Crowdsourcing and its role in translation

Crowdsourcing is a new concept which is becoming very popular. This concept is defined by Wikipedia as a neurologist compound of Crowd and Outsourcing for the act of taking tasks traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, and outsourcing them to a group of people or community, through an ‘open call’ to a large group of people (a crowd) asking for contributions.

Facts that mislead people’s idea about crowdsourcing

At the same time contributions can be paid or unpaid. Most of the time, this implies that contributions are unpaid.

Is crowdsourcing a good idea?

Usually people are mislead by different reasons as to why they should resort to crowdsourcing translations like, the fact that sometimes they underestimate the importance of a translation, or, most of the time because it is free of charge.

Most of the time, people who work for free as translators have other sources of income and they do it “for a cause” or just because “they are in it for their hearts”, but this doesn’t necessarily proves that they are professional linguists.

Crowdsourced translation cannot replace professional work

There are many reasons why a crowdsourced translation cannot replace professional work, such as:

• Usually, people engaged in crowdsourcing are only contributing with small bits of text. This means that the crowdsource team will need many participants. The result would be even worse if those people would have to translate a few hundred credit reports or patents over the weekend.
• In case of confidential documents, we guarantee that a company will always agree to use the services of a professional translation agency, knowing that their documents data is safe.
• A team of unpaid editors wouldn’t check if the translation made by lots of translators is consistent with the rest. Not even a paid one.
• Expecting a good quality translation made by an unprofessional linguist is a matter of luck.
• In case of medical and legal cases, a poor translation can lead to all sorts of complications.
• As long as there is the argument “it’s free”, many people will give crowdsource translation a chance. That’s why some of these translators use campaigns to “educate the client”, which, in our opinion will never work.

Benefits of crowdsourcing translation

Faster results: If you are a company requiring a project to be completed quick and cheap, crowdsourcing has a great potential to achieve it on time, because more people will simultaneously work on the project.

Cost savings: One of the top advantages of using crowdsourcing is associated with smaller costs or free for the work performed by volunteers, customers, business partners, experts or other members of a community who want to get connected and serve with the translation works.

Feedback in real-time: Companies that allow their translation projects to a community will get feedback in real-time from the members participating in their projects, allowing them to pick from different variants.

Engagement: Using the power of the crowd in the translation projects and including the community members in a company’s projects will create more engagement and brand engagement because they will provide and work for the same goal.

Efficiency: Another advantage of using crowdsourcing for translation projects is efficiency and the reality that you can use a higher number of resources to work at your project at the same time.

We are here for you

The most important thing is that crowdsourcing is not here to stay. In time it will disappear and it will only be remembered as a fad.
A few things we can tell you are that:

• We at NordicTrans always guarantee our product
• Our translators are the most qualified professionals
• We always deliver on time
• You get high quality translations at affordable prices and no crowdsourcing.

Send us your request today to info@nordictrans.com and a Project Manager will get back to you with a quote. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Role of Professional Translators

Professional translators play a crucial role in ensuring accurate and high-quality translations for diverse audiences. As part of a translation team, they meticulously navigate the translation process, leveraging translation memory and collaborating with colleagues to maintain consistency and efficiency. While volunteer translators may contribute to crowdsourced translation platforms, professional translators uphold the highest standards of quality and accuracy. Their expertise in Machine Translation and understanding of translation quality standards cater to international audiences, effectively communicating messages in their target languages. Through localization services, they adapt content to resonate with native languages and cultures, widening the audience reach. From collaborative translation efforts to traditional translation services, professional translators foster a supportive translation community, enhancing user experience and delivering precise translations within specified turnaround times. With a focus on quality control and leveraging social networks, language service providers ensure seamless communication across various language pairs, incorporating artificial intelligence where necessary to optimize translation processes. Despite the availability of volunteer translators on a volunteer basis in online communities, professional translators remain indispensable for delivering accurate and impactful translation activities.

Human translation remains an indispensable service, especially when handling user-generated content that requires nuanced understanding and cultural sensitivity. Unlike automated systems, human translators offer expertise in navigating the subtleties of language, ensuring accurate and contextually appropriate translations. Crowdsourced translators, while potentially cost-effective and diverse in language availability, may vary in quality and consistency compared to professional linguists. When accuracy and reliability are paramount, opting for human translation ensures that user-generated content is accurately conveyed, maintaining clarity and integrity across languages.

Global Localization Efforts

The localization process involves adapting content to resonate with specific cultures and languages, catering to a wide range of audiences across diverse regions. Community translation initiatives engage both amateur and human translators to ensure accurate translations that meet the needs of target users. From user interfaces to translation tasks, the goal is to reach a wider audience by fostering a community of volunteers who contribute to localization projects. These crowdsourced projects harness the collective efforts of individuals worldwide to achieve comprehensive localization. Through collaborative efforts and careful attention to linguistic and cultural nuances, community translation initiatives enable effective communication and engagement across global audiences.

Navigating Language Barriers

Language barriers can hinder effective communication, but translation memory tools and machine translations offer solutions by storing and reusing previously translated content. While machine translations provide quick boaty solutions, they often lack the nuanced understanding that language professionals, including native speakers, can offer. Crowdsourcing platforms like Mechanical Turk sometimes provide alternatives technology , but quality may vary. In contexts such as legal or official documents like birth certificates, accuracy is paramount, necessitating the expertise of language professionals to ensure precise and culturally sensitive translations.

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