If you type the word “fly” into Google translate, it will have no idea if you’re specifically referring to the verb “to fly”, or any of the other possible meanings. Machine translators need context to understand language, just like humans do. That’s why, for example, when I say a phrase like “birds can fly”, you know that the word “fly” is referring to the verb “to fly”, rather than the pesky, buzzing insect known as a “fly”, or even the “fly” found on a pair of pants. Context is what is used to determine which meaning of a word is the correct one in a specific situation, even if the word itself has multiple meanings. In language learning terms, “context” refers to the surrounding “environment” that a word or phrase finds itself in. When you use Google Translate, never, ever use it to translate single words!īehind the scenes of Google Translate, the program is really a complex series of machine learning algorithms and neural networks that have been trained to translate words and phrases based on context. This is more of a recommendation than a strategy, but if you follow it, the quality of the translations you receive from Google Translate will be much, much better: I have a few key strategies, which I will share with you now. Quick and easy!īut how can we, as language learners, get the most mileage out of Google Translate? Once you’ve done that, Google instantaneously serves up the translated text on the right-side text box. All you need to do is type the text in your “starting” language on the left side, and then pick your “destination” language from the dropdown list on the right side. The system is not perfect, but in most cases it delivers free, reasonably-accurate translations in a pinch, without having to rely on human translators. Its purpose is to use a process called “machine learning” to take text that is in one language, and quickly and reliably translate it into another language. So, what is the purpose of Google Translate really?
Today, I'm going to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of Google Translate as a language learning tool, as well as all the ways in which you can use the service to benefit your learning. It is so popular, in fact, that in 2018, Google reported that the service translates approximately 143 billion words every day!īut how good is Google Translate, really? Is it really the best tool to use if you need a quick and accurate translation? Since its launch way back in 2006, there have been few translation services that are as widely used, by both language learners and non-language learners alike. If you need something translated from one language into another, what resource do you turn to?
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