Every day, millions of texts are translated worldwide: instructions, legal documents, literary works, and others. With the development of technology, machine translation (MT) has reached an entirely new level. Companies are actively using automated systems to streamline their processes. While translating text quickly and accurately is now easier than ever, there’s still a significant challenge.
No matter how advanced the algorithms are, machine translation often feels… soulless. An ordinary reader may not notice the difference in content, but he will sense that something feels "off" in the text. It’s as if, instead of lively and expressive narration, he’s hearing a timid, monotonous voice.
Why does this happen? Why can’t even the most advanced machine translation systems compete with humans when it comes to conveying the style, tone, and rhythm of a text? And most importantly, what can be done about it?
Lingvanex knows the answer to this question. And not only do they know, but they offer a solution that can change the way we perceive machine translations.
The Human Factor in Translation
Machine translation algorithms have made significant progress in recent years. They handle billions of data points, analyse linguistic structures, and provide translations at incredible speeds. Yet, there is still something elusive that machines struggle to capture in these translations. This "something" refers to the subtle shades of meaning, emotional undertones, and cultural nuances that are obvious to humans but remain mere statistical patterns for machines.
For example, automatic metrics like BLEU, COMET, or TER might indicate that the translation is highly accurate. The system may correctly translate all the words and adhere to grammatical rules. However, when it comes to the reader’s perception, issues arise. The text, while accurate, often feels cold and impersonal, as if translated by a robotic voice devoid of intonation. A person might not be able to pinpoint exactly what is wrong, but he will sense that the text has somehow lost its "soul".
This is where the human factor comes into play. Translators do more than just translate words—they convey style, emotion, and context, preserving the unique atmosphere of the original text.
The Role of Style, Audience, and Tone in Effective Translation
When it comes to literary translation , style, target audience, and tone play a crucial role. There are no identical texts, just as there are no identical readers. Each text requires a delicate approach—whether it's a novel, scientific research, or a journalistic article. For a text to "come to life" in another language, it's essential to consider its style, emotional weight, cultural context, and how the target audience will perceive it.
For example, translating fiction involves preserving the author's unique style. Conversational tone, sarcasm, irony—all these elements must be conveyed in a way that allows readers in another language to feel the same atmosphere that the author intended.
And what about the target audience? Publications for teenagers, academic circles, or business professionals will be received very differently, even if the topic is similar. The translation must account for these differences and speak the language of the audience.
Tone also plays a significant role. A formal document for a bank requires one approach, while a light-hearted article on healthy living calls for something entirely different. However, machine translation often struggles to capture these nuances, which can result in texts that feel flat or even inappropriate.
This is where Lingvanex steps in. The company has developed a solution that takes all these factors into account—from style to tone. As a result, translations become much more lively and tailored to specific needs.
Case Study: From Machine Translation Doubts to Tailored Solutions
Let's imagine a hypothetical company, LitGlobal, specialising in the translation of non-fiction literature into European languages. For over a decade, they have exclusively worked with professional translators and editors, ensuring high-quality translations. However, the process was time-consuming and resource-intensive. To automate their translation projects, they began exploring machine translation options.
The benefits were clear: fast translation, automation, and reduced human resource costs — the initial results were impressive. But with each new project, more doubts arose.
After several projects using machine translation, LitGlobal’s editors began encountering a new problem. Readers and clients started leaving feedback like, "Yes, the translation is correct, but it feels too dry and mechanical." LitGlobal faced a dilemma: should they continue using machine translation, sacrificing style, or revert to full human control, losing speed and cost efficiency?
Lingvanex: A Customised Solution to Improve Translation Quality
Many companies face the same problem. But what if machine translation could be customised to adapt to specific needs, as if it was done by a professional translator? This is exactly what Lingvanex offers.
Lingvanex’s secret lies in deep system customization. Instead of relying on a one-size-fits-all approach, the system can be tailored to a specific client, text, or audience. What does this mean in practice?
- Genre and style customization: Whether it’s a historical novel or the results of laboratory research in organic chemistry, Lingvanex tailors its translations to fit the text’s unique style and tone.
- Consideration of the audience: Texts for children will sound easy and accessible, while academic papers will be precise and formal. This ensures that the translation meets the audience’s expectations.
- Tone adaptation: Serious tone for business texts or light and ironic for entertainment materials — Lingvanex allows all this to be conveyed in translation.
Additionally, Lingvanex offers a unique feature — this level of customization is provided for free . This is especially valuable for companies that regularly work with texts, such as publishers, journalists, media outlets, and anyone else for whom high-quality text transmission is critical.
Customised translation from Lingvanex not only solves the problem of robotic-sounding translations but also offers personalised solutions that allow machines to work just as well as humans. And even if a client is initially disappointed with the results of machine translation, Lingvanex can always fine-tune the system to meet their specific needs, making it a real lifesaver for those who value textual authenticity.
