Machines Are but Machines

7/21/2019 Machines Are but Machines

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Machines are but

Machines

“The sad thing about artificial intelligence is that it lacks artifice and therefore

intelligence.”



MACHINES ARE BUT MACHINES

The other day my son was playing chess on the computer when I happened to

be around. It was a computer based chess game and, without a lot of difficulty,

he won the game. Being excited at his victory, he gave a loud roar of triumphand said, “Machines are just machines ” It was this remark in particular that

made me remember, among other things, a similar thing said by French

philosopher Jean Baudrillard. He had said, “The sad thing about artificial

intelligence is that it lacks artifice and therefore intelligence.” It also

reminded me all the trouble that clients go through after getting something

translated by a machine and the main reason in such cases is the absence of a

hu

man being.

We keep asking ourselves the question over and over again; Are machine

translations dependable? Some people go for machine translations because

they are cheaper compared to human translations. Others select this option to

save time and effort. However, none of the former or the latter are ever

satisfied with the results. As far as translation goes, famous writer Anthony

Burgess once said, “Translation is not a matter of words only: it is a matter of

making intelligible a whole culture.” And, the human culture is something that



a machine can never understand nor be concerned about, nor be able to

deliver its sense which usually takes ages to develop. So, my answer to the

question would be a very loud “No, machines translations are not dependable!”

Human culture is the sum total of everything that human existence entails

during a given period of time. The chemistry behind the creation and evolutionof a language includes a universe of factors such as „Where have the speakers

come from?‟, „Where are they currently living?‟, „What are their traditions?‟,

„How do they prefer to live, eat, dress, pray, communicate…?‟, „What are their

beliefs?‟ and…..well, a hoard of other petty details. It includes a complete

history that enriches that language and lends its vocabulary new meaning and

its linguistic structures new sense. All this is a dynamic process with which a

machine, a mechanical process run by a software, can never come to grips.

That is one reason why machine translations can never replace human

translations.

Humans are intelligent to cultural changes and can foresee the resultant

changes in individuals. They are dynamically aware of how people would

respond to semantic changes and what sense or meaning is currently being

drawn out of a particular expression in a particular culture. The human

elements also facilitate the process of decision making which means that a

machine would be unable to pick the suitable word or expression which best

express the meaning whereas a human translator would do that in fittest

possible manner.

Talking about human translations, Arabic English Human Translation is a

project of Communication Legal Translation Est.

(www.communicationdubai.com) where human translators are available on the

internet all the time to facilitate prospective clients. Being able to get it done

on the internet saves a lot of time and effort as projects are delivered in a jiffy.

Furthermore, the presence of human translators ensures the high quality oftranslations in terms of the accuracy of semantics and cultural background of

language. As all the translators are highly qualified, well trained and

experienced, they are well aware of the linguistic changes and modern

connotations associated with languages. As John Conington said, “A translator

ought to endeavor not only to say what his author has said, but also to say it as

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he has said it.” With more than 20 years of eminent presence in this field,

Communication Legal Translation Est. enjoys the status of being the founders

of Translation Services in the UAE and Translation Services in Dubai. And, to

add the pinch of flavor, the rates are amazingly affordable. One can

understand that owing to the economic and commercial importance of theregion Arabic is considered one of the major business languages in the world.

Resultantly, the human translators at Arabic English Human Translation are

well adept at professionally translating all sorts of material may that be

Educational Material, Accounting and Management Documents, Medical

Translations, Media Translations, Engineering and Construction Materials, etc.

An impressive list of more than 53 services is a feast for the eyes as so much

is available at a single place. The process is simple and easy even for clients

who are not computer savvy.

Office 209, Al Yasmeen Building, Salah Uddin Street,

Next to Abu Hail Metro Station, Deira, Dubai, U.A.E

Tel: +971 (4) 2663517, Fax: +971 (4) 2689615

[email protected] | https://communicationdubai.com/

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At the “6th GCC Smart Government and Cities Portals Conference”

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