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
    • SlatorCon Remote May 2021
    • Localizing at Scale for International Growth
    • Design Thinking May 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
    • SlatorCon Remote May 2021
    • Localizing at Scale for International Growth
    • Design Thinking May 2021
    • — Divider —
    • SlatorCon Coverage
    • Other Events
  • Directory
  • RFP Center
  • Jobs

Register Before April 15th for SlatorCon Remote and Save 15%!

  • Slator Market Intelligence
  • Slator Advertising Services
  • Slator Advisory
  • Login
Search
Generic filters
Exact matches only
Advertisement
Here’s How Google Improves Translation Quality for Youtube’s UI

5 years ago

November 12, 2015

Here’s How Google Improves Translation Quality for Youtube’s UI

Technology ·

by Gino Diño

On November 12, 2015

5 years ago
Technology ·

by Gino Diño

On November 12, 2015

Here’s How Google Improves Translation Quality for Youtube’s UI

Research at Google published a blog post detailing how they used a newly developed Language Quality Survey to improve the translated, multilingual user interface (UI) of Youtube based on user feedback. Now, they want everyone else to use it free of charge.

“The perceived language quality of translated user interfaces (UIs) can have a significant impact on the overall quality and usability of a product,” the blog post reads. It explains that Google had experts perform in-depth reviews of its translated UI texts — so-called “language find-its” — to improve Youtube. It highlights that the developers who design the UI do not necessarily know about the quality of translated texts if they do not speak the languages the text was translated into. The linguists who work on UI translations may also not know the full context of the strings they need to work on or separate translators could work on a single project. All of these factors snowball into increased risk of low quality UI translations.

The “language find-its” were mostly useful, they were also expensive and time-consuming, so Google decided to develop a channel for users to provide feedback themselves. The following ten questions of the Language Quality Survey was the result:

Advertisement
  1. How friendly or unfriendly is the text used in the

    Slator 2021 Language Service Provider Index (LSPI)

    Data and Research, Slator reports
    Spreadsheet with underlying data for the Slator 2021 LSPI: 190+ LSPs, 2020 and 2019 revenues (USD and original currency), growth, ownership, headquarters, and more.
    $690 BUY NOW
    interface? By “friendly” we mean that the language used shows that

    Slator 2021 Language Service Provider Index (LSPI)

    Data and Research, Slator reports
    Spreadsheet with underlying data for the Slator 2021 LSPI: 190+ LSPs, 2020 and 2019 revenues (USD and original currency), growth, ownership, headquarters, and more.
    $690 BUY NOW
    respects and likes their users.
  2. How casual or formal is the text used in the

    Slator 2021 Language Service Provider Index (LSPI)

    Data and Research, Slator reports
    Spreadsheet with underlying data for the Slator 2021 LSPI: 190+ LSPs, 2020 and 2019 revenues (USD and original currency), growth, ownership, headquarters, and more.
    $690 BUY NOW
    interface? By “casual” we mean that the language used is relaxed, like friends speaking to each other. By “formal” we mean that the language is academic, similar to the text of an essay or a legal document.
  3. How professional is the text used in the

    Slator 2021 Language Service Provider Index (LSPI)

    Data and Research, Slator reports
    Spreadsheet with underlying data for the Slator 2021 LSPI: 190+ LSPs, 2020 and 2019 revenues (USD and original currency), growth, ownership, headquarters, and more.
    $690 BUY NOW
    interface? By “professional” we mean that the language is well-written and shows that

    Slator 2021 Language Service Provider Index (LSPI)

    Data and Research, Slator reports
    Spreadsheet with underlying data for the Slator 2021 LSPI: 190+ LSPs, 2020 and 2019 revenues (USD and original currency), growth, ownership, headquarters, and more.
    $690 BUY NOW
    cares about quality.
  4. How natural or unnatural is the text used in the

    Slator 2021 Language Service Provider Index (LSPI)

    Data and Research, Slator reports
    Spreadsheet with underlying data for the Slator 2021 LSPI: 190+ LSPs, 2020 and 2019 revenues (USD and original currency), growth, ownership, headquarters, and more.
    $690 BUY NOW
    interface? Natural here means that the language used represents the way people normally speak to each other.
  5. How easy or difficult to understand is the text used in the

    Slator 2021 Language Service Provider Index (LSPI)

    Data and Research, Slator reports
    Spreadsheet with underlying data for the Slator 2021 LSPI: 190+ LSPs, 2020 and 2019 revenues (USD and original currency), growth, ownership, headquarters, and more.
    $690 BUY NOW
    interface?
  6. How appropriate or inappropriate do you consider the text in the

