Do Professional Translators Utilize DeepL for Translation?

Many professional translators recognize and utilize DeepL as a valuable tool in their translation workflow. DeepL is renowned for its high-quality translations, often praised for its ability to capture nuanced language. However, professional translators typically do not rely solely on machine translation. Instead, they use DeepL as a valuable starting point, merging it with their deep knowledge of language context and cultural nuances to ensure accuracy and fluency in the final product.

First-Person Perspective

I, a professional translator, find DeepL extremely useful in my day-to-day work. While I do rely on it, I don't fully depend on it. When I use it, I usually revise around 30 to 50 percent of the content provided. This significantly saves me time.

My company is well-aware of my use of DeepL, and my supervisors are entirely supportive. They understand the importance of receiving coherent and well-written translations completed on time. As long as the translations meet these criteria, the method of achieving them is less of a concern for them.

Efficiency and Reliability

Some translators do use DeepL to save time. However, it's important to note that DeepL supports only a dozen languages and is fundamentally statistical in nature. Even with its impressive performance, certain translations can deviate from correctness. For instance, a word might translate correctly in 99 cases, but the other 1 case might pose an error.

I utilize DeepL to produce English translations from Japanese-English content, and it performs admirably in this regard. This tool aids me in checking and refining my work, ensuring that the translations are not only accurate but also culturally relevant and fluent.

Perspective from Industry Experience

With over 15 years of experience in the translation industry, including 10 years of teaching CAT (Computer-Aided Translation) tools, I have heard countless opinions from professional translators. Many of them use DeepL and other free commercial machine translation services for its ease of use and speed.

Professional translators use DeepL, not as an all-in-one solution, but as a quick tool to understand complex sentence structures, generate ideas, and explore alternative phrasings. This flexibility makes DeepL a preferred tool in many workflows. Additionally, DeepL is often considered more professional than Google Translate due to its reputation as a dedicated translation service provider.

In conclusion, while professional translators appreciate the efficiency and quality of DeepL, they do not rely solely on it. Instead, they integrate it with their expertise to produce high-quality translations. The value of human oversight and cultural understanding cannot be overstated in the realm of professional translation.