Custom Dictionary for Google Translate

[Peter]

Can we add a custom dictionary to google Translate for special words which may need special translation for our applications in translating Chinese documents?

[Zeehad (Cloud Platform Support)]

Hello Peter,

Google Translate currently doesn't have a feature where you can add a customer dictionary. However, contribution to Google Translate is welcome through the Translate Community as described in this article.

I also encourage you to research for your answers or post this question in the official Google Translate Forum, since his forum concentrates on discussions around Google Translate API.

I hope that helps. Cheers!

[Kay S.]

Hello Zeehad,

 

I have a degree in translations. My thesis has been on learning.

 

I am presently researching sources for a larger scientific project (not language related). Some of the sources are in languages, I do not speak. Therefore, I am presently using MicrosoftTranslate, which is directly integrated into MS Word. After a short or longer while, depending on the size of the source, I get a more or less accurate translation of the file.

 

The accuracy of these translations can be greatly improved if only custom dictionary could be used. Doing so, is an age-old tradition of all translators which safeguards translations consistency in one document. - A key sign of quality.

 

(If not fresh from the start, even the MS spellcheckers have permitted integrating one custom dictionary for ages.)

 

Moreover, I have read that Google and Microsoft are using learning algorithms. - What could be a better input for making "quantum leaps" in learning (as in contrast to incremental learning) in having many specialists worldwide share their custom dictionaries in their areas of technical expertise?

 

Alas, I cannot see any time stamp (i.e. year) in this forum, so I hope "Apr 2" means that it might be from an earlier year. - But even if it is 2016, 8 months is a long time in technology...

In short, as of today (Dec 10, 2016), I hope that this custom-dictionary issue has been added as a (vital) feature.

 

[Alex (Cloud Platform Support)]

Hi Kay,

The way time stamps work on this forum is that the year of the post is only added when it falls outside of the current year. Therefore “Apr 2” is the date of the reply made in 2016.

As of today, the features available as part of the new Google Translation API are mainly concerned with:

- Translation of text.

- Detection of the source language of the given text.

- Listing which language codes the API supports.

- A Premium feature ideal for precise, long-form translation.

Being available on the Google Cloud Platform, this API does not include the addition of custom dictionary. Nevertheless, based on my online research there exists a Google Translator Toolkit offered as part of the Google Business products and which includes the use of glossary and memory translation features.

Hope you find this information helpful to your research and don’t hesitate in trying out the new Premium feature. Let me know if you would have any additional questions about the Google Translation API.

[Jae Nulton]

The are a few issues that make the contributions not so helpful. Foremost there are different contexts of words based on the type of language intended. Google Translate often uses grammatically correct written language grammar, which is great for professional writing such as business emails, or general translation. Then there is the colloquial vocabulary of the language, the words we use in everyday spoken conversation, informal email and social media posts and general chat. Often the two can not be interchanged, yet Google Translate defaults to one and usually does not give the option or alternate phrase or word to choose from.

Another major issue are the languages that use gender specific pronouns, phrases and terms. Once in a while Translate will hit the nail on the head, and other times completely fail. Very difficult if I am a male writing to a female colleague and constantly having "typos" referring to myself in the feminine and her in the masculine. I would think a custom dictionary would help dramatically. I mean if the AI isn't there yet to know what the intended vernacular should be based on via the context at least we would be able to specify from a list of commonly used words.

Lastly and third is the concept of slang, of course not meaning crude or offensive words but just the words that have not yet made the lexicons yet. So there are 3 excellent reasons to give us a personal dictionary.

[George (Cloud Platform Support)]

Hello Peter, 

You may find the "AutoML Translation" feature of interest, even if it does not specifically implement custom dictionaries. It enables you to create your own, custom translation models so that translation queries return results specific to your domain. In fact, this beta release does more than you asked for, as it uses machine learning for your custom translation domain.