Google Translate, Friend or Foe? Ask Vimeo

A recent TechCrunch article penned by Leena Rao posed the common question: How does one say Vimeo in French?

The translation left Rao’s readers grinning, but it was unfortunately much to Vimeo’s chagrin: Google Translate thinks ‘Vimeo’ is pronounced ‘youtube’.

When prompted to translate the English sentence ‘videos on Vimeo’ into French, Google produced: ‘des videos sur YouTube’. According to Rao, only when Vimeo is submitted as a singular word, does Google correctly keep it as Vimeo in French translation. However, when it is incorporated into a sentence, Google chooses to change Vimeo into YouTube.

google-translate-vimeo-youtube

According to Nick from Many Body Theory, Google arrived at this using Statistical Machine Translation (SMT). In a comment on the TechCrunch article, Nick suggested that SMT is more complicated than just casting it off of Bayesian (as another commenter had previously).

For Google, SMT is a lens through which it determines if certain words can be used interchangeably. Nick broke it down as follows:

In the most basic terms, it notices that many times when someone writes a sentence about YouTube, the same type of words/phrases around it are also common for Vimeo. It is a very cleaver method of using user generated content to come up with translation of texts that normally dictionaries would not be able to provide.

Well, according to bloggers at Search Engine Roundtable, this nearly landed Google with accusations of libel and slander from Andrea Allen, Vimeo’s Community Assistant, in their Google Groups forums.

Google Translate has since ceased translating Vimeo into YouTube.

ALTA’s Angle:

Google Translate poses a particular threat of mistranslation that other arguably less advanced free online translation services do not.

The potential for malicious manipulations of the “suggest a better translation” function could, ostensibly, grant a user the power to influence the translation of any word with a False Friend indeed .

Irrefutably, Google Translate is a convenient tool. But it is by no means a dependable mechanism for translating brands across languages and cultures. In fact, there is no such mechanism. Such endeavors require translation and localization services performed by experienced human translators.


Images courtesy: Jason Webber & Régis Gaidot

Other Resources

Written Translation Services

Written Translation Services ALTA offers written translation services in over 100 different languages. Our team understands how important it is that your documents are translated accurately, and we work with subject matter experts to ensure that industry-specific documents are translated...

Learn More

SDS and MSDS Translation

If you run a company that keeps hazardous chemicals on site, it is essential to obtain an SDS, or Safety Data Sheet, for each product kept. SDSs contain potentially life-saving information, and therefore it is incredibly important for employers of...

Learn More

HR Compliance Translation Services

Understanding HR Compliance Translation Services In our increasingly interconnected world, employees with diverse language skills and backgrounds add unprecedented value to employers. In 21st-century organizations, human resources materials may need to be translated. Safety instructions and employee manuals should be...

Learn More

Contact Us

Get Started Today

Interested in our language services? Complete the form or call us during business hours (9 AM to 6:00 PM ET) at 800.895.8210.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Preparing for your test?

View our test prep materials or FAQ’s for common questions about taking a test.