Google Translate is going live. The world’s most comprehensive set of translation technologies will now be aided by human beings translating documents upon request.
Google employees won’t be in the business of translating documents. Rather, Google will offer volunteer and professional translators the opportunity to use Google tools and technologies to translate. In previous columns, we’ve discussed the need for localization in translation. It looks as if Google will take the lead on using local translators to aid machine translation.
Google Translation Center will enable users to upload a document, choose a translation language, and select from Google’s registry of professional and volunteer translators. If a translator accepts, users will receive the translated content back as soon as it’s ready.
The potential for use by SEOs and Internet marketing managers is huge. The service may offer affordable ways to translate not only URLs but entire Web sites.
Google’s translation search feature matches a current translation with previous translations, so it won’t be necessary to translate a document more than once.
In short, Google could create the world’s largest repository of completed homework assignments for students taking a foreign language.
We’ll keep you posted as Google’s human-assisted translation service officially launches.
Related reading
What does visual search mean for ecommerce in 2017?
Since the early 2010s, visual search has been offering users a novel alternative to keyword-based search results. But what commercial opportunities does it offer brands today?
What will Google’s expanded policy on harmful content mean for SEO companies?
Google recently announced that it will be expanding its hate-speech policy for publishers that use the company’s ad network. How does this affect SEO companies, and what can we do to make sure we and our clients stay on the right side of the policy?
Pump the brakes: SEO and its sweeping statements
Search Engine Optimization is an imperfect science, and the sheer amount of sometimes contradictory information available about Google updates and SEO best practices has led to a tendency for knee-jerk reactions and sweeping generalizations among the community. Here's why you don't need to panic.
What do we know so far about Google’s new homepage?
Google has released a new, feed-based mobile homepage in the US, in perhaps the most drastic and significant update of its homepage since 1996. We take a look at what the relaunch entails, and how it might change things for marketers.
