9 Best Machine Translation Software of 2023 (Ranked and Compared)

Machine Translation (MT) software has come a long way in recent years, thanks to advances in Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing technologies. In today’s globalized world, businesses and individuals rely on MT software to translate text and communication in multiple languages quickly and accurately. With so many MT software options available, it can be challenging to determine which one is the best fit for your needs. In this article, we have ranked and compared the best machine translation software, considering their features, accuracy, ease of use, and pricing. Whether you’re a business owner, a professional translator, or someone who needs to translate content regularly, this guide will help you decide when to choose MT software.

What is Machine Translation Software?

Machine Translation (MT) software is a type of software that uses computer algorithms to translate text or speech from one language to another automatically. Machine translation software analyzes a sentence’s grammatical structure and vocabulary in the source language and produces an equivalent penalty in the target language. MT software can translate various types of content, such as websites, documents, emails, social media posts, and chat messages.

Let’s dive into the 9 Best Machine Translation (MT) software:

1. Google Translate
2. Microsoft Translator
3. Amazon Translate
4. SDL Machine Translation
5. SYSTRAN Translate
6. DeepL
7. PROMPT
8. MateCat
9. Lilt

Google Translate

Google Translate is a free online machine translation software developed by Google that supports over 100 languages. It uses statistical machine translation technology and neural machine translation technology for some language pairs to provide translations of text, speech, images, and web pages. Google Translate can be accessed through its website and mobile apps for Android and iOS devices.

Google Translate offers various features, such as instant translation of typed or pasted text, voice input for spoken translations, handwriting recognition for handwritten text, and camera input for translating text into images. It also offers a conversation mode for real-time communication between two people speaking different languages. Additionally, Google Translate can automatically detect the source language and suggest alternative translations based on context and user feedback.

Price

Google Translate is free. The pricing for these services vary depending on the usage level, the number of characters or requests, and the necessary level of support.

Key Features

• Supports over 100 languages.
• Offers instant translation of typed or pasted text.
• Provides voice input for spoken translations.
• Offers handwriting recognition for handwritten text.
• Allows camera input for translation of text in images.
• Provides a conversation mode for real-time communication between two people speaking different languages.
• Automatically detects the source language and suggests alternative translation-based.

Microsoft Translator

Microsoft Translator is a machine translation software developed by Microsoft that supports over 60 languages. It uses neural machine translation technology to provide accurate and natural-sounding text, speech, and image translations. Microsoft Translator can be accessed through its website and mobile apps for Android, iOS, and Windows devices.

Microsoft Translator offers various features, such as instant translation of typed or pasted text, voice input for spoken translations, camera input for text in images, and a conversation mode for real-time communication between two people speaking different languages. Microsoft Translator can automatically detect the source language and suggest alternative translations based on context and user feedback.

Price

Microsoft Translator offers a variety of pricing plans for businesses and developers, as well as a free service for individual users. The pricing for business plans varies depending on the level of usage and support required.

Key Features

• Supports over 60 languages.
• Uses neural machine translation technology for accurate and natural-sounding translations.
• Offers instant translation of typed or pasted text.
• Provides voice input for spoken translations.
• Allows camera input for translation of text in images.
• Provides a conversation mode for real-time communication between two people speaking different languages.

Amazon Translate

Amazon Translate is a machine translation service developed by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that provides natural-sounding text translations in multiple languages. It uses neural machine translation technology to provide high-quality translations for various use cases, including websites, mobile apps, documents, and chat applications.

Amazon Translate supports over 70 languages, including regional variations and language pairs, and allows for translating text, HTML, Microsoft Office documents, and PDF files. It can be accessed through its website, AWS console, or APIs and is integrated with other AWS services such as Amazon S3 and Amazon Lambda. Price​

Amazon Translate pricing is based on the number of characters of text processed per month, with tiered pricing for different usage levels. The current pricing starts at $15 per million characters for the first 50 million and gradually decreases with larger volumes.

