Recently, I was asked about the readability and reliability of Google Translate. As China plays a significant role in the domain industry, there is increasing interest to read Chinese domain news, which is often written in Chinese. Many investors turn to Google Translate to translate Chinese news to English, but my experiment that I share in this article suggests strong caution when using this tool.
In this experiment, I chose a very simple piece of news: the sale of a domain name in an auction. You can see the original text here. The main part of the story is reproduced below with only minor editing changes, which is followed by the text produced by Google Translate. The parts in bold indicate problems for discussion.
Chinese Text
Google Translate
The result was disappointing because Google Translate failed to convey the important information in the news, as follows:
In this little experiment, I have found so many errors -- some very critical -- that I don't feel confident trusting Google Translate to be able to translate from Chinese to English with reasonable accuracy. Therefore, I suggest that you use it with great caution. If possible, check with a native Chinese speaker for confirmation.
Follow me to learn more about Chinese domain names.
This blog post was inspired by @Tytus and @equity78. Special thanks go to the NamePros editing team for their great support.
In this experiment, I chose a very simple piece of news: the sale of a domain name in an auction. You can see the original text here. The main part of the story is reproduced below with only minor editing changes, which is followed by the text produced by Google Translate. The parts in bold indicate problems for discussion.
Chinese Text
3数字域名792.com近200万元昨晚结拍
2016-01-16 16:51:00易名中国 等等 评论:0 条 分享：0
易名中国（eName.cn）1月16日讯，近期，有不少3数字域名纷纷结拍。就在昨晚，3数字域名792.com以199万元的价格完成结拍。域名792.com与“去就爱、七九爱”等谐音，读起来十分顺溜，非常好记，该域名含有国人喜爱的数字9，有长长久久之意，2又谐音“爱”，寓意非常好，可以用来搭建婚恋、游戏、动漫等类型网站。数字域名具有简单易记、使用范围广、建站不受限制等优势，因而受到人们喜爱，而3数字域名更是仅次于2数字，自去年以来行情价格就不断上涨。此前688.com在易名中国十周年拍卖会上还拍出了958万元的高价。
2016-01-16 16:51:00易名中国 等等 评论:0 条 分享：0
易名中国（eName.cn）1月16日讯，近期，有不少3数字域名纷纷结拍。就在昨晚，3数字域名792.com以199万元的价格完成结拍。域名792.com与“去就爱、七九爱”等谐音，读起来十分顺溜，非常好记，该域名含有国人喜爱的数字9，有长长久久之意，2又谐音“爱”，寓意非常好，可以用来搭建婚恋、游戏、动漫等类型网站。数字域名具有简单易记、使用范围广、建站不受限制等优势，因而受到人们喜爱，而3数字域名更是仅次于2数字，自去年以来行情价格就不断上涨。此前688.com在易名中国十周年拍卖会上还拍出了958万元的高价。
Google Translate
3 digital domain 792.com nearly 200 million last night beat knot
2016-01-16 16:51:00 easy to name China etc. Comments: 0 Share: 0
Renamed China (eName.cn) January 16 hearing, recently, there are many 3 Digital Domain have knot beat. Just last night, 3-digit domain 792.com 199 million price to complete the junction beat. Domain 792.com and "Love opinions, seventy-nine love" and homophonic, read Shunliu very, very easy to remember the domain name contains Chinese favorite numbers 9, there is a long long time in Italy, 2 and homophonic "love", meaning very well, that can be used to build a marriage, games, animation and other types of sites. Digital Domain has a simple and easy to remember, using a wide range of other advantages establishment unrestricted, so loved by the people, while 3 Digital Domain is second only to 2 figures, since last year, market prices have continued to rise. 688.com had changed its name in the tenth anniversary of China's auction also sold for 9.58 million yuan of the high prices.
2016-01-16 16:51:00 easy to name China etc. Comments: 0 Share: 0
Renamed China (eName.cn) January 16 hearing, recently, there are many 3 Digital Domain have knot beat. Just last night, 3-digit domain 792.com 199 million price to complete the junction beat. Domain 792.com and "Love opinions, seventy-nine love" and homophonic, read Shunliu very, very easy to remember the domain name contains Chinese favorite numbers 9, there is a long long time in Italy, 2 and homophonic "love", meaning very well, that can be used to build a marriage, games, animation and other types of sites. Digital Domain has a simple and easy to remember, using a wide range of other advantages establishment unrestricted, so loved by the people, while 3 Digital Domain is second only to 2 figures, since last year, market prices have continued to rise. 688.com had changed its name in the tenth anniversary of China's auction also sold for 9.58 million yuan of the high prices.
The result was disappointing because Google Translate failed to convey the important information in the news, as follows:
- 200 million: Very serious error. The translation should be "2m yuan."
- beat knot: Very serious error. Should be "end of auction (sold in auction)."
- Renamed China: Unnecessary translation. Should be kept as "eName."
- hearing: Serious error. Should be "information (news)" because "hearing" may suggest it is a rumor.
- junction beat: Should be "sold in auction." Also inconsistent with the other translation "beat knot."
- Love opinions, seventy-nine love:
- This part is important. It tells you the number rhymes with "go and love" and "seven-nine love" in Chinese.
- To be fair, it's even a challenge for me to translate. I am not sure of the meaning of "seven-nine love" but it probably means enduring love. According to Baidu, 79 may refer to the 63 days spanning from winter to spring.
- This piece of information suggests potential application areas of the domain name.
- long long time in Italy: Serious error. Should be "9 rhymes with forever." It has nothing to do with Italy.
- 2 and homophonic "love": Should be "the number 2 rhymes with 'love'."
In this little experiment, I have found so many errors -- some very critical -- that I don't feel confident trusting Google Translate to be able to translate from Chinese to English with reasonable accuracy. Therefore, I suggest that you use it with great caution. If possible, check with a native Chinese speaker for confirmation.
Follow me to learn more about Chinese domain names.
This blog post was inspired by @Tytus and @equity78. Special thanks go to the NamePros editing team for their great support.
