Facebook, which is available in 65 languages, is now offering its collaboration translation tools to others. Websites or apps that uses Facebook Connect can now use the Facebook Platform to get help translating their sites/apps into any language that Facebook Translations supports. In the September 20, 2009 article in The New York Times, “Facebook Offers Translation Tool to Other Sites,” columnist Brad Stone interviewed Ethan Beard, the head of platform at Facebook. Beard addressed the human element of translation and the importance of the understanding of cultural values and idioms. Stone commented that “translation done by people is significantly better than what you would get otherwise.” In other words, using humans as translators is more affective and accurate than translating your website or documents via Machine Translation (MT) services.
The debate continued in an article at CNN.com today. The writer, John Sutter, lays out a pros and cons approach to the Google (MT) vs. Facebook (human, crowdsourced) debate in his article: “Who’s the better translator: Machines or humans?“.
Our opinion is that since the Internet is a global platform, translation is a must for businesses competing across languages and invisible online borders. People in favor of MT services or free translation reason that it is better to have some translation (even if it is not the greatest) than no translation. This could be true, but the reality is that professional websites need professional translation services. So, while Facebook Connect is a useful tool for pushing social media platforms across language borders, if you are interested in localizing your website or web application, you should consider open source tools, but use professional human translation services to make sure the cultural and idiomatic nuances are accurate.
Tags: CNN, Facebook, language, Machine Translation, Translation, translator
Translation has always existed as a means of communication between people of different languages and cultures. Translation services have become a vital part of many institutions, big and small. Any text can be translated from one language to another without compromising its meaning. Quality services can only be provided by a company that knows the requirements and expectations of their clients.