Key Features

• Supports over 70 languages, including regional variations and language pairs.
• Uses neural machine translation technology for accurate and natural-sounding translations.
• Translating text, HTML, Microsoft Office documents, and PDF files.
• Offers batch translation for large volumes of text and real-time translation for chat and messaging applications.
• Provides automatic language detection and customization of translations for specific terminology and style preferences.
• It can be accessed through its website, AWS console, or APIs and is integrated with other AWS services.

SDL Machine Translation

SDL Machine Translation is a machine translation software developed by SDL, a UK-based language services company. It uses neural machine translation technology to provide accurate and high-quality translations for various industries and use cases, including e-commerce, legal, and technical documentation.

SDL Machine Translation supports over 100 languages, including complex and lesser-known languages. It can be accessed through its cloud-based service, SDL Language Cloud, or its on-premise software, SDL Trados Studio. Additionally, it offers integration with various other tools and platforms, such as Microsoft Office and Adobe InDesign.

Price

SDL Machine Translation offers various pricing plans based on usage volume and customization requirements. The pricing for its cloud-based service, SDL Language Cloud, starts at $0.08 per word and varies depending on the customization and support required. It also offers a pay-as-you-go option for occasional users.

Key Features

• Supports over 100 languages, including complex and lesser-known languages.
• Uses neural machine translation technology for accurate and high-quality translations.
• Offers cloud-based and on-premise solutions with customizable translation engines for specific industry domains.
• Provides automatic language detection and translation memory integration for increased accuracy and consistency.
• Offers a feature called AdaptiveMT for continuous learning and improvement of translation quality.
• Integrates with various other tools and platforms, such as Microsoft Office and Adobe InDesign.

SYSTRAN Translate

SYSTRAN Translate is a machine translation software developed by SYSTRAN, a language technology company founded in France. It uses neural machine translation technology to provide accurate translations for various industries and use cases, including e-commerce, legal, and healthcare.

SYSTRAN Translate supports over 55 languages and offers cloud-based and on-premise solutions and an API for integration into other applications. It provides features such as customization of translation engines for specific industry domains, translation memory integration, and automatic language detection.

One of the unique features of SYSTRAN Translate is its ability to translate documents while preserving their formatting, such as fonts, tables, and images. This feature is handy for technical documents, legal agreements, and marketing materials.

Price

For its cloud-based service, pricing starts at $0.12 per word for the basic plan, which includes standard translation engines and basic customization options. The premium plan, which offers advanced customization and translation memory integration, costs $0.17 per word.

Key Features

• Supports over 55 languages, including specialized domains such as legal and healthcare.
• Uses neural machine translation technology for accurate and high-quality translations.
• Offers cloud-based and on-premise solutions and an API for integration into other applications.
• Provides automatic language detection, translation memory integration, and customization of translation engines for specific industry domains.
• Preserves formatting of documents, including fonts, tables, and images.
• Offers competitive and flexible pricing plans based on usage volume and customization requirements.

DeepL is a machine translation software developed by DeepL GmbH, a German company that uses artificial intelligence to provide high-quality translations for various industries and use cases.

DeepL

DeepL uses deep neural networks to translate texts and offers support for over 26 languages, including specialized domains such as legal, technical, and medical. It also provides features like translation memory integration, automatic language detection, and document translation.

One of the unique features of DeepL is its ability to provide more accurate and natural-sounding translations than many other machine translation tools. This is partly due to its use of deep learning technology, which allows it to understand the context and nuances of a sentence and provide a more precise and fluent translation.

Price

DeepL offers both a free and paid version of its software. Here are the pricing details for the paid version. Deep L Pro: €5.99/month/user (or €59.88/year/user)

Key Features

1. Supports over 26 languages, including specialized domains such as legal, technical, and medical.
2. It uses deep neural networks to provide accurate and natural-sounding translations.
3. Offers complete document translation and API access with the paid version.
4. Provides CAT tool integration, glossary integration, and a plugin for Microsoft Office with the paid version.
5. Offers a free trial of the paid version for users to test the software.
6. Provides a range of pricing options based on usage volume and frequency, with discounts available for higher volumes.

PROMT is a machine translation software developed by PROMT Ltd, a Russian company that provides translation services for various industries and use cases.

