Systran Review — Language Software Comparison (2012)

Systran sells a range of translator software on their website. The company calls itself the leading supplier for language translation software. They have software packages to cater to different needs – the Home Translator, the Office Translator, the Business Translator, and the Premium Translator. These software translators can be used to translate files on Windows office applications, it can translate web pages on Internet Explorer and Fire Fox, and you can use it as a common desktop dictionary.

The software is very comprehensive and translates into 52 languages. They promise translations that are “publishable quality translations”. This means that you can use a software has a high accuracy, you can translate your text, publish it and it would be acceptable to read for a native speaker of that language. 

Systran has made a name for itself by boasting an innovation in their software that makes it highly customizable. Systran 7 software learns after from the habits of the user. This is a self learning technique built into the software so the user can “train” the software to work toward specific objectives. A buyer would purchase this software if they wanted to build a business or a website with an international readership. Human translators are very expensive, having a software to do the translating work would save money.

Systran will translate into the text of other languages, such as Chinese characters for Chinese languages. Not only can you translate documents, you can also produce instant translations for communications by email, instant message and forums. The premium software package has 20 specialized dictionaries, including a medical and legal dictionary which gives the software an advantage in translating technical documents. 

The two other leading translation softwares on the market are Babylon 9 and the Ace Translator.  Babylon 9 by Babylon retails for $116.40. The software has a high accuracy rate, but you will still get some grammar errors in translations. A unique feature of the Babylon 9 software is that it has a text to speech pronunciation feature that will correctly pronounce any foreign word for you. The Babylon 9 translates in 33 languages. It is not considered a user friendly software for beginners because the translation software currently has no user guide.

The Ace Translator is the only other translator software in the market that rivals the Systran 7 in range of languages. Ace Translator will translate 59 languages and it retails at $59.95. This software however has a relatively low accuracy rate, around 72% accurate for translations in 59 languages. The software is easy to use but offers few applications. 

Systran 7 software translator has 4 pricing packages to choose from. You can buy according to your needs. The Systran 7 Home Translator is sold for £59.00, inclusive of Vat for a bilingual package. You can select a multilingual package that would cost £79.00. For those purchasing in the US Dollar, the Systran 7 Home Translator is sold for $129.99.

The Systran 7 Office Translator sells at £159.00, for a multilingual pack, the bilingual pack costs £119.00. Systran 7 Business Translator costs £329.00 for a multilingual pack and £249.00 for a bilingual pack. And finally, the Systran 7 Premium will sell for £739.00 for a multilingual pack and £619.00 for a bilingual pack. 

The real question in the mind of a buyer would be if a software could actually do the job of a human being. What Systran is offering is a software that will meet you half way. They offer a translator software that is customizable. Which means that you will initially not get a perfect translation and you will still need a human reader to customize the translator in the languages you need translated in order to get a seamless instant translation in future translations.  

The European Commission and the US Intelligence Community use Systran 7 software. These public agencies require the use of translator softwares on a daily basis, but they still hire human translators. Ideally, Systran 7 software is a human translator’s aid to make the work go faster. Nuances of the human language are still to complex for a software to interpret and the resulting translations will still be awkward with out human edits.