Appalling quality of "NMT" matches - have you experienced this? Thread poster: Anna Sarah Krämer
|
|---|
I am currently working on a project for a leading tool manufacturer. Instead of the good old MT this project uses something called "NMT" - I suspect they ran the material through a chatbot with the prompt: Translate this material into German! Make no mistakes!
The result is laughable/scary (depending of your mood of the day). With MT in its current state I had predictable errors but most segments were usable, and a good MT paired with the right topic could get me to a good editing s... See more I am currently working on a project for a leading tool manufacturer. Instead of the good old MT this project uses something called "NMT" - I suspect they ran the material through a chatbot with the prompt: Translate this material into German! Make no mistakes!
The result is laughable/scary (depending of your mood of the day). With MT in its current state I had predictable errors but most segments were usable, and a good MT paired with the right topic could get me to a good editing speed with reliable output.
Now there's a random, very confusing mix of complete bullshit, generously sprinkled all over the text: spelling errors, grammar blunders, literal translation, context errors, stuff you only imagined in feverish nightmares. The strangest thing is: the shitbot gets it right most of the time. Then, in some random segment, there's chaos. And of course, there's no consistency of formal/informal address, no consistency of terminology, no consistency between matching segments - I have to assume the shitbot hallucinates a new translation for every segment it finds.
Until now I was operating under the assumption that "AI" in translation was just the same old MT with a shiny new label, but it's worse than that, they are actually having chatbots handle translations. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Hideki Yoshida
Japan
Local time: 06:13
Member (2024)
English to Japanese
+ ...
I guess all MT systems today, including "LLM translation" or Transformer-based MT, use some kind of NMT (neural MT).
"Good old MT" reminds me of statistical MT, which has mostly become extinct.
| | | | Anna Sarah Krämer
Portugal
Local time: 23:13
Member (2011)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | No transparency about the products used | Sep 29 |
Hideki Yoshida wrote:
I guess all MT systems today, including "LLM translation" or Transformer-based MT, use some kind of NMT (neural MT).
"Good old MT" reminds me of statistical MT, which has mostly become extinct.
I believe one problem is that providers are not really transparent about the technology driving their products. AI is a marketing term, not a description. I also believe new startups without deep knowledge of the language industry and the intricacies of translation might be trying to stake their claim, in this case with ridiculous results.
My comparison has always been Deepl - they did have a short period of their product failing in the same way I see with these "NMT" segments, and I suspect they have backpedaled to whatever worked before their tentative introduction of "AI". Most of the time their EN-DE translations have been reliable enough to save time.
With agency clients trying to push prices further for AI vs MT I believe it's important to push back. In this case I have alerted the client to the bad quality, because it can't possibly be in anyone's interest to make translation more difficult while also making the output worse - and that's what is happening in this case.
[Edited at 2026-09-29 12:57 GMT]
| | | | Li-Hsiang Hsu 
Francuska
Local time: 23:13
French to Chinese
+ ...
| NMT is the classical MT we've been using for about 10 yrs | Sep 29 |
However, the situation has now evolved. Some providers can implement a routing system that allows switching between LLMs and NMT based on the complexity of a given task or the length of the context. They can also employ a hybrid workflow combining NMT and LLMs, depending on the architectural design. But they still call it NMT.
| | |
|
|
|
Zea_Mays
Italija
Local time: 23:13
English to German
+ ...
You surely already did it, but it's paramount to inform clients about the bad quality in order to educate them about the lies tech bros are using to sell them their ai services. Not to mention the increasingly worrying data security aspect.
| | | | Anna Sarah Krämer
Portugal
Local time: 23:13
Member (2011)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Zea_Mays wrote:
You surely already did it, but it's paramount to inform clients about the bad quality in order to educate them about the lies tech bros are using to sell them their ai services. Not to mention the increasingly worrying data security aspect.
I did that, and so far have gotten no answer. But I know if we keep insisting, more people will listen, so I will keep telling my clients. This boat is slowly turning around and businesses are starting to realize they've been scammed by the tech bros. It doesn't matter how 'future proof' you want your company to look like - some quality problems can't be hand-waved away.
One of the most ridiculous offers in the last days was a new AIPE scheme: get paid only for what you edit, get paid nearly nothing for what you just read. On top of the already laughably low MTPE rate. Since I see more work in my language pair appearing again I told them to 'go to where the pepper grows', as we say in German, and I'd encourage all colleagues who can afford it at the current moment to do the same.
| | | | Daryo
Local time: 22:13
Serbian to English
+ ...
| Anna Sarah Krämer
Portugal
Local time: 23:13
Member (2011)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Daryo wrote:
A digression.
Or maybe not that much of a digression, as it might turn out to be a good illustration of the 'benefits' of shoddy use of AI.
...
The variation on 'go indulge in some sex and travel' is the right one - am I guessing right?
From the long winded explanation, which might not be correct, but is entertaining enough in its overexcited feverdream verbarrhea to have me snort out in disbelief:
... Its literal translation may leave one perplexed; however, delving deeper into its figurative meaning unveils a fascinating insight into cultural nuances and linguistic richness.
Within this idiom lies an invitation to embark on an adventure beyond conventional boundaries, to explore uncharted territories where pepper plants thrive. By venturing where pepper grows abundantly, individuals are encouraged to step outside their comfort zones and embrace unfamiliar experiences. The essence of this idiom lies in embracing challenges head-on and seeking personal growth through traversing unexplored paths. ...
Beautiful. It's a prime example of word slop. So many words! They sound good! They evoke emotions! Put together, they make up a text! It's good to fill your web page with lots of words!
| | |
|
|
|
Joakim Braun
Švedska
Local time: 23:13
German to Swedish
+ ...
| Daryo
Local time: 22:13
Serbian to English
+ ...
| Oops I confused slope and slop | 04:05 |
I'm glad I have at least inadvertently provided some light entertainment.
Although as it’s often the case we laugh at something that should make us cry.
I dread to think about the number of unsuspecting readers who will quote the AI's confabulations (a.k.a. AI slop) as 'THE authoritative explanation'. The damage done by Google Translate pales into insignificance by comparison.
Thanks for the link, but my knowledge of German can be measured only in homeopatic doses.
| | | | There is no moderator assigned specifically to this forum. To report site rules violations or get help, please contact site staff » Appalling quality of "NMT" matches - have you experienced this? | PerfectIt | Check translations faster for consistency, quality and style guide compliance
PerfectIt helps professional translators deliver error-free documents in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. It helps improve consistency, ensure quality, and enforce style guides. ProZ members receive a 30% discount off individual purchases of PerfectIt.
More info » |
| | Wordfast Pro | Translation Memory Software for Any Platform
Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users!
Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value
Buy now! » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
Translation news