Finally, an important advantage is that Lingvanex helps reduce editing time . Thanks to the system’s accuracy and stylistic flexibility, editors no longer have to make dozens of corrections to ensure the text flows naturally. Sure, any typos or grammatical errors are automatically corrected. From the first draft translations produced by the system are close to what a human translator would offer.
Lingvanex vs. Standard Machine Translation: Real-Life Examples
To better understand the MT problem and how Lingvanex solves it, let’s look at a few specific examples. We will take the original English text and compare machine translations with how Lingvanex adapts them to the target audience and style.
- English text: The warm evening sun bathed the old village in a golden glow, and the distant sound of church bells echoed through the quiet streets.
Standard MT (French): Le soleil chaud du soir baignait le vieux village dans une lueur dorée, et le son lointain des cloches de l'église résonnait dans les rues tranquilles.
Lingvanex translation: Le soleil du soir, doux et chaleureux, baignait le vieux village d'une lueur dorée, tandis que le son lointain des cloches de l'église résonnait dans les rues paisibles.
The standard translation is grammatically correct but sounds too formal and dry. Lingvanex took into account the emotional colouring of the text , replacing " chaud " with the more appropriate " doux et chaleureux " to convey warmth and cosiness and selected more harmonious words to describe the streets (" paisibles " instead of " tranquilles ").
- English text: The hypothesis suggests that the observed phenomena are the result of complex chemical reactions within the cellular structure.
Standard MT (French): L'hypothèse suggère que les phénomènes observés sont le résultat de réactions chimiques complexes au sein de la structure cellulaire.
Lingvanex translation: L'hypothèse postule que les phénomènes observés résultent de réactions chimiques complexes au niveau de la structure cellulaire.
Lingvanex uses more scientific and formal terms , such as "postule" instead of "suggère," which better fits the scientific context.
- English text: Please be informed that the meeting has been rescheduled to 3 PM on Thursday. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Standard MT (French): Veuillez noter que la réunion a été reportée à 15h jeudi. Nous nous excusons pour tout inconvénient que cela pourrait causer.
Lingvanex translation: Nous vous informons que la réunion a été reprogrammée pour 15h jeudi. Nous vous prions de nous excuser pour tout désagrément que cela pourrait occasionner.
Lingvanex makes the text more formal and professional , enhancing the standard translation with more official wording, such as "Nous vous informons" and "désagrément."
- English text: Her voice carried a hint of sadness, yet a determination that couldn’t be ignored.
Standard MT (Italian): La sua voce portava un accenno di tristezza, ma una determinazione che non poteva essere ignorata.
Lingvanex translation: Nella sua voce c'era un velo di tristezza, ma una determinazione inarrestabile che non poteva passare inosservata.
The translation is correct in meaning but sounds too literal, losing emotional nuance. Lingvanex adapted the tone, making it more expressive. Instead of the literal " un accenno di tristezza ", the more emotional " un velo di tristezza " was used, adding depth to the perception .
- English text: The project has been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, and the team is currently revising the plan.
Standard MT (Polish): Projekt został opóźniony z powodu nieprzewidzianych okoliczności, a zespół obecnie przegląda plan.
Lingvanex translation: Projekt został opóźniony z powodu nieoczekiwanych okoliczności, a zespół obecnie pracuje nad aktualizacją planu.
The translation is technically correct, but the phrasing seems too formal and dry, which may not match the company’s style. Lingvanex considered the business but less formal tone, replacing the overly official " przegląda plan " with the more modern and comprehensible " pracuje nad aktualizacją planu ", which better suits the Polish business audience .
- English text: The little squirrel quickly ran up the tree, grabbing as many acorns as it could fit in its tiny paws.
Standard MT (Polish): Mała wiewiórka szybko wspięła się na drzewo, łapiąc tyle żołędzi, ile zmieściła w swoich małych łapkach.
Lingvanex translation: Mała wiewiórka migiem wskoczyła na drzewo, zbierając tyle żołędzi, ile mogła zmieścić w swoich malutkich łapkach.
The translation is accurate but too formal and not adapted for a children's audience. In the Lingvanex version, brighter and more emotional words ("migiem", "malutkich") are used, making the text more engaging for children .
Conclusion: Combining Speed, Accuracy, and Style in Translation
Machine translation technology has reached incredible heights, but when it comes to natural, literary translation, humans still manage to do what machines cannot — convey not only the meaning but the subtle nuances of a text. However, this does not mean that machines and humans cannot work together. MT systems do not replace humans, but with the right customization, they can become an indispensable tool for optimising processes and improving results.
Lingvanex’s solution is an example of how machine translation can be not only accurate but also stylistically appropriate if it is adapted to the client’s needs. Customising translation for style, tone, and audience allows for results that once seemed impossible: machine translations that sound like the work of experienced translators.
In a world where speed and cost matter, but quality remains crucial, Lingvanex’s solutions enable companies to work faster and more efficiently while preserving the "soul" of the text, which is so important to readers.
