Can AI Accurately Translate English to Japanese? - Some Examples
Example 1: A simple sentence from a novel
This quote is from Erin Hunter's Warriors series. All that you need to know here is that the 'three' mentioned are obviously non-human (they are cats). While some portions of the translation are correct, such as the first line and most of the second in Japanese, the AI assumes that the protagonists are human despite the mentioning of paws.
Example 2: Academic studies
This sentence was taken from a literature review of tonic immobility in various shark species. The translation here is done fairly well with no egregious errors. If anyone finds any, feel free to comment on this post!
Example 3: Slang
This translation is hilariously awful due to how unnatural it is. The use of 面白い (interesting) does not suit the meaning of the sentence. To describe something as 'funny' it would be better to use 楽しい. Also, native speakers of Japanese tend to use 草 as an equivalent to 'lol,' and not (笑). A better translation overall would be: それはとても楽しいですね草。
Example 4: An English phrase
This translation was surprisingly well done! 薄幸 (ill-fated) is an equivocal term to 'star-crossed.'
Example 5: A famous quote
The translation of this quote is also well done.
So, can AI be used to accurately translate a piece? That depends. Google Translate was able to translate shorter sentences/terms, as evidenced in example 4. It struggles however when a sentence gets more complex (with the exception of example 2), or incorporates slang terms. From these examples, I believe that AI can be used for short sentences/terms and in academic writing, but it would be difficult to use in longer, more complex sentences or when translating social media posts, which use a lot of slang.
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