Translation APIs and Their Use Cases: Exploring the Differences Between DeepL, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI

1. What Is a Translation API?

A translation API is a helpful bit of technology that enables the automatic translation of text between different languages. By utilizing this API, software developers can add automatic translation features to various services. Translation APIs leverage technologies such as AI, deep learning, and natural language processing, and their accuracy and speed are improving daily. Many translation APIs are offered as cloud-based services and can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection.

2. Advantages of Translation APIs

By utilizing translation APIs, companies and developers can quickly deploy services with multi-language support. This makes it easier to access international markets and expand their customer base. Additionally, translation APIs are more cost-effective than human translators and facilitate real-time translations, making them particularly suitable for situations where immediacy is required. Translation services provided through an API are continuously updated to reflect new names and terms. Furthermore, by using an API's customization features, you can incorporate industry-specific terminology.

3. Use Cases

Translation APIs are utilized in various fields. For example, in business environments, they facilitate international transactions and communication. In multinational companies, real-time translation is often required to support communication among team members who speak different languages, and translation APIs can meet that need.

Translation APIs are essential in the tourism industry as well. Even when travelers cannot understand the local language, they can utilize translation apps to easily comprehend restaurant menus and tourist information. Furthermore, translation APIs are often used on travel websites to translate information about hotels and other lodgings, nearby attractions, and user reviews into various languages.

In the medical field, translation APIs support communication between patients and healthcare professionals, helping to reduce misunderstandings. Especially in emergencies, when quick and accurate information exchanges are imperative, the presence of translation APIs is extremely important.

4. Differences Between Translation APIs and Generative AI Service APIs

There are several differences between translation APIs and generative AI service APIs. Translation APIs are primarily designed to convert text from one language to another. In contrast, generative AI service APIs, such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, support a wide variety of natural language processing tasks, ranging from text generation and completion to summarization, question answering, and more.

Translation APIs are typically specialized for specific language pairs, focusing on translation accuracy and speed. They also come equipped with features specific to translation, such as a glossary function that allows you to pre-define the translations of specific words and setting options that dictate whether a translation is written in casual or formal language.

In contrast, generative AI service APIs are designed to handle more creative tasks. This can include text generation, story creation, and the development of interactive agents. Generative AI can typically operate within a given context as they generate natural and fluent text. The API for generative AI services is highly customizable, allowing handlers to tailor the framework to specific industries and applications. This enables users to build solutions that best meet their needs. For more details about using an API for generative AI services, please see the blog post below.

What Is the ChatGPT API? Introducing Its Capabilities, Benefits, and Integration Examples

In short, translation APIs are specialized in language conversion, while generative AI service APIs support a broader range of natural language processing tasks and enable the generation of creative content.

5. Representative Translation APIs

Here we will introduce some of the most exemplary translation APIs and their features.

DeepL API

DeepL is a German development company known for its high-precision translation service that particularly emphasizes context. By utilizing neural network technology and high-quality training data, it provides an automatic translation service that closely resembles natural human language. The DeepL API supports 33 representative languages. You can use a glossary to specify the translations of special terms and choose between formal and informal writing styles for the translated text. In addition to translating text strings, it also allows you to translate entire file documents. The supported file formats include docx, pptx, xlsx, pdf, html, txt, xlf, and srt. Both free and paid APIs are available, but because any data entered in the free API may be used to train DeepL's services, it is necessary to use the paid API for business purposes.

Google Cloud Translation API

Google Translate provides rapid translation services to the general public via neural network technology. The Google Cloud Translation API allows the use of Google Translate via API. The translations that it produces are relatively literal but have the benefits of very few omissions and support for over 100 languages. It also includes a glossary feature and document translation capabilities. The supported file formats are docx, pdf, pptx, and xlsx.

Microsoft Translator Text API

The Microsoft Translator Text API is a translation API from Microsoft. Similar to Google, it provides relatively literal translations with few omissions, and it supports over 100 languages. It features a glossary function and document translation capabilities. The supported file formats are pdf, csv, html, xlf, markdown, mhtml, xlsx, msg, pptx, docx, odt, odp, ods, rtf, tsv, and txt, a wider variety of file types than the other translation services.

OpenAI API

The OpenAI API is a generative AI service, but it can also be used as a translation API by using text generation models like GPT-4o and preparing prompts that request translation. It supports over 50 languages, and in addition to translation, it can manipulate the text provided by modifying the expressions according to the purpose of the document or summarizing the contents. By creatively crafting prompts for the OpenAI API, you can obtain functionality beyond mere translation. For more details on using this API for translation and other applications, check out the article below.

How to Use ChatGPT for Translation – Usage Methods and Practical Procedures

MTrans API

This is the translation API offered by Human Science. By simply connecting to the MTrans API, you can utilize the translation services of DeepL, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, Amazon, and NAVER Papago. It features a unique glossary function and an automatic post-editing function, allowing you to easily customize translations from each company. The automatic post-editing function enables you to unify expressions by performing string replacements or regular expression replacements on the output of each company's translation API, or to further call the OpenAI API to freely rewrite translations. You can refine translation expressions, unify styles in translation APIs that cannot specify casual or polite forms, and shorten translations to fit character limits.

6. Choosing the Right Translation API

Criteria for selecting a translation API include supported languages, translation accuracy, fluency, and API call latency, among others. The general trends are as follows.

・ Number of supported languages (highest to lowest): Google – Microsoft – OpenAI – DeepL

・ Translation accuracy (highest to lower): Google – Microsoft – OpenAI – DeepL

・ Fluency (more to less natural): DeepL – OpenAI – Google – Microsoft

・ Call latency (fastest to slowest): Microsoft – Google – DeepL – OpenAI

7. Security

When using translation APIs for business purposes, it is necessary to confirm whether the input and output data will be reused for improving the translation service or for developing new services. As mentioned earlier, the free version of DeepL's API service reuses input and output data, which may lead to the leakage of confidential business data outside the company. On the other hand, the input and output data of DeepL's paid API service and those of other companies' translation APIs are not reused.

8. Summary

Translation APIs are technologies that enable automatic translation of text between different languages. They allow for the rapid deployment of multilingual services and facilitate access to international markets. Notable translation APIs are provided by DeepL, Google, and Microsoft, and the OpenAI API for generative AI is also available. Criteria for selection include supported languages, translation accuracy, fluency, and API call latency.

Human Science offers the MTrans API, which utilizes translation engines from DeepL, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI. It features a glossary function and automatic post-editing capabilities, allowing for easy customization of the output from each company's translation API. Try out the MTrans API with our 14-day free trial offer. Please contact us for more information.

MTrans for Office is an easy-to-use translation software for Office.