- Table of Contents
1. What is DeepL?
This blog post will give you a detailed explanation of DeepL.
What is DeepL?
DeepL is a machine translation service developed by DeepL SE, headquartered in Germany, in 2017. In 2020, Japanese was added to its list of supported languages, leading to its widespread use in Japan. The company also offers a web search service called "Linguee," which allows you to search for example sentences with the original text and its translation displayed side-by-side. DeepL has a reputation for providing natural and highly accurate translations compared to other machine translation services, as the data on which it was trained is such high quality.
Features of DeepL
DeepL utilizes cutting-edge AI technology to achieve the highest level of translation accuracy. Compared to other translation services, DeepL is especially capable of producing natural expressions that resemble those of a native speaker. This natural-sounding translation quality has made DeepL popular in various countries around the world, including Japan.
In 2020, the neural networks integrated into the DeepL Translator were significantly improved. As a result, it has become capable of expressing finer nuance compared to other translation services. Not to mention, its high translation accuracy has garnered an ever-growing reputation. And furthermore, translations utilizing their engine consider context, allowing for even more accurate and natural sentences.
DeepL offers two versions of their service: a free version and a paid version (DeepL Pro). The paid version includes features related to business and confidentiality, such as API integration and translation data protections. Therefore, it is supported not only by individual users but also by companies and professional translators. For more details on how to implement it in your business, please see the blog article below.
How to Implement DeepL Automatic Translation Services in Your Business
For more details on the differences between the free and paid versions of DeepL, see the following blog.
What's the Difference between DeepL's Free Version and Paid Version (DeepL Pro) – Pricing, Security, Character Count
This year, DeepL Write will be released
DeepL Write is an AI-powered writing correction tool. It not only corrects grammar and punctuation mistakes but also suggests options for expression, tone, and style. Currently, it supports English (UK and US) and German, with plans for additional language support in the future.
DeepL Write is particularly useful in business and academic settings. Specifically, when writing papers or reports in English or German, it allows for more appropriate wording and expressions by referencing suggested phrases. It is also extremely valuable for those learning English or German. By utilizing this tool during the learning process, users can deepen their understanding of English and German grammar and expressions, making the acquisition of foreign languages smoother.
2. Future Trends in Machine Translation
Here are some topics introducing the future trends of machine translation.
The demand for computer-aided tools is increasing globally
In recent years, as globalization has spread, communication with people from various countries and regions has become commonplace. Alongside this, the demand for machine translation to overcome language barriers has risen globally. Machine translation is technology that automatically performs translation tasks that were traditionally handled by humans. While hiring human translators to directly handle translation work has long been the norm, in today's world where information is rapidly disseminated, efficient translation methods are in demand. This is where machine translation powered by AI (artificial intelligence) comes into play.
Thanks to great advancements in AI technology, the accuracy of machine translation has improved, enabling users to achieve translations that are significantly more natural-sounding than their past counterparts. Furthermore, because the translation speed has also increased and the investment required for re-editing and corrections has lessened, this has led to the widespread use of machine translation in many companies and organizations. Machine translation is utilized not only for document translation, but in a wide range of fields such as business chats and negotiations, guidance in the tourism industry, the translation of academic papers, and more, thereby increasing its value even further.
In the future, the evolution of machine translation technology is expected to accelerate further, leading to higher quality translations. As AI technology in particular continues to evolve, more advanced translation techniques utilising neural networks and improvements in natural language processing are anticipated. As a result, translations that currently require specialized knowledge or a deep understanding of complex cultural backgrounds, which are still considered difficult to translate, much less automate, could become possible through machine translation.
The popularity of cloud-based online machine translation services is high
Machine translation services are offered in various formats, including packaged software, on-premise servers, and cloud-based solutions. Among these, cloud-based online machine translation services are particularly popular.
One reason why cloud-based online machine translation services are popular is cost reduction. Traditional offline machine translation systems required the purchase and installation of expensive translation software and dedicated servers, but cloud-based services eliminate such costs. This allows small and medium-sized enterprises and individual business owners to access translation services at affordable prices.
In addition, cloud-based online machine translation services do not require dedicated servers. This significantly reduces the load when performing machine translation, offering the advantage of lowering capital investment and maintenance costs. Furthermore, since it is an online service, translation work can be done anywhere with internet access, enabling a flexible working style.
Moreover, it is noteworthy that cloud-based online machine translation services always utilize the latest translation technologies. Previous offline translation software required updates every time a new version was released. However, with cloud-based services, providers automatically update the system, allowing users to always access the latest translation technologies. In the future, cloud-based online machine translation services will continue to evolve further.
Neural machine translation is gaining notice
Neural machine translation is a type of machine translation that uses neural networks modeled after the neural circuits of the human brain. It is characterized by generating translations that are more natural and easier to understand compared to traditional machine translation. Neural networks learn based on the input data and output the results. By training on language data and context, the translations become relevant to that context. This allows for handling expressions and phrases that traditional machine translation struggled to address.
