AI or Translation Agency? Pros and Cons at a Glance

Soon, wpMula will offer the ability to connect your favorite translation tool, such as DeepL, via the API. This allows you to quickly and easily translate texts within one environment. Until this feature is available, you can use various tools or a translation agency. Which option suits you best? In this blog, I compare different translation methods and their pros and cons.

AI-powered translation

AI tools, such as DeepL, ChatGPT, and other advanced language models, can translate texts at lightning speed. They understand nuances better than traditional translators but sometimes make mistakes with technical terms, interpretations, or complex sentence structures.

An example: ‘She’s as cool as a cucumber’ means in English that someone is calm and collected. A literal translation into Dutch (‘Ze is zo cool als een komkommer’) sounds strange to a Dutch-speaking reader, right? 😉 Translation agencies translate such expressions into something that better fits the culture and language.

Advantages:

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

Disadvantages:

• Not always completely accurate
• Struggles with idioms and specific jargon
• There may be delays if the server is overloaded or if there are technical issues
• There may be limits to the amount of text you can process
• Human proofreading remains necessary

DeepL and Google Translate

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

Advantages:

• Very fast and easy to use
• DeepL often provides more natural sentences
• Google Translate supports many languages

Disadvantages:

• DeepL supports fewer languages than Google Translate
• Both tools struggle with creative or context-dependent texts
• Higher chance of grammatical errors

Hiring a translation agency

For professional and error-free translations, you can hire a translation agency, such as Translation Agency Perfect. They work with experienced translators who take context, culture, and target audience into account. Moreover, translation agencies nowadays also use smart tools and translation memories, allowing them to translate faster and more efficiently.

Advantages:

• Highly accurate and professional translations
• Suitable for legal, technical, and creative texts
• Proofreading by native speakers
• Consistent tone of voice
• You are taken care of

Disadvantages:

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

Which option do you choose?

The choice of translation method depends on your needs and budget. Do you need a (small) text quickly, and is a small mistake acceptable or easy to correct yourself? Then an AI tool or DeepL is a great option. Do you need an error-free and professional translation? Then a translation agency is the best choice. Soon, you will be able to easily connect wpMula with DeepL, allowing you to translate faster and more efficiently within one environment. Keep an eye on our socials for the latest updates!