Google translator: Pros and Cons

Nowadays it is hard to imagine modern life without online translators whether it is a trip to a store, a restaurant, or just a word/phrase you need to be able to communicate with your foreign friends. But are online translators so good when it comes to the level of professional communication, for example, for preparing a business report or a reviewing  some artistic work? Today in this article we will try to figure this out using Google translator as an example.

Google regularly updates the program, adds new features that simplify the use of the translator. So what are the main advantages of this application?

Pros:

    – large selection of languages;

    – a wide range of language pairs;
    – instant translation;
    – multiple text entry methods;

    – free service;

    – voice playback;

    – handwritten text recognition (but only to 45 languages);
    – advanced features in the mobile application.

Working with a translator is pleasant and convenient: choosing a language, writing text and translating it all takes a few seconds. Not only that, Google also offers a sound playback function so that we can understand exactly how the word is pronounced.

Cons:

    – does not take into account the context;
    – gives a word for word translation;

    – does not translate too big pages;
    – confuses synonymous expressions and homonymous words;

    – Google Translate is not private.

When communicating with a native speaker or translating an important document, these features of machine translation can become fatal.

Machine translation technologies have been actively developing in the last 60 years since their appearance as a by-product of cryptography technology. Nevertheless, the results of the work of automated translators do not go to any comparison with “live” professionals when it comes to official documents, websites or even business correspondence.