logo image
  • News
    • People Moves
    • Deal Wins
    • Demand Drivers
    • M&A and Funding
    • Financial Results
    • Technology
    • Academia
    • Industry News
    • Features
    • Machine Translation
    • — Divider —
    • Slator Pro
    • — Divider —
    • Press Releases
    • Sponsored Content
  • Data & Research
    • Research Reports & Pro Guides
    • Language Industry Investor Map
    • Real-Time Charts of Listed LSPs
    • Language Service Provider Index
  • Podcasts & Videos
  • Events
    • Email Marketing for Freelance Linguists
    • Preparing for the Critical Google Update Coming in May 2021
    • Design Thinking – February 2021
    • — Divider —
    • SlatorCon Coverage
    • Other Events
  • Directory
  • RFP Center
  • Jobs
MENU
  • News
    • People Moves
    • Deal Wins
    • Demand Drivers
    • M&A and Funding
    • Financial Results
    • Technology
    • Academia
    • Industry News
    • Features
    • Machine Translation
    • — Divider —
    • Slator Pro
    • — Divider —
    • Press Releases
    • Sponsored Content
  • Data & Research
    • Research Reports & Pro Guides
    • Language Industry Investor Map
    • Real-Time Charts of Listed LSPs
    • Language Service Provider Index
  • Podcasts & Videos
  • Events
    • Email Marketing for Freelance Linguists
    • Preparing for the Critical Google Update Coming in May 2021
    • Design Thinking – February 2021
    • — Divider —
    • SlatorCon Coverage
    • Other Events
  • Directory
  • RFP Center
  • Jobs

Register For Email Marketing for Freelance Linguists and Learn How To Win New Clients.

  • Slator Market Intelligence
  • Slator Advertising Services
  • Slator Advisory
  • Login
Search
Generic filters
Exact matches only
Advertisement
Reader Polls: MT Quality, LSPs at Risk, Data Breach, Universities

3 years ago

September 28, 2017

Reader Polls: MT Quality, LSPs at Risk, Data Breach, Universities

Features ·

by Eden Estopace

On September 28, 2017

3 years ago
Features ·

by Eden Estopace

On September 28, 2017

Reader Polls: MT Quality, LSPs at Risk, Data Breach, Universities

German-based DeepL launched in August 2017. Taking a page out of big tech’s marketing playbook, DeepL claimed its free MT tool handily beats Google, Microsoft, and Facebook’s offerings.

A number of experts were indeed impressed by DeepL’s output. A few translation buyers with whom Slator has spoken since the launch have expressed interest to explore using DeepL in production.

So we asked our readers to share their first impression on DeepL. Respondents to our informal poll in our weekly newsletter were split on their quality assessment, with 28% saying yes, it is indeed better than Google Translate, and another 28% saying no. Nearly a fourth (23%) do not have an opinion, while 21% are ambivalent and say “it depends.”

Advertisement

What could be more damaging to a company these days than a security breach that exposes customer data to hackers? Recent high-profile breaches have amplified discussions on cybersecurity. Think Deloitte and Equifax.

But what if no hackers were involved but sensitive, private information of individuals were exposed anyway simply because they were stored in the cloud by sheer incompetence? Such was the furor over the exposure on the Web of sensitive documents submitted for a quick translation at Translate.com.

This brings attention to the risk of free online services and the need for companies to take serious responsibility for the data entrusted to them. We asked our readers how confidential is the content they typically work on.

Almost a third (30%) say it is “strictly confidential” and another 26% just say “confidential.” A further 34% qualify their answer a bit by saying “confidential before publication.” This goes to show that there is a high degree of confidentiality involved in the daily work of professional translators. Only 11% say that the content they handle is public in nature.

In September 2017, the Judicial Council on Cultural Diversity in Australia released a document outlining new standards for contracting the services of interpreters in state courts.

Interpreters with professional level accreditation and who have formal training or degree in translation will be given top priority for top-tier work.

But does a university translation degree really prepare students well for starting out in the language services industry?

