ChatGPT vs. Google Translate: Who Does It Better?

ChatGPT, self-defined as a "large language model developed by OpenAI based on the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) architecture", has taken the world by storm.

Our world, which is already quick to shortcut any job possible, has turned to ChatGPT for countless tasks ranging from writing your essay for you to giving you recipes for dinner using only the ingredients you have in your pantry.

It truly is an amazing tool that has changed the face of technology, but today we put it to the test in translation efficacy and pit it against what some might deem a giant when it comes to Machine Translation, Google Translate.

Key Takeaways

• ChatGPT vs Google Translate: a comparison for multilingual translation finds different uses for each platform
• Google Translate is better at translating long-form content
• ChatGPT translation is better at cultural idioms and expressions but struggles with longer-form text
• Both tools require human translation for validation and cultural adaptation
• Tone adjustment, creative content, and detailed responses are still ongoing challenges for machine translation platforms

Machine Translation has become an important tool in breaking down language barriers. With the rise of global commerce, many businesses are crossing over into other countries and have to conduct business in multiple languages.

Google Translate is one of the more popular commercial translation products that most small businesses and language professionals turn to, but a worthy competitor might be joining the ranks.

ChatGPT, as an AI tool, has many functionalities. When asked about its potential uses, ChatGPT itself actually lists Language Translation; more specifically, it states, "ChatGPT can be used to provide real-time language translation, making it easier for people who speak different languages to communicate with each other."

As a regular user of Google Translate, which I used regularly in my travels to help me oscillate between languages, the possibility of another machine translation tool that could potentially offer a more accurate translation piqued my interest. I had to test it out for myself, so I took to the World Wide Web and tested both platforms on accuracy, functionality and user experience.

Testing on Accuracy

Accuracy is one of the most critical factors to consider when using a machine translation tool.

Google Translate has been in the game a long time, using Neural Machine Translation (GNMT) technology. It's a technology that constantly improves the quality of translations by learning from millions of examples. On top of that, Google Translate supports over 100 different languages.

ChatGPT is a large language model (LLM) that responds to prompts by processing large amounts of data. ChatGPT knows at least 95 natural languages, so it is less robust than Google Translate in terms of language pairs.

I conducted my tests in Arabic, which both platforms are familiar with. To start, I decided to go for the more difficult idiomatic expressions, translating them between English and Arabic.

I started with an Arabic expression that literally translates to "Tile (or Pave) the Sea", a cultural idiom to express a challenge or provocation in a moment of anger. Google Translate did not pick up on the expression at all, offering the translation of "Sea Tiles". ChatGPT actually understood the phrase and translated it correctly into "Pave the Sea."

I decided to turn the tables and translate an English expression into Arabic. This time we went with "I'll take a rain check and see you next week." Google Translate still wasn't able to pick up on the expression and translated rain check literally into the term "check the rain" in Arabic. ChatGPT, on the other hand, was able to pick up on the expression and offered a more accurate translation.

So far, ChatGPT appears to be superior in translating cultural expressions and idioms.

The next step was to test the translation of more general text. I pulled quotes from Twitter, one in English and one in Arabic. Google Translate offered an adequate description, but the translation had a lot of missing pieces. ChatGPT offered better translation accuracy, translating every single phrase rather than summarising the key points.

When it came to translating an English social media post into Arabic though, Google Translate provided a much more accurate translation than ChatGPT. ChatGPT mistranslated some of the terms; for example, it translated "peace of mind" into "inner peace" instead.

The short expressions were a walk in the park for ChatGPT, but when it comes to longer sentences, I think it has more to learn, mainly when translating from English to Arabic.

Platform Functionality

Functionality plays a critical role in choosing a translation tool. Both tools support a variety of languages, with Google Translate offering more language translations than ChatGPT.

Google Translate is a web-based tool that can also be used as a mobile app. It uses a neural network to translate text and has been trained on a large number of benchmark test sets. The mobile app can also translate text in images, allowing travellers to quickly and easily translate signs in foreign languages.

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence-based chatbot that uses a deep learning algorithm to generate human-like text. However, ChatGPT is a desktop application and can only be used in limited settings. In an office setting, ChatGPT is ideal, but for those on the go, Google Translate is easier to use.

User Experience

On Google Translate, the user can quickly go in, select their languages, type in a phrase and go. In ChatGPT, the machine needs to be prompted. A user will need to explain to ChatGPT that they want a translation. In terms of steps to take to translate, Google Translate is faster to use.

Google Translate, through the help of GNMT, is able to remove bias from their translations and provide relevant and detailed answers. ChatGPT, on the other hand, uses a high-resource pivot language to improve its translation ability across different languages. This is useful in providing more human-like translations, which some people may prefer.

Translation Performance

In a preliminary study, ChatGPT performed better than Google Translate in translating biomedical abstracts. However, in a Google Translate test involving a social media post written in Spanish, Google Translate performed better.

In my experiment, I found that Google Translate provides more accurate translations for longer-form posts and performs better in translating things into other languages rather than English.

ChatGPT performed much better when it came to the cultural idioms and expressions but was hit-or-miss for longer-form text. There is a benefit to each platform; however, the true test lies in the learning of each platform over time.

Final Thoughts

ChatGPT and Google Translate are both useful tools for breaking down language barriers.

While ChatGPT is a promising general-purpose language model that has shown good results in preliminary evaluations, Google Translate remains the most popular machine translation tool in the market. However, with the launch of ChatGPT and the GPT-4 engine, we can expect better translations, improved translation outputs, and more award-winning stars in the different families of generative models.

Both tools have their strengths and weaknesses, and the choice of which to use depends on the translation task, language pair, and intended meaning. However, for the translation industry, both tools may require further linguistic validation and cultural adaptation.

While they could be helpful in small translation jobs, in most cases, a human translator might be required to confirm the translation as, at this point, they can't be blindly used. That being said, if you're ever looking for translation services, you know where to find us!