Word-for-Word Phrasing: Like any other language, literal translations don’t work in Greek as well. Imagine translating “I’ll take care of it” to “Θα πάρω φροντίδα του (I’ll take care of him). Greek uses a different structure and phrasing to achieve a natural flow, which a traditional translator fails to achieve.
Translating Idioms Literally: Translating English idioms literally in Greek can also create confusion. For instance, translating “break a leg” literally can derail a business conversation. Instead, live translation tools like JotMe display “Καλή τύχη,” which means good luck.
Article and Gender Errors: Unlike English, noun endings in Greek can change based on function in a sentence. For example, using the incorrect article “ο” instead of “η” misgenders the title and can make the conversation awkward.
Cultural Mismatches: Many translation apps fail to understand the scenario, audience, and tone, resulting in inappropriate word choices.
While explaining a feature, I said, “Let’s hit the ground running.” The literal translation sounds like “Ας χτυπήσουμε το έδαφος τρέχοντας.” JotMe, meanwhile, translates to “Ας ξεκινήσουμε δυναμικά,” which is accurate and conveys the real meaning: start strong with momentum. This is a result of advanced speech recognition technology JotMe uses to understand the context, tone, and flow of the conversation.
I also loved how my Greek-speaking attendees can use JotMe to speak in English. They could just write what they want to say in Greek, and JotMe instantly translates it into English. JotMe even provides pronunciation, so nothing gets lost in the delivery. For example, someone typed “τι ακολουθεί,” and JotMe’s output was “wat fol-oze (what follows).”
Maestra AI caught my attention when I was looking for web-based live translation software that accurately translates from English to Greek. When I tested it for full-fledged business meetings, it fared well for casual conversations. For example, when I said “Are you all set for the client meeting today?,” Maestra AI translates to “Είστε έτοιμοι για τη συνάντηση πελατών σήμερα,” which is accurate.
Maestra AI, however, struggled when conversations were filled with complex technical jargon. For example, during a presentation, someone says, “Updating the automation to ensure all modules run sequentially.” The translation came out as “Ενημερώνω τον αυτοματισμό για να διασφαλίσω ότι όλες οι μονάδες εκτελούνται διαδοχικά (I update the automation to ensure that all units are executed sequentially).
For example, when someone said, “The deployment window opens at 4 PM. Once the integration tests are complete, we’ll move into the validation phase.” Google Translate returned “Το παράθυρο ανάπτυξης ανοίγει στις 4 μ.μ.. Μόλις ολοκληρωθούν οι δοκιμές ενσωμάτωσης, θα προχωρήσουμε στη φάση επικύρωσης.” It replaced deployment with development, and test with testing, while keeping other phrases too literal. This made me realize that Google Translate is only suitable for casual communication.
Palabra AI’s limitation, however, is that it struggles with sentences containing idiomatic expressions. For example, it translates “Let's break the bank for the app” to “Ας αδειάσουμε τον τραπεζικό μας λογαριασμό για την εφαρμογή (let’s empty our bank account). Also, unlike JotMe, Palabra AI hasn’t made its pricing policy transparent.
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