We’ve all used machine translators at one point or another. They’re fast, free, and simple to use. However, the quality of the results are oftentimes not quite up to par. There are even websites devoted to the completely off the wall results that can come from using a machine translator. No matter how great machine translators are at providing a fast and easy solution for translation, the truth of the matter is that machines are not able to process all of the intricacies, variables, and creativity of human language accurately.
The creators of Ackuna had this in mind when they developed a crowdsourced platform for for free and more accurate translations. Instead of relying on machines, Ackuna provides an open platform for the internet community to help share translations between one another. The concept is simple enough, and at the heart of it, the effectiveness lies in the intrinsic nature of people wanting to help one another by sharing their knowledge.
Alex Buran, CEO and creator of Ackuna states, “As the web continues to become a global playground, if you will, for different cultures and nationalities, the ability to help one another with other language needs is fast becoming an easier and more reliable alternative to machine translation.”
So far, Ackuna has generated over 1300 users, and new translation projects are being submitted and translated at a steady rate. New users are signing up daily for many different languages, increasing the speed and process for translations.
Ackuna also takes into consideration programmers who might need content translated for websites or apps. Programmers can simply upload their files (.xls, .xlsx, .xml, .yml, .rrc, .strings, .properties, and .po are all supported) and receive their translations back in the same format. There’s no need to copy and paste text into a form!
For multilingual user that wish to translate, they are rewarded through a badge and a self-promotion system (i.e. they receive clout). The more accurate translations and useful content someone posts, the higher ranking they receive and the more clout that person has in the community. Something that can be very beneficial to professional translators that wish to promote their services.
All of the translated content is stored in a growing database, as well. That way in the future, users could simply enter text and receive immediate and accurate human-translated content, if it has been entered and translated previously.
With a growing community of users, Ackuna stands to become the solution for providing free and accurate translations on the web. To learn more about Ackuna, visit their site at http://Ackuna.com.
