Machine Translation – End of Road for Human Translators?
With the increasing popularity of online machine translations, one question that is increasingly being asked is this: Will there be a time when human translators become obsolete? Having worked as a translator for a few years, I have had some experience using online machine translations. Let me answer this question with a confident NO! I will explain why below. Firstly, the key reason why machine translations work badly is because they do not understand ‘context’. While humans intuitively understand what this means, ‘context’ is a difficult word to explain properly. Teaching it to a...
read moreHonesty is the Best Policy
I wake early this morning to go for jogging. A habit that is long forgotten but I pick it again to keep myself fit and healthy. And perhaps, to jump start my “engine” for a wonderful day ahead! Usually, I would play a motivation cd in my little “cargo van” to perk myself up mentally…if the physical exercise did not work on me. Today, I am listening to Joe Girard. In case, you are wondering who is Joe Girard. He is the world’s Greatest Salesman. During his 15 year selling career, he had sold 13,001 new cars and trucks, and all at retail. This...
read moreLittle did we realise what our greatest asset is
As I was reading the latest issue of Times magazine, I came across an article that talks about “ideas that are changing the world”. One of them would be our jobs being the new assets now. It used to be when we are trying means and ways NOT to work, and making passive income and investments, such that we can have more free time to ourselves. Times when we talk about the new properties whether they are worth investing, or when the latest designer brand or clothing is out and comparing whether who has more collector items. Somehow, it seems like we got more materialistic and everything...
read moreBook Translation – Keeping the Faith!
I have just finished reading “The Fifth Mountain” by Paulo Coelho. For those who do not know him yet, he is the same author who wrote the international bestseller “The Alchemist”. This book “The Alchemist” has been translated into over 60 different types of languages and has sold over 75 millions copies! As I am reading “The Fifth Mountain”, I found that it is immensely intriguing and it keeps me reading on to find out what will happen to the main character, Elijah. It is a story about a person finding his own courage and commitment to...
read moreDo You Have What It Takes to Be a Successful Translator?
Recently, I just watch this movie “Slumdog Millionaire”. It is a very compelling movie illustrating a man’s journey in finding his own dreams, true love and destiny. It strikes a deep thought for me. We will never know our true purpose until we step out and start this self-discovery journey. We just gonna keep on believing and taking actions towards our dream. When I first joined my friend’s translation company, a lot of my people (even my family members) start to question me. Are you making the right move? What if the situation does not turn out the way that you...
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