With the rise of artificial intelligence, the usage of machine translation soared. We won’t go into much detail about what machine translation is and what MTPE means, but if you’d like to read more about them, you can check out this article. We will be focusing on machine translation usage in crypto localization, and how it might be detrimental to your business.

Machine Translation 101

Machine translation is the automated process of translating text from one language to another using computer algorithms and technology. While machine translation has made significant advancements in recent years, it often faces challenges in capturing the nuances, context, and cultural subtleties present in human language.

The Importance of Crypto Localization

In the dynamic landscape of cryptocurrency, where millions of users engage with apps and websites globally, embracing localization becomes a must for several key reasons. By offering global accessibility, localization breaks down language barriers, showcasing a commitment to user value. Keeping cultural differences in mind during the localization process helps create a brand presence that aligns with diverse cultural sensitivities.

Perhaps the most important reason why crypto companies should implement localization is that it builds trust and credibility. Localized content demonstrates an understanding and caters to the needs of diverse user communities. To read more about the importance of crypto localization, you can refer to our previous article.

Machine Translation in Crypto Localization: Good or Bad?

The integration of machine translation in crypto localization sparks a debate over its advantages and disadvantages. Although machine translation is fast and cost-effective, it’s not accurate and cannot be fully trusted. Most crypto companies choose to go with machine translation to avoid extra costs, but they overlook one crucial factor in the process: they lose credibility and trust. Machine translation often struggles to capture the intricacies of crypto-specific terminology and cultural nuances, which inevitably results in inaccurate translations.

How to Incorporate Machine Translation in Crypto Localization

So, what’s the rational way here? Should crypto companies completely ignore the good sides of machine translation to have accurate translations? Well, fully human translation without machine translation would be my ideal suggestion, but I also believe that this isn’t what the future holds. We have to learn to live with machine translation and instead of denying it, we should try to work with it.

Therefore, the healthiest option both for the crypto companies and their customers is machine translation combined with human touch. And I would like to highlight that human touch is essential and cannot be, and must not be, ignored. If these companies want cost-effectiveness, speed, and accuracy, machine translation post-editing is a good choice.

However, there is also one important note I would like to add. Machine translation is not a genius, especially if we’re talking about a field that has its own jargon like cryptocurrencies. So, implementing machine translation and immediately expecting fast turnarounds is not very ideal. It’s very likely that when you first start using machine translation, a 30-minute job will be done in 45 minutes. The machine needs to learn the jargon and the style, and this will take some time.

While MT offers speed and cost-effectiveness, its limitations in accurately capturing crypto-specific terminology and cultural nuances pose risks to user trust and credibility. What we suggest is a hybrid approach, combining the efficiency of MT with the essential human touch through post-editing.

Written by
Ecenaz Batur
Marketing Specialist