There's one controversial online tool people don't like to talk about when it comes to writing in Irish.
In this video, I reveal what it is and why you should use it...
So what do you think? Which side of the argument are you on?! Let me know in the comments or message me directly...
@Teresa: GRMMA – that’s really interesting. Thanks for sharing those insights. And that’s a good point about the “double-MTing” – I can see how it could spiral into a strangely modern, AI-powered version of the “Chinese whispers” game! :)
Haigh! Just to clarify on why Google is improving – it’s not the increase of the amount of Irish content that’s improving it, it’s the amount of bilingual text (Irish text and its English translation or vice-versa). MT systems learn how to translate from seeing loads of examples of this bilingual data, not from monolingual data. Monolingual data can help language modelling – which Google might be using on the output side to make it read fluently -and might also explain the good Irish→English systems you’re talking about.
But be aware that the neural MT systems can be suspiciously fluent looking but often semantically incorrect (not carry the intended meaning)!
I"d be wary of the suggestion for back-translation attempt … can be restricted just to what Google has seen so far in its training data. and double-MTing can cause a propogation of errors. ie the suggestion might not necessarily be the best way to write something in Irish!
@Séamus- GRMA, tá Google Translate ag éirí níos fearr gach lá!
@Mary – Great to hear, let me know how you get on!
A Dhiarmaid,a chara,
Go raibh maith agat as do fhíseán faoi ‘Google Translate’. Bhí sé suimiúil agus mar a dúirt tú conspóideach.
Caithfidh mé a rá nár bhain úsáid as an áis riamh so ní féidir liom breithiúnas bailí a thabhairt air.
Tá sé ar intinn agam triail a bhaint as uair éigin. Ach is cuimhin liom go maith gur cuireadh fainic orainn i dtaobh ‘Google Translate’ a úsáid sna cursaí Gaeilge uile a rinne mé.
Bímse féin ag aistriú ó Bhéarla go Gaeilge mar sin b’fhéidir nach mbeadh róchuiditheach domsa.
Ach mar a deir an seanfhocal nó an nuafhocal: Tá dhá thaobh ar ghach scéal ,so bainfidh mé triail as ar dtús.
Séamus
I am a mature student of irish in DCU and would have avoided google translate like the plague. but I do find your advice very interesting and refreshing and will give it a go.
Many thanks