The reason neural machine translation is gaining attention is that it is expected to provide translation quality close to that of human translators. Traditional translation methods often result in grammatically correct but unnatural text, which can make it difficult for readers to understand. However, it is believed that utilizing neural machine translation can overcome such issues.
In the future, it is expected that advancements in neural machine translation technology will improve quality and speed, making it applicable in various situations. Neural machine translation will play an increasingly important role in our lives and work.
3. Compariing the Translations of the Currently Popular ChatGPT and DeepL
Currently, the globally recognized ChatGPT can also be used for translation purposes.
What is ChatGPT?
In recent years, AI (artificial intelligence) has rapidly evolved due to technological innovation and has deeply permeated our daily lives. One of the fields where remarkable advancements can be seen is conversational AI, with ChatGPT developed by OpenAI being particularly well-known. OpenAI is a non-profit organization founded in 2015 by leading researchers and investors, including Elon Musk and Sam Altman, dedicated to the research and development of AI. It aims to ensure that AI can be used safely and broadly, pursuing benefits for people around the world.
The biggest feature of ChatGPT is its ability to engage in natural conversations like a human. This is made possible by advanced natural language processing technology, which supports many different languages. Additionally, ChatGPT has the flexibility to generate appropriate responses to a variety of topics and questions, allowing users to obtain specific solutions and information related to their interests and inquiries.
ChatGPT learns from vast amounts of data and has the ability to understand human language. This capability improves with each version, providing a richer conversational experience. Furthermore, this technology is being utilized across a wide range of fields, and it is expected to be beneficial in areas such as chatbots, customer support, content creation, and education.
The functions for generating, translating, and summarizing text are also very useful. It is possible to generate blog posts or email content by specifying the content, translate text into foreign languages, or create text in a foreign language from scratch. Additionally, it is possible not only to translate foreign language text into your native language but also to summarize it.
It is easy to process with ChatGPT. For example, in the case of translation, you simply input the sentence you want to translate after the chat prompt, "Please translate the following sentence into English." This instruction is referred to as a "prompt." By changing the prompt, ChatGPT can perform various tasks such as Q&A, text generation, translation, and summarization.
Comparing translations of ChatGPT and DeepL! What are the differences?
1. Operation Method
ChatGPT and DeepL have different operation methods. ChatGPT requires not only the text to be translated but also a prompt (instructions or commands) to perform the translation. In contrast, DeepL allows for translation simply by inputting the text to be translated, making it more intuitive to operate. Regarding usability, there is also a difference in the speed of displaying translation results. DeepL starts translating as soon as you begin entering the text to be translated, allowing for fast translations. On the other hand, with ChatGPT, translation begins after providing instructions, which may take a little longer.
2. Translation Options
DeepL displays one translation for each original text, but clicking on phrases within the translation presents different translation options. ChatGPT provides one translation, but if you instruct it with a prompt like "Please provide another translation option for 'phrase'," it will display an alternative translation. While ChatGPT can achieve the same functionality as DeepL depending on the prompt, it requires inputting prompts, which adds more steps compared to DeepL.
3. Glossary
DeepL has a glossary feature that allows you to register terms and translate specific phrases with designated translations. On the other hand, ChatGPT does not have a glossary feature, but you can specify translations for specific phrases using prompts. However, with ChatGPT, you need to specify the terms in the prompt each time, which can be cumbersome and not very practical.
4. Translation Accuracy
DeepL is characterized by fluent and natural translations, but there may be instances where words are omitted when translating long sentences, or entire sentences may be missing when translating multiple sentences. It is essential to compare the original text with the translated text to ensure that nothing is missing. ChatGPT's translations tend to be more literal and closer to word-for-word translations, but omissions are less common. Additionally, ChatGPT is capable of more than just translation; it can also refine the translated text, expand on the content, or summarize it.
Please see the blog post below regarding the translation accuracy of DeepL and ChatGPT.
What is the translation accuracy of DeepL? Comparison results with Google and Microsoft for business emails
What is the translation accuracy of DeepL in medical translation? Comparison results with Google/Microsoft/Amazon
What is the translation capability of ChatGPT? Thorough verification of each step in the translation process
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4. Summary
This blog post explains the trends in DeepL and machine translation, and compares the translation accuracy of DeepL and ChatGPT. While it is possible to use the popular ChatGPT for translation, due to the nature of chat services, interaction through chat is necessary. If you want to use machine translation, it is recommended to utilize services specialized in machine translation.
At Human Science, we offer the automatic translation software MTrans for Office, which can utilize.DeepL and ChatGPT.
Features of MTrans for Office
① Unlimited number of file translations and glossary integration for a fixed fee
② One-click translation from Office products!
③ Secure API connection
・For customers who want further security enhancement, we also offer SSO, IP restrictions, and so on.
④ Japanese language support by a Japanese company
・Response to security check sheets
・Payment by bank transfer available
(In Japan, DeepL only supports payment via credit card.)
Try out MTrans for Office with our 14-day free trial offer. Please contact us for more information.
MTrans for Office is an easy-to-use translation software for Office.
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