conferences. Sometimes this is because there are not so may languages involved here. In fact it is possible that the entire audience understand one of the two languages used. This kind of translation is very common at religious gatherings. The problem here is that the main speaker has to always wait and give time to the interpreter to get done with interpreting what the former said before thus consuming almost double the time.

Liaison interpretation: Involves interpreting directly as the conversation or dialogue goes on. It is meant to create and maintain a certain level of mutual understanding and is usually used for very small gatherings that involve a conversation like aspect. Problem here is that it is very easy for the interpreter to overshadow the main speaker. At the end of the day, an interpreter is a very important link in the communication process and should therefore be a professional one. This is to ensure accuracy when delivering the message to the audience in the form intended by the source of that very message.

For more information visit www.translate4africa.com