AI or Translation Agency? Pros and Cons at a Glance

Do you use wpMula or are you planning to? Soon, you’ll be able to translate your content automatically. While this feature is still in development, you can use various tools or a translation agency. Which option suits you best? In this blog, I outline several translation methods along with their pros and cons.

AI-Powered Translation

AI tools such as ChatGPT and other language models can translate texts at lightning speed. They understand nuances better than traditional automatic translators but can sometimes misinterpret specific meanings, technical terms, or complex sentence structures.

For example, the English phrase “She’s as cool as a cucumber” means someone is calm and composed. A literal Dutch translation (“Ze is zo cool als een komkommer”) would sound odd to a Dutch-speaking reader, right? 😉 Translation agencies adapt these expressions to fit the target culture and language.

Pros:

• Fast and readily available
• Better contextual understanding than traditional machine translation
• Affordable (if you don’t count your own time)

Cons:

• Not always entirely accurate
• Struggles with idioms and specialized terminology
• Potential delays if the server is overloaded or technical issues occur
• Limitations on the amount of text that can be processed
• Still requires human proofreading

DeepL and Google Translate

DeepL and Google Translate are well-known automatic translation tools. DeepL is praised for its high-quality, natural translations, while Google Translate offers extensive language support.

Pros:

• Extremely fast and easy to use
• DeepL often provides more natural sentences
• Google Translate supports a wide range of languages

Cons:

• DeepL supports fewer languages than Google Translate
• Both tools struggle with creative or context-dependent texts
• Higher likelihood of grammatical errors
• Hiring a Translation Agency

Hiring a Translation Agency

For professional and error-free translations, you can hire a translation agency, such as Fairlingo. They employ experienced translators who consider context, culture, and target audiences. Additionally, translation agencies now use smart tools and translation memories, allowing them to work faster and more efficiently.

Pros:

• Highly accurate and professional translations
• Suitable for legal, technical, and creative texts
• Proofreading by native speakers
• Consistent tone of voice
• Hassle-free service

Cons:

• More expensive than AI tools or automatic translations
• Although translation agencies have become faster, it still takes more time

Which Option Will You Choose?

The choice of a translation method depends on your needs. Do you need a quick (short) text, and is a minor error acceptable or easy for you to correct? Then an AI tool or DeepL is a good option. Do you require an error-free and professional translation? Then a translation agency is the best choice.