PROMPT

PROMT offers support for over 20 languages, including specialized domains such as legal, technical, and medical. It provides features such as translation memory integration, terminology management, and document translation. PROMT also offers solutions for machine translation integration into websites, e-commerce platforms, and other software applications.

Price

ROMT offers both a free and paid version of its software, with the following pricing options for the paid version. PROMT Expert 21: €195/year or €19.50/month.

Key Features

• Support for over 20 languages, including specialized domains such as legal, technical, and medical.
• Adaptive translation technology that learns from user corrections to improve the accuracy of translations.
• Terminology extraction tool that extracts domain-specific terminology from texts to improve translation quality.
• Integration with CAT tools and terminology management systems for improved workflow and consistency.
• Document translation and formatting for businesses requiring large volumes of documents.

MateCat

MateCat is a cloud-based machine translation software developed by Translate5, a translation technology company based in Italy. MateCat is designed for translation professionals and provides a range of features to support their workflow, including translation memory integration, terminology management, and project management tools.

MateCat supports over 70 languages and provides machine translation from various engines, including Google Translate, Microsoft Translator, and SYSTRAN. It also offers a collaborative translation platform that allows multiple users to work on the same project simultaneously, with real-time updates and communication features.

Price

MateCat offers a range of pricing plans to fit the needs of different users, from individuals to large enterprises.

Key Features

Here are some key features of MateCat:

1. Machine translation from various engines, including Google Translate, Microsoft Translator, and SYSTRAN.
2. Support for over 70 languages.
3. Integration with translation memory systems to leverage previously translated content and improve translation consistency and efficiency.
4. A terminology management tool that can extract terminology from source texts and build glossaries.
5. Collaborative translation platform that allows multiple users to work on the same project simultaneously, with real-time updates and communication features.

Lilt

Lilt is a machine translation software that uses AI and machine learning to provide high-quality translations. Its key feature is an adaptive machine translation engine that learns from human corrections and improves over time, making it more accurate and reliable. This means that the translations produced by Lilt become more tailored to a specific project or user’s needs over time.

In addition to its adaptive machine translation engine, Lilt offers support for over 40 languages, including specialized domains such as legal, technical, and medical. It also provides translation memory and terminology management tools to improve translation quality and consistency, which is essential for users who must translate large volumes of content.

Price

Lilt offers flexible pricing options, including pay-as-you-go and custom enterprise plans with volume discounts. The pricing depends on the number of words translated per month and the level of support required. For more pricing information, interested users can contact Lilt’s sales team.

Key Features

1. Adaptive machine translation engine that learns from human corrections and improves over time.
2. Support for over 40 languages, including specialized domains such as legal, technical, and medical.
3. Translation memory and terminology management tools enhance translation quality and consistency.
4. A real-time collaboration platform that allows multiple users to work on the same project simultaneously, with instant updates and communication features.

Conclusion

In conclusion, machine translation software has come a long way in recent years, and many options are available to help individuals and businesses translate content quickly and accurately. Each of the nine machine translation software options discussed in this article has unique features, strengths, and weaknesses. By exploring the options available and choosing the right one for your needs, you can enjoy the benefits of machine translation while ensuring the highest level of quality and accuracy in your translations.

FAQs

What is a computer-assisted translation (CAT), and how does it work?

Computer-assisted translation, or CAT, uses software tools to aid translation. CAT tools can help with terminology management, translation memory, and machine translation suggestions. The translator still performs the actual translation work, but the software assists with various aspects of the process.

What steps are involved in the translation process for a typical translation project?

The translation process typically involves several steps: project preparation, source text analysis, translation, revision, proofreading, and delivery. Each step is essential for ensuring a high-quality translation that meets the client’s needs and requirements.

How do professional translation services differ from machine translation?

Professional translation services involve human translators with the necessary linguistic and cultural expertise to convey the meaning and tone of the source text accurately. Machine translations rely on software algorithms to translate the text, and they can be helpful for specific purposes.

What is Google Neural Machine Translation (GNMT)?

Google Neural Machine Translation (GNMT) is a machine translation system that uses deep learning to improve accuracy and fluency. It has advanced the field of machine translation by enabling more natural-sounding translations that better capture the nuances of the source language.

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