Computer translation is also called machine translation. It is achieved by software programmes that provide valuable help to get a fair idea of the meaning of text written in various foreign languages.

It is a technology that has improved tremendously during the last few years, allowing business immediate access to information regarding interesting developments in other parts of the world. The public in general can make use of free computer translation services available from search engines and other suppliers, to add a new dimension to their knowledge of what goes on in countries where another language is spoken.

In spite of the progress of this technology, its reliability is no higher than about 60%, so despite the great effort by translation software developers, total accuracy has proved so far to be elusive. It is available for a limited number of languages. Difficulties arise from a large number of words that have different meanings depending on the context in which they have been used, as well as expressions such as idioms that can’t be translated literally.

Machine translation can be used to great advantage in business, to decide whether it is really necessary to send certain documents to professional translators. It is however not recommended for any document intended for publication because the result could show some confusing or hilarious bits. It should also be considered that safety risks could arise in some cases as a consequence of faulty translation.
 
There are translators who find machine translation helpful by saving the correct fragments and correcting the erroneous ones. Statistical knowledge of language use has been used lately to improve the results of machine translation, somewhat strengthening its ability to compete with the human brain.