Mastering Chinese can be quite challenging, but it’s absolutely essential given the growing trade interactions between English and Mandarin-speaking communities. The increasing demand for seamless English-to-Chinese translation underscores the importance of having proficient Chinese translation services. To address this demand, Machine Translation (MT) engines like ChatGPT, Bard, and DeepL have gained popularity for facilitating smooth communication between languages.

MT engines have revolutionized translation, providing quick and cost-effective solutions. With the rising demand for multilingual content, businesses and individuals rely on these indispensable tools for international communication due to their ease of use, accessibility, and speed.

By offering quick and cost-effective solutions to the translation problem, MT engines have revolutionized the translation landscape. It has become increasingly important for businesses and individuals to count on these engines for their translation needs as the demand for multilingual content grows. An MT engine is truly an indispensable tool when it comes to international communication because of its ease of use, accessibility, and speed.

In this article, we’ll discover the ideal MT engine, and assess their professional Chinese translation quality, evaluating precision, fluency, terminology, localization, and tone/style.

How did we evaluate?

The evaluation was performed by a native Chinese speaker, and was based on a grading system from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score, using the following criteria:

  • Accuracy: Ensuring the correct representation of the intended meaning is vital to avoid distortions and errors. We will analyze how well each MT engine maintains the message and context from the original.
  • Fluency: Natural and coherent reading in the target language is essential for accuracy, clarity, and cultural relevance in the translation process. Fluency helps bridge the gap between the source and target languages.
  • Terminology: Precise terminology is crucial for effectively communicating scientific topics. Accurate word choices ensure the intended meaning is conveyed, preventing confusion and misunderstanding.
  • Localization aspects: Cultural context and geographical preferences significantly impact translation quality. We will examine how well each engine adapts the content to the cultural nuances of the intended audience.
  • Style/Tone: Different content types require specific tones and styles. We will assess how effectively each MT engine reproduces the original text’s intended tone and style. For example, legal documents demand a precise and formal tone, while marketing campaigns require a more conversational approach.

Machine translation tools used for evaluation

  1. ChatGPT: AI chatbot for natural language processing, sound in translation services and content production sets ChatGPT apart from other MT engines in its capability to function as a search engine, allowing users to input customizable prompts to fine-tune the desired translation output.
  2. Bard: Google’s Bard is a conversational-generating artificial intelligence chatbot. It is capable of natural language and can generate its own responses based on the user’s understanding input.
  3. DeepL: For quick, precise, and high-quality translations, use DeepL as your go-to translation tool. It has a deep learning neural network that powers it and can translate more than 70 languages.

Review of Chinese translation services provided by ChatGPT, Bard, and DeepL

Original text:

It is definitely advantageous to enter a market first, provided there is an asymmetry in the market. A company should be able to make an expert decision on whether being the first to enter an emerging market is worth the risk. This decision will largely depend on the company’s resources.

Companies that adopt a first-mover strategy constantly strive to increase their resources and build high-quality products before a follower arrives on the scene. However, if the follower develops resources that are better than those of the first mover, nothing prevents it from seizing the market share. Thus, the durability of the first-mover competitive advantage depends not only on the initial resources of the pioneer but also on the resources that it develops progressively.

Translated versions:

ChatGPT:

chatgpt translation

这绝对是有利的，如果市场上存在不对称，先进入市场会更有优势。一家公司应该能够在是否冒险成为首个进入新兴市场的公司方面做出专业决策。这个决定主要取决于公司的资源。

采用先行者策略的公司不断努力增加资源，并在追随者出现之前构建高质量的产品。然而，如果追随者发展出比先行者更好的资源，没有任何阻止它夺取市场份额。因此，先行者竞争优势的持久性不仅取决于先锋的最初资源，还取决于它逐步发展的资源。

Score: 3.9

Though essentially correct, there are some problems with fluidity and naturalness in the translation. A better representation of the intended meaning is needed despite reasonable preservation of terminology and style/tone. This can be achieved by using more precise language and making sure the intended audience can understand the text. It is also essential to accurately represent the original meaning while still using language that is understandable to the reader.

Bard:

bard translation

进入市场第一是绝对有利的，前提是市场存在不对称性。公司应该能够做出专家决策，是否值得冒险成为新兴市场的第一家。这个决定将很大程度上取决于公司的资源。

采用先发优势策略的公司不断努力增加资源并在追随者到来之前建立高质量的产品。但是，如果追随者开发了比先发优势者更好的资源，那么就没有什么可以阻止它夺取市场份额。因此，先发优势的竞争优势的持久性不仅取决于先行者的初始资源，还取决于它逐渐开发的资源。

Score: 4.2

The translation is accurate and maintains good fluency and coherence. To serve their intended purpose, many sorts of content need different tones and styles. The target language used in the translation is appropriate and exact, accurately conveying the original author’s meaning and guaranteeing that the material is grammatically and contextually sound.

However, despite its notable strengths, Bard also exhibits room for improvement. For instance, when dealing with specialized terminology within specific domains, Bard might face challenges that could compromise the precision of translations.

Additionally, in handling specific language elements like cultural metaphors or idiomatic expressions, Bard might encounter understanding errors, resulting in occasional inaccuracies in translation. In future iterations, if Bard can address these specific scenarios more effectively, its translation capabilities would certainly elevate.

DeepL:

DeepL translation

只要市场不对称，先进入市场肯定是有利的。一家公司应该能够做出专家决定，即率先进入一个新兴市场是否值得冒风险。这一决定在很大程度上取决于公司的资源。

采取 “先行者 “战略的公司会不断努力增加自己的资源，并在追随者到来之前制造出高质量的产品。然而，如果跟随者开发的资源优于先行者，就没有什么能阻止它抢占市场份额。因此，先行者竞争优势的持久性不仅取决于先行者的初始资源，还取决于其逐步开发的资源。

Score: 4.6

DeepL’s translation is quite impressive, reflecting a commendable degree of accuracy and fluency in its output. The tool has made significant strides in ensuring the fidelity of the content’s meaning and coherence.

However, it remains pertinent to highlight that despite these advancements, certain cultural and contextual deviations still emerge from time to time. These deviations can occasionally result in inaccuracies in word choices, underscoring the complexity of achieving a truly seamless translation that fully encapsulates all nuances.

Key Takeaways

With its consistently high and nearly flawless performance, DeepL emerges as a dominant player in swiftly delivering highly accurate solutions for Chinese translations. The precision and reliability of DeepL’s translations are noteworthy, making it a dominant player in this field. It’s important to recognize, however, that even with the remarkable strides made by MT engines like DeepL, there are still certain inherent limitations that must be acknowledged. While these tools excel in accuracy, they might struggle to capture the intricate nuances and intended nuances of the original text.

This is where the significance of MTPE (Machine Translation Post-Editing) becomes evident. Despite the impressive capabilities of MT engines, human expertise is crucial in fine-tuning translations to ensure the most accurate and contextually appropriate results. MTPE bridges the gap between machine-generated translations and human-level accuracy. While DeepL and similar MT engines provide a solid foundation, human intervention through MTPE helps eliminate potential misinterpretations, cultural discrepancies, and linguistic subtleties that automated systems might miss. Especially when dealing with the intricacies of a language as nuanced as Chinese, the selection of a professional translation service becomes imperative. Ulatus is a reliable choice, skilled in navigating linguistic complexities and ensuring translations of the highest quality. As technology continues to advance, the synergy of automated translation and skilled human post-editing becomes pivotal in achieving translations that are both efficient and of the highest quality.