The latest news from ARC Writing and Translation Services

Industry updates

Bard has rebranded as Gemini: will it live up to its name?

Gemini is the third sign of the zodiac and is associated with versatility, curiosity, intellect and communication skills. This month I've been playing with Gemini to see if it lives up to its name and how it compares with ChatGPT as an LLM, and I have to say, I have been pleased with the variety and depth of its responses.

What I like about Gemini is that it scrapes more recent data from the web whereas ChatGPT can only draw on data up to 2022. When I asked Gemini what the differences were between it and ChatGPT this is the response I received:??

Both ChatGPT and Gemini are large language models (LLMs) with impressive capabilities, but they have some key differences. Here's a breakdown across several aspects:

Training Data and Knowledge Base:

ChatGPT: Primarily trained on text data up to January 2022 (GPT-3.5) or April 2023 (GPT-4), supplemented by additional training data for specific tasks.

Gemini: Trained on a continuously updated stream of information, including real-time web data, allowing for potentially more current and comprehensive knowledge.

Focus and Applications:

ChatGPT: Primarily text-based applications, including generating different creative text formats, translation, and answering your questions in an informative way.

Gemini: May be more versatile, potentially expanding beyond text-based tasks to include image processing, complex problem-solving, and dynamic content generation in the future.

Accessibility and Transparency:

ChatGPT: Currently in closed beta, with limited public access and information about its internal workings.

Gemini: Still under development, but being actively tested and iterated upon. Google aims to be more transparent about its development process and responsible rollout.

Overall Design and Goals:

ChatGPT: Focuses on generating creative and human-like text, striving for coherence and fluency.

Gemini: Aims for broader understanding and problem-solving capabilities, potentially encompassing various modalities beyond text in the future.

It's important to note:

Both models are constantly evolving, so the specific differences may change as they are further developed and updated.

The "better" model depends on your specific needs and priorities. If you need a powerful text generator, ChatGPT might be a good option. If you require a more versatile AI that can potentially handle diverse tasks, Gemini (when publicly available) could be worth considering."

What have I been up to?

As someone who is not a fan of the British winter, I haven't done much face-to-face networking in the past month and have been focussing on working in and on my business, while keeping warm and dry.

Althoug, I did venture out on a cold Friday night to a local networking group (NANG) and had some interesting conversations with Joshua Yves Bell and Andy Neal .

February was a really busy month for the translation side of my business with three large projects landing in my inbox, all concerning medical translations from French and Italian into English. One was a back translation for a medical device, one was purely pharmaceutical, and the other was for a physiotherapy clinic in Rome.

This specialism still requires a lot of human translation and editing as the stakes are high if things are mistranslated as it can result in loss of life, serious injury and/or significant litigation.

Copywriting also featured with blog and newsletter writing for two regular clients and ad copy for a local estate agent. In my ghostwriting, I am getting close to the end of my writing assignment and would love to work with another budding author to turn their dream of authoring a book into reality.

AI faux pas for the month

After analysing 6 billion sentences, Amazon researchers found a 'shocking amount' of faulty machine translations online.

The main problem is when a text has been translated many times the end translation often contains several mistranslations that have occurred during the journey the text has been on.

Sadly, this is significantly impacting African languages which are underrepresented on the web.

Here is a quote from an article published online about the research conducted:??

"The researchers found that highly multi-way parallel translations are significantly lower quality than two-way parallel translations, which means regions under-represented on the web, such as African countries and other nations with more obscure languages, will face more significant challenges in establishing reliable AI large language models."

Click here to read the full article.

Did you know?

Did you know that the English word 'nice' actually comes from the Latin word "nescius" meaning "unaware" or "ignorant"?

If you want to know more, click here.

What have I learnt this month?

Being polite pays off, even when you're talking to AI.

Do you say please and thank you to Alexa, Siri or ChatGPT? If not, why not?

In a recent article by How-To-Geek, they tested the value of the responses they got from ChatGPT both when the prompt was delivered politely and when it wasn't. The results proved that overall there was a slight improvement in the quality and delivery of the responses when the prompts entered were polite.

I remember a few months ago a presenter on a podcast saying that he was always nice to the chatbot in case one day AI takes over the world and judges us on how we have treated it. It's a very scary, dystopian view but maybe he's got a point...

I also agree with the writer of this article who says that we lose something of ourselves if we drop our manners and it could become a habit if we're not careful. Are you blunt or polite in your AI prompts?

Click here to read the article.

Shout out to…

Andrew Fenton at AF Tax Solutions for his kind review on Google.

What’s new at ARC?

I'm thrilled to announce that a new client has chosen ARC Writing and Translation Services as its trusted translation service provider. The company is in the banking sector and I'm delighted that they have chosen us to take care of their translation needs for them.

I will be working with other trusted providers to assist with the translation of languages that I don't personally work in, such as Arabic, Greek and Polish.

Latest blog

My latest blog explains why you should hiring a human translator over machine translation or AI, especially in specific industries. You can read the file blog entitled "Lost in translation? The unrivalled value of human expertise in specialist fields"

Click here to read the blog in full.

Recommended reading

Babel by R. F. Kuang

I was intrigued by this book after it was recommended on LinkedIn by Chlo? McQuarrie BA (Hons), CertTrans, ACIL . There aren’t many fiction books out there about translation, so I was keen to pick up a copy.

Set in an alternate-reality Oxford University in the 1830s, the book explores the power of language and how it can be used as a force of good or a force for evil. It also highlights the importance of recognising the cultural and historical context behind words, not just their literal meanings. Exploring and challenging concepts such as colonialism and empire are also common threads that run through the narrative.

Another interesting aspect of the book is how it deals with the ethics of translation and raises questions about ownership, voice and agency in translation. In translation studies 'agency' refers to the power and decision-making ability of the human translator involved in the translation process. It addresses the translator's role as an active agent who doesn't simply convert words from one language to another.

The protagonists are translators studying at the mythical Royal Institute of Translation (RIT), also known as "Babel," located at Oxford University. They grapple with dilemmas like the loss of meaning, the translator's visibility and the right to modify a text for a different audience.

As a translator all of these issues resonated deeply with me and took me back to the days of studying translation theory in my master’s course in 2006 and, in some ways, reignited my passion for my translation, which had become jaded over the years of translating for a living rather to indulge a passion.

If you love history and how words wield power I highly recommend you read this book.??

Click here to buy the book.

Highlight of the month

Booking tickets to the latests edition of BP Translation Conferences in Seville this April. I can't wait to return to this beautiful Spanish city and forge some new and meaningful connections with other translation providers!

Contact me

Do you need a text translated from Italian, French or Spanish into English? Find out more about my translation services ??here

Do you have an interesting story or business insights to share in a book but don't have the time or inclination to write it yourself? I now offer non-fiction ghostwriting as a service to help business owners and entrepreneurs elevate their brands, increase their authority and visibility online and open doors to new speaking opportunities and higher-ticket clients.

Contact me to book a free 30-minute discovery call on Zoom at ?? [email protected]

Or do you need help developing a content strategy for your business?

Find out more about my copywriting packages and how they can help you grow your business?? Click here

You can download a copy of my portfolio ?? here