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Description
Google Translate is a machine translation service developed by Google to translate text, documents and websites from one language into another. Since its introduction in 2006, Google Translate has gained its popularity by providing translation support for 133 languages worldwide. People working in different domains nowadays tend to rely on this tool for translation of materials but the quality of translation produced by Google Translate is not guaranteed. This study explores the quality of translation produced by Google Translate (GT) by examining its translations of commercial contracts from English into Vietnamese. The study employs content analysis as a qualitative research method for data analysis. The GT’s translations are analysed based on different categories. The findings show that GT generates both lexical and syntactic mistranslations including common words with uncommon meanings, archaic words, vague words, synonyms, technical terms, and formal words. Although GT has several limitations in translating the commercial contracts, it can maintain the overall level of formality of the documents. The study has implications for language students, teachers, and course developers in making better use of GT in studying and teaching translation courses while minimizing its drawbacks. The findings indicate the important role of human translators and the need for quality assessment in translation. The study suggests a combination of GT and human translators in translation practice so as to enhance the quality of translation
