The battle is on… AI versus Human Translator.

“AI thinks every word is equal, every phrase is just “plug and play.” But we all know language isn’t an IKEA flatpack…”

I think, AI translations can be really great for certain tasks — like user manuals. After all, those things are often just a simplified checklist, right? ‘Press this button, turn this knob, don’t blow anything up’ (though even then AI can’t visualise the process in the way a human would!). But when it comes to marketing content, like websites and brochures, forget it!

Professional writers pour their heart and soul into this stuff. Invest their creativity and expertise into crafting this content, whereas AI simply churns out text as if it’s reading from the back of a cornflakes box.

In short? AI translation is like going to a diner and expecting fine dining. A human translator from DG translations? That’s a Michelin-starred chef cooking up every sentence with care. And you can taste the difference!

What’s the deal with AI translations?
AI thinks every word is equal, every phrase is just “plug and play.” But we all know language isn’t an IKEA flatpack — sometimes you have pieces that don’t fit and sometimes pieces are missing. And then what? Our professional translator will resolve the issue, whilst AI will just pause, confused, wondering if “gezellig” is a type of cheese!

• Context is everything: AI reads a text one line at a time and just ploughs through. But our human translator? They read the room. They know when you’re serious, when you’re joking, and when you’re just being a little too Dutch. Because sometimes, it’s not what you say; it’s how you say it!
  
  
• Subtlety, people! AI translations are about as subtle as a hippo in a ballet class. They don’t do nuance, they don’t understand tone. Ask AI to translate a cheeky joke, and suddenly your charming website sounds like it’s been written by a Swiss banker. A human keeps it smooth. No clunky wording, no odd phrasing — just that “je ne sais quoi” that makes it feel natural.
  
  
• Expressions are a gamble: You give AI an expression like “met de deur in huis vallen” (get straight to the point with no preamble) and it translates it word-for-word, “tomber avec la porte dans la maison.” And now your website sounds like some kind of freak home invasion. Our human translator? They turn it into “aller droit au but”— getting straight to the point. No one ends up pinned under a door.
  
  
• The French love flow: French is a beautiful, flowing language. AI translates like it’s building a wall, brick by brick. One sentence doesn’t care what the next sentence is doing. Our human translator makes it sing. It’s like they’re playing music; AI is still trying to find the sheet music.
  
  
• Local flavour matters: A professional understands that the French would rather hear about their “terroir” than “local soil.” AI has no idea what “terroir” is — it probably thinks it’s a typo. But a human? They know what the French care about, they know what makes them say, “Ah, oui, c’est magnifique!“
  
  
• A human actually finishes the job: AI sometimes just…well… stops. You ask for a long, lovely sentence, and AI cuts you off mid-sentence like a bad friend. A pro finishes every last word, making sure the whole website sounds fantastic from start to finish.
  
  
• Saving you from awkwardness: AI might think “korte metten maken” means something about “giving a short presentation,” when really it means “to deal with something quickly and decisively.” Next thing you know, your French readers think you’re giving a TED talk. A human catches these little slip-ups and saves your dignity. Because that’s what friends do.
  
  
• Literal translations: “Bring something into the fold”? AI thinks this means literally folding something — like you’re wrapping your ideas up in a napkin. So now your French readers think you’re asking them to do origami with your product. Our human translator? They know it means “welcoming somebody,” so they’ll say “accueillir or intégrer”, making sure your readers don’t end up picturing a paper plane workshop.

Hector

DG translations

Damn Good since 1985

Real People. Real Emotions.

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