E-ging Solutions is a world-leading translation company with specialties in machine translation.
We hope you enjoyed our blog post last week that provided you with 4 useful tips on how to optimise your source text for Machine Translation?
Here are 4 further tips to help you get on your way with writing for MT. Like part 1, these tips are easy, simple to follow, and will result in content optimised for Machine Translation.
Tip 5. Remove unnecessary words
Get rid of words that do not contribute to the meaning of a sentence.
For example:
Good sentence = Call us today to get started with Eging MT
Bad sentence = Why not call us today to get yourself started with Eging MT Machine Translation
Tip 6. Avoid ambiguity
The active voice is a style of writing that cuts out vagueness and ambiguity. Again, if a human is unsure on the exact meaning of a phrase, then a Machine Translation engine is going to struggle, especially if your sentence has a double meaning.
For example:
Good sentence = I will always remember my first time using a Eging TI MT engine.
Bad sentence = My first time using a Eging TI MT engine will always be remembered.
This phrase is vague because it is unclear who will always remember using the Eging TI MT engine; it could be you, someone else, or the world in general.
Tip 7. Use the definite article, even when you don’t want to
Try to specify nouns using “the”, as an MT engine can struggle to distinguish between verbs and nouns. A lot of short nouns can also be verbs, for example ‘skip’, ‘bank’, ‘lodge’. Instructions often tend to omit the definite article.
For example:
Good sentence: Build the Eging MT engine. Train the Eging MT engine. Use the Eging MT engine.
Bad sentence: Build Eging MT engine. Train Eging MT engine. Use Eging MT engine.
Tip 8. Avoid idioms/clichés/slang/colloquialisms
A Machine Translation engine may not convey the correct meaning of colloquial phrases and the meaning may not make sense to international users.
For example:
Good sentence = Get started immediately with building your Eging MT engine; the technology is ready for you.
Bad sentence = Jump in feet first and build your Eging MT engine today; the technology is at your fingertips.
And that’s it! Pretty simple, right? By following these simple but important steps, you will write documentation that is much more Machine Translation friendly. That means less post-editing time, faster outputs and lower costs!