The majority of our readers (41%) do not think so. Another 43% were not so sure and say “it depends.” Only 16% believe that it matters at work.

While the talk is all about neural machine translation, progress in language technology is moving just as fast elsewhere. Large LSPs now offer myriad connectors to all kinds of content management systems and repositories. Cloud-based platforms try to connect linguists directly to clients. And translation management systems increasingly enable end-buyers to cut out language service providers from production altogether.

Where does this leave LSPs? The majority of our readers (46%) believe that LSPs with revenues under USD 5m are most at risk by technology-driven change over the next three years.

The rest of the votes were split evenly across the different revenue tiers — USD 5-10m (12%), USD 10-50m (10%), USD 50-100m (10%), USD 100-500m (12%) and over USD 500m (10%).

TAGS

DeepLprivacyreader pollstranslation
SHARE
Eden Estopace

By Eden Estopace

IT journalist and Online Editor at Slator. Loves books, movies, and gadgets; writes for a living, but codes for fun.

Advertisement

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SLATOR WEEKLY

Language Industry Intelligence
In Your Inbox. Every Friday

SUBSCRIBE

SlatorSweepSlatorPro
ResearchRFP CENTER

PUBLISH

PRESS RELEASEDIRECTORY LISTING
JOB ADEVENT LISTING

Bespoke advisory including speaking, briefings and M&A

SLATOR ADVISORY
Advertisement

Featured Reports

See all
Slator 2020 Language Industry M&A and Funding Report

Slator 2020 Language Industry M&A and Funding Report

by Slator

Slator 2021 Data-for-AI Market Report

Slator 2021 Data-for-AI Market Report

by Slator

Slator 2020 Medtech Translation and Localization Report

Slator 2020 Medtech Translation and Localization Report

by Slator

Pro Guide: Sales and Marketing for Language Service Providers

Pro Guide: Sales and Marketing for Language Service Providers

by Slator

Press Releases

See all
Iconic Launches INTRA Translation Platform

Iconic Launches INTRA Translation Platform

by Iconic

Pangeanic Is Now Certified to ISO 27001 Information Security

Pangeanic Is Now Certified to ISO 27001 Information Security

by Pangeanic

VSI Acquires Leading Brazilian Dubbing Studio, Vox Mundi

VSI Acquires Leading Brazilian Dubbing Studio, Vox Mundi

by VSI

Upcoming Events

See All
  1. Smartling - Global Ready Conference 2021

    Global Ready Conference

    by Smartling

    · April 14

    When you can't traverse the world, let the world come to you. Join our annual global event from home.

    More info FREE

Featured Companies

See all
Sunyu Transphere

Sunyu Transphere

Text United

Text United

Memsource

Memsource

Wordbank

Wordbank

Protranslating

Protranslating

Seprotec

Seprotec

Versacom

Versacom

Smartling

Smartling

XTM International

XTM International

Translators without Borders

Translators without Borders

STAR Group

STAR Group

memoQ Translation Technologies

memoQ Translation Technologies

Advertisement

Popular articles

Poland Rules on LSP Using Google Translate; Defines ‘Professional Translator’

Poland Rules on LSP Using Google Translate; Defines ‘Professional Translator’

by Marion Marking

Behind the Scenes of the European Parliament’s Pivot to Remote Interpreting

Behind the Scenes of the European Parliament’s Pivot to Remote Interpreting

by Seyma Albarino

Why Netflix Shut Down Its Translation Portal Hermes

Why Netflix Shut Down Its Translation Portal Hermes

by Esther Bond

SlatorPod: The Weekly Language Industry Podcast

connect with us

footer logo

Slator makes business sense of the language services and technology market.

Our Company

  • Support
  • About us
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Subscribe to the Slator Weekly

Language Industry Intelligence
In Your Inbox. Every Friday

© 2021 Slator. All rights reserved.

Sign up to the Slator Weekly

Join over 13,500 subscribers and get the latest language industry intelligence every Friday

Your information will never be shared with third parties. No Spam.