The best way to get accurate translations

[Dieselfit]

I think the best way to get the perfect translation is by asking your friends, or discussion forums like here. If you're lucky, you'll find a teacher that you can become friends with online and ask him or her via Skype or voice. This way, you'll get the correct grammar and the right translation.

Google translator isn't reliable and it's only basic as far as translations go.

[ghanashyam]

Any person can do the translation but you need really a person who knows both languages perfectly because the in each languages the words do have multiple meanings. One has to choose the one that goes correctly in the text.

[LauraM]

I think the best way to get the perfect translation is by asking your friends, or discussion forums like here. If you're lucky, you'll find a teacher that you can become friends with online and ask him or her via Skype or voice. This way, you'll get the correct grammar and the right translation.

Google translator isn't reliable and it's only basic as far as translations go.

I agree with what you say about asking around to get help, especially if it's just a few words or phrases, that may be the solution.  The advantage with forums such as this is that you will get a variety of responses, and collectively, participants may come up with a more accurate translation. 

As for getting the best translation, I think it depends also on what it is that you want translated and in what circumstances.  If you have something that is more substantive in length and/or it's crucial to get as much accuracy as possible, I would seek out some sort of authority.  As you mentioned, perhaps that person might be a teacher with whom you have personal contact.

As for Google translator, I agree. It has its limitations but it can give a reasonable overview.  Perhaps if you don't have any other options -- you're pressed for time, for instance and can't find someone to assist you immediately -- it may be helpful to compare different results from various free online translators, and to also look in a dictionary so that you yourself can actively engage in the process.

If it's appropriate you might also want to Google particular phrases to see how they are being used online in various contexts.  I find this helpful even with my own native language, English, to see how words and/or phrases are used. 

[KC]

My brother tries to teach me all the time. I have confidence in asking people who are more fluent. I am sure they will give me more accurate information compared to google translate.

[viciosomundial]

Guys, asing a human being about languages is obviously better than asking a machine. The machines don't speak like humans, they might have the info but not the syntax or such.

The correct answer is obviously asking someone good with both languages as mentioned above, but if you know no one, then Google Translate will do the job. Just be sure to translate everything from English to the language you want, that's the most precise language. If it's the other way around...then translate it to English and hope for the best.

[sidney]

I agree with what has been said that it's much better to ask someone who's naturally fluent in the language. But if you don't know anyone, then aside from this forum, you can also go to Yahoo Answers, there are lots of people asking questions regarding language translations in the "Languages" section.

[Dame6089]

You just have to ask someone who speaks it fluently. A lot of things may be technically right, but may sound awkward in the language.

[calticitron]

While I agree with most replies here to depend on a person to properly translate for you instead of letting a machine do it, there isn't always somebody available to ask. I suggest that if you need an entire sentence translated, and doubt the ability of Google Translate to do its work properly, try translating by word. In a sentence, you would eventually notice which words are the important ones. You can translate each word separately and put them all into context. This solution always worked for me, and I hope that it works for others too  :grin:

[Antiquarian]

As far as accuracy of translations are concerned, a native human speaker always trumps an instant machine translator. The native speaker is the User - the Master - of a Language whilst machinery only match and identify a Language.

Furthermore, human native speakers can give extra tips, provide better translations or give sound advice while the capacity of a translating machine is limited based on its programming.

Best way to get things translated well? Find a reliable, trustworthy native speaker who most importantly understands your Language... and who can adjust your Language with his/hers/its.

Regards,

The Antiquarian.

[devilishomar]

I tend to follow a pattern whenever I want to get as accurate a translation as possible of a sentence. They're listed as below:

1. Translate the sentence in Google translate (eek!?) to get a general feel of the translated sentence.

2. Look up every individual word's translation from a good dictionary

3. Replace the words which you feel were sloppy in the Google translation with the dictionary words

4. Refine the sentence to give it proper formation

5. Repeat

This has proved quite helpful for me in a number of situations.

[LindaKay]

I agree. You can also pay someone to translate for you. Otherwise, it's going to be all broken. You might be able to understand what is being said, but it won't be correct if you use a free service.

[littlebelgianwriter]

You just have to ask someone who speaks it fluently. A lot of things may be technically right, but may sound awkward in the language.

That is so true in my opinion! You need some degree of fluency in order to be able to translate accurately.

In my view, you have to be able to think in the language you are translating to, or at least have some idea of how are sentences are made up in the target language at hand.

For me, it works this way: when I am writing English, I think in English, when I am writing French, I think in French, when writing Dutch, I think in Dutch.

That way, you are able to avoid weird sounding syntax.

That is the most important to me: that a translated piece has got a natural feel to it.

And even if you think in the language you are translating to, you might want to look up certain words in a dictionary. When you do, make sure you compare the words in the dictionary to one another and the context you are about to use them.

