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15/08/2024
Machine translation has come a long way in recent years, from its humble beginnigs in the 1950's and the initial rule-based systems to statistical machine translation in the first decade of the 2000's to rapidly advance to neural machine translation and now LLM translation. Machine Translation is a true enabler, integrated in most tools like our ECOChat virtual assistant (try it on our home page). MT offers powerful tools for businesses and individuals alike as in our increasingly connected world, breaking down language barriers has never been more important: companies are not just international or multinational, they are borderless. This article explores some of the top machine translation software companies and services available today, taking as a reference our current mention by Gartner in their Hype Cycle for Language Technologies in 2024 and 2023.
LLM Translation, Multilingual Model, NMT and Automatic Post-Editing (APE)
ECO by Pangeanic
ECO has gained a strong reputation for producing more natural-sounding translations, with an emphasis in European languages like English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, plus Asian like Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Arabic. ECO handles more than 200 languages, not pivoting through English. Pangeanic specializes also in non-English language pairs (like Spanish < > Basque, Catalan, Galician, French < > German, or spanish / French / German < > Arabic or Japanese, etc.) thanks to its fine-tuned LLM and automatic Post-Editing service. Automatic Post-Editing is an evolution of their Deep Adaptive MT allows users to upload a tmx or tsv file so that ECO instantly adapts and imitates the users' terminology and style:
- Support for 200 languages (as of 2024)
- User-friendly interface
- Integration with major CAT tools like Trados Studio, MemoQ, Phrase
- Document translation platform
- API access for developers
- Affordable monthly plans for bulk translation, custom engines and automatic post-editing
Many users find Pangeanic's translations to be more context-aware and fluent compared to other services to their ability to quickly post-edit according to their preferences. The company is known for its European R&D projects in MT (Europeana Translate, NTEU, etc.) and it uses a unique combination of a 200-languages multilingual model, custom neural machine translation engines and LLM translation or automatic post-editing.
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Examples of Automatic Post-Editing by Pangeanic with the word "abono" (meaning fertilizer but "credit note" in the financial field) and "caldo" (broth but "wine" for the specialists) are correctly applied during automatic post-editing
Multilingual Model Machine Translation
1. Google Translate
Google Translate remains one of the most widely used machine translation services. It supports over 200 languages and it boasts a powerful and famous translation panel - a pioneer in the online MT service. Google Translate handles many minority or low-resourced. It offers:
- Website translation
- Mobile apps for on-the-go translation
- Real-time conversation mode
- Image translation
While not always perfect, Google Translate's vast language coverage and ease of use make it a go-to choice for many users. However, Google Translate does not offer any custom engines nor the ability to automatically post-edit content.
Neural Machine Translation
1. DeepL
DeepL has gained a strong reputation for producing very natural-sounding translations, particularly for European languages although some users find the translations "too free" sometimes. Key features include:
- Support for 29 languages (as of 2024)
- A user-friendly interface
- Integration with Microsoft Office
- API access for developers
Many users find DeepL's translations to be quite context-aware and fluent compared to other services. However, DeepL does not offer any custom engines nor the ability to automatically post-edit content, although users can manually correct the translations on the Write panel.
3. Microsoft Bing Translator
Microsoft's offering integrates well with its suite of productivity tools. Notable features:
- Support for over 60 languages
- Real-time conversation translation
- Custom translation models for specific industries
- API integration for developers
Microsoft Translator is particularly useful for businesses already using Microsoft's ecosystem. However, Microsoft Bing Translator does not offer the possibility to create custom engines nor the ability to automatically post-edit content.
4. Amazon Translate
Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides Amazon Translate, which is especially powerful for businesses looking to integrate machine translation into their applications. Key points:
- Pay-as-you-go pricing model
- Customizable translation models
- Integration with other AWS services
- Support for 75+ languages
Amazon Translate is an excellent choice for developers and businesses requiring scalable translation solutions.
5. SYSTRAN
One of the oldest players in the machine translation field, SYSTRAN offers:
- Both on-premises and cloud-based solutions
- Industry-specific translation models
- Support for over 55 languages
- Strong data security features
SYSTRAN is particularly popular among government agencies and large corporations requiring high levels of data protection.
Rule-based MT is not dead. In fact, before the advent of LLMs, it made a lot of sense for language pairs for which rules could be built. One of the best examples is Apertium.
Takeaways
The field of machine translation is rapidly evolving, with improvements in neural network technology and LLM translation pushing the boundaries of what's possible. While no solution is perfect, these top providers offer powerful tools to bridge language gaps in our global society.
When choosing a machine translation service, consider factors such as language coverage, terminology management, confidence scores, accuracy, pricing, integration capabilities into your existing workflows, and specific features that align with your needs. As technology continues to advance, we can expect even more impressive developments in the world of machine translation.