Writing content has become an important part of digital marketing. You need to write content for blog posts, webpages, copywriting, and social media posts. As English is a universal language so most content is written in English for online readers. You should be fluent in English and professional in writing style.
Non-English mother tongue people face difficulties while writing content, so they use language translation tools such as Google Translate and AI tools. However, Google Translate can be a mixed bag for content writing when you don’t know English. Google Translate was built to translate one word or a sentence line, but when you look to write more words like a 500-word article, it may not be 100% accurate. Here’s a succinct guide based on the experiences and opinions of various users:
Pros of Using Google Translate for Content Writing
First, we will know what the pros of using Google Translate for article writing are.
Quick Translations
Google Translate can provide you with quick translations, which can be useful for immediate needs. Google Translate tends to get lost if you give it a large chunk of text, an article, but it is really good, if not excellent, for batches of 3-4 sentences at a time.
Basic Understanding
It can help you get a basic understanding of the text, which can be a starting point for further refinement. So you can know the meaning of the content that is in another language. Sometimes it can make grammatical errors. But I often see people saying the grammar of the novel was bad, but I don’t notice anything.
Learning Aid
Google Translate gives you aid to learn a language and its meaning. You can try some short sentences and look whether they are written well or not. It is a good language learning tool.
Cons of Using Google Translate for Content Writing
Now we know the cons of using Google Translate for article writing.
Loss of Subtext and Meaning
Google Translate is very literal. It can often miss the subtext and nuances of your original work. Machine translation is just about tolerable for instruction manuals and factual newspaper articles, but it still sucks when it is applied to creative writing.
Inaccurate Translations
It can sometimes provide inaccurate or awkward translations. Especially when you go for complex sentences or idioms. It can change the feel or meaning of a sentence or a paragraph that you have been writing from the start.
Ethical Concerns
Google Translate can be considered cheating or plagiarism for academic or professional work if not properly attributed. If you are using it on an assignment instead of doing the work yourself, yes. But not ethical when you just try to translate others’ articles or content for posting on your website or other professional work.
Alternatives to Google Translate
Use DeepL
Many Redditors recommend DeepL as a better alternative to Google Translate for more accurate and natural-sounding translations. You can use Deepl or hire a translator for content writing work.
Get a Beta Reader
If you are writing in a non-native language, you can consider asking a native speaker to review your work. You can hire an online content analysis. There are online communities like Reddit where you can also ask users to review your content.
Translate in Smaller Chunks
Google Translate can provide more accurate translations when you break down your text into smaller parts. You can try translating in shorter text blocks. Google Translate tends to get lost if you give it a large chunk of text, but it is really good, if not excellent, for batches of 3-4 sentences at a time.
Edit and human Review:
You should always review and edit the translated text to ensure it makes sense and retains the original meaning. Human review is the best way to improve and deliver the best quality content. However, many AI tools are also able to review and translate your content from one language to another, but they are worse and suck than Google Translate.
In my opinion, Google Translate can be a useful tool for quick translations and basic understanding of small sentences. But it is not ideal for creative or professional content writing due to its limitations. While using alternatives like DeepL, getting a beta reader, and translating in smaller chunks can help you produce better quality content. However, Google is trying to improve Google Translate with the combination of Gemini AI. Google Translate gets Gemini AI for smarter voice and text translations in real time.