    Slator 2021 Language Service Provider Index (LSPI)

    Data and Research, Slator reports
    Spreadsheet with underlying data for the Slator 2021 LSPI: 190+ LSPs, 2020 and 2019 revenues (USD and original currency), growth, ownership, headquarters, and more.
    $690 BUY NOW
    interface?
  7. How often do you encounter grammatical errors in the text used in the

    Slator 2021 Language Service Provider Index (LSPI)

    Data and Research, Slator reports
    Spreadsheet with underlying data for the Slator 2021 LSPI: 190+ LSPs, 2020 and 2019 revenues (USD and original currency), growth, ownership, headquarters, and more.
    $690 BUY NOW
    interface?
  8. How often do you encounter typos / spelling errors in the text used in the

    Slator 2021 Language Service Provider Index (LSPI)

    Data and Research, Slator reports
    Spreadsheet with underlying data for the Slator 2021 LSPI: 190+ LSPs, 2020 and 2019 revenues (USD and original currency), growth, ownership, headquarters, and more.
    $690 BUY NOW
    interface?
  9. How often do you encounter untranslated words that are not in English in the text used in the

    Slator 2021 Language Service Provider Index (LSPI)

    Data and Research, Slator reports
    Spreadsheet with underlying data for the Slator 2021 LSPI: 190+ LSPs, 2020 and 2019 revenues (USD and original currency), growth, ownership, headquarters, and more.
    $690 BUY NOW
    interface?
  10. How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the quality of language in the

    Slator 2021 Language Service Provider Index (LSPI)

    Data and Research, Slator reports
    Spreadsheet with underlying data for the Slator 2021 LSPI: 190+ LSPs, 2020 and 2019 revenues (USD and original currency), growth, ownership, headquarters, and more.
    $690 BUY NOW
    interface when using English?

Users can provide answers based on a five point range corresponding to Always, Often, Sometimes, Rarely, and Never, phrased differently depending on the question. According to Google’s research, the first five questions focus on readability: how smooth and natural the translated text reads. The next four questions focuses on linguistic correctness: the frequency of inconsistencies in the text. Every time a user chose the two most negative answers (i.e. never or rarely user-friendly or casual or professional), the survey brought up a text form to obtain qualitative feedback. Users were asked to explain why they chose these answers.

All in all, Google managed to identify problem areas in Youtube’s translated UI texts, analyze quantitative and qualitative feedback from their users, and even use the Language Quality Survey in conjunction with their “language find-its” to optimize their UI translations. Google saved money and time by cutting back on their costly and time intensive “language find-its” thanks to this survey.

The modern web browsing experience is deeply affected by UI and the quality of engagement users get from it. Add to that the fact that trends like e-commerce is driving demand for more website localization and Google itself is warning websites against using machine translated content without quality assurance, this newly developed Language Quality Survey may just prove useful.

Google is offering their Language Quality Survey to anyone interested in using it for their quality assessments. If it worked for Google and Youtube, it will probably work for other developers struggling with UI translations.

TAGS

Googlelanguage quality surveyResearch at Googletranslation qualityUI
SHARE
Gino Diño

By Gino Diño

Content strategy expert and Online Editor for Slator; father, husband, gamer, writer―not necessarily in that order.

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
Pro Guide: Translation Pricing and Procurement

Pro Guide: Translation Pricing and Procurement

by Slator

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

Press Releases

See all
Smartling Announces Smartling+

Smartling Announces Smartling+

by Smartling

XTM Cloud 12.7 “Intelligent Connectivity” is Here

XTM Cloud 12.7 “Intelligent Connectivity” is Here

by XTM International

LocHub Announces QA Localization Solution For Multilingual Content Publishing Processes

LocHub Announces QA Localization Solution For Multilingual Content Publishing Processes

by Xillio

Upcoming Events

See All
  1. T-Update-2021

    T-UPDATE ’21 VIRTUAL

    by Gerard Castañeda

    · April 15

    Join us at the leading language Industry event for decision-makers. Just pack your agenda for 2 days and travel to the...

    More info €65-421

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

Google Translate Not Ready for Use in Medical Emergencies But Improving Fast — Study

Google Translate Not Ready for Use in Medical Emergencies But Improving Fast — Study

by Seyma Albarino

The Slator 2021 Language Service Provider Index

The Slator 2021 Language Service Provider Index

by Slator

DeepL Adds 13 European Languages as Traffic Continues to Surge

DeepL Adds 13 European Languages as Traffic Continues to Surge

by Marion Marking

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 13,800 subscribers and get the latest language industry intelligence every Friday

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