Sometimes it makes sense to google the sentence you are about to construct.

Usually Google provides plenty of useful texts where the same sentence or part of it, is being used.

By Google, I mean the search engine and how it can be used in the target language, and not Google Translate.

[linguaholic]

If you are in need of a professional translation, you could check out the platform www.proz.com. Another way to get a very high quality translation would be to use the platform odesk.com. You can find highly qualified translators there speaking almost any "language pairs".

[Daimashin]

Unless Google is self aware and knows exactly the context that you want translated, it's always better to ask another human that knows the language well. This is because, humans know how to think and give correct translations based on the context that you're looking for. Google translate can only be used as a reference at best.

[JohnSword]

As someone has mentioned before, the best way to get accurate translations is to find a person who is well-versed in both languages. Of course, such a person might be hard to find.

For me, I would do my translations on Google Translate first. Thereafter, I would look at the context and determine whether a translation is accurate. If not, I would try the various forums, where native speakers are always more than happy to help me.

[Bonyi]

But it helps to some extent especially when there is no one close and you need to get something done right away. It is easier and faster to use google translate than getting friend to help out

[Baburra]

I think the best way to get accurate translations is to not get too attached to the sentence and paragraph structure of the language you are translating. I find that different languages will often have different flows to them and I think it's best to translate whole paragraphs instead of doing them sentence by sentence, so as to have a better result of conveying what is being portrayed.

[angelicagapit]

I think the best way to get the perfect translation is by asking your friends, or discussion forums like here. If you're lucky, you'll find a teacher that you can become friends with online and ask him or her via Skype or voice. This way, you'll get the correct grammar and the right translation.

Google translator isn't reliable and it's only basic as far as translations go.

I definitely agree with you. Forums like these are extremely helpful. You simply start a new thread, and people are willing to translate for you.

Google translate doesn't translate each word sometimes and I'm left off still not understanding a certain phrase in a different language.

I'm thankful I found this site.

[qaximor]

I think the best combination for translation is a person with a lot of knowledge of english and the combination of that with Google Translate. GT has developed really well in the past years. It really translates perfectly now.

[Gmac9100]

Yeah, but that sounds completely unrealistic. You are not likely to find someone online who would do that type of thing for free. The best method to get accurate translation is to buy one of those high priced programs specifically made to translate whatever language you're using. That is the most realistic method.

[littlebelgianwriter]

I think the best combination for translation is a person with a lot of knowledge of english and the combination of that with Google Translate. GT has developed really well in the past years. It really translates perfectly now.

You are right to say that Google Translate has improved a lot over the last few years. Mostly, it will provide a translation that is accurate in terms of meaning. However, it still does not sound fluent, and it will not pick up subtleties and certain aspects of syntax which may be of vital importance to the comprehension.

Mostly, Google Translate can be used for personal use, when the translation is not needed for commercial or official purposes. However, I would not recommend to send a letter that is translated by Google translate to a business relation or the authorities.

Secondly, some languages are better translated by Google Translate than others. It would all depend on the language used, the difficulty of the topic and the circumstances.

[eppie]

The best way to get accurate translation (at least for me) is to find a native speaker of the language you are trying to translate. If you can't find it among your friends and acquaintances then better hire a professional translator in freelance sites like Elance or Odesk. 

[linguaholic]

The best way to get accurate translation (at least for me) is to find a native speaker of the language you are trying to translate. If you can't find it among your friends and acquaintances then better hire a professional translator in freelance sites like Elance or Odesk. 

Good point, Eppie. Odesk is definitely a great source for translations. There is also a really popular translation platform (forum) that you might wanna consult, it is called PROZ. The link is http://www.proz.com

[Trellum]

I think the best way to get the perfect translation is by asking your friends, or discussion forums like here. If you're lucky, you'll find a teacher that you can become friends with online and ask him or her via Skype or voice. This way, you'll get the correct grammar and the right translation.

Google translator isn't reliable and it's only basic as far as translations go.

Great tips, but isn't so easy to find a native speaker willing to do this for free just like that, specially if we are talking about a lengthy document that needs to be perfectly translated. Sadly I think the best and only way to get an accurate translation is paying. I have checked a few sites that offer a really good and accurate translation services for a fair price!

I'd honestly never mind to pay cash for that, specially if I really needed the translation and had spare money to pay.

[raytalks]

You're absolutely right, I have used google and other translation services, but the meaning is never translated accurately. It was only after checking with people who speak the same language, that I have realized, that it is never accurate. There are different words that have the same meaning, but each of them are used in a specific context, and this can be understood only by being able to understand the meaning of a whole sentence or phrase. A translator can never do this, or it has to be really good to be able to do this. So its best to have a friend, or at least a real person you can chat with online, to learn  the true meaning of the language.