25.04.2024
Simona Todesco
Six DeepL alternatives for Switzerland
How do Google Translate and ChatGPT rate when compared directly with DeepL? And, even more importantly, what does our translation tool Textshuttle have to offer Swiss companies?
There’s no question that DeepL has set the standard when it comes to machine translation. But is it the perfect solution for everyone? Things aren’t quite that simple – especially in Switzerland, where the use cases for machine translation are as diverse as our languages and even a titan like DeepL can quickly reach its limits. Here, we present you with six DeepL alternatives that can not only match, but even outpace the frontrunner in certain areas.
Online translation tools
Textshuttle
Textshuttle started life as a spin-off of the University of Zurich and has been shaking up the field of automatic language processing since 2017, with a clear focus on data protection and quality.
Advantages for private users:
• Accessibility: Textshuttle is open to everyone and works on both desktop and mobile, without the need to install an app.
• Linguistic diversity: From Romansh to Swiss German, Textshuttle covers every language spoken in Switzerland – and understands the linguistic nuances that make the country unique.
• Data protection: Textshuttle hosts all the data it translates in its own cloud environment, meaning that it never leaves Switzerland.
Advantages for corporate customers – professional translators enjoy plenty of benefits with Textshuttle:
• Language variants: From UK English to Austrian German, Textshuttle offers language variants that do justice to regional differences.
• Tailor-made solutions: Textshuttle offers individually tailored solutions to meet company-specific requirements – a far cry from generic models.
• Customer support and flexibility: Individual support from experts and quick adjustments thanks to agile product development.
• Cost benefits: A flat fee for enterprise customers means that Textshuttle is often an economical DeepL alternative.
• Expert verification: Translations can be reviewed by professionals directly in the Textshuttle tool.
• Integrations: Textshuttle integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Office and provides an API for more efficient work processes.
• Individual tone of voice: Textshuttle incorporates your company-specific tone of voice into translations, making brand communication authentic and consistent.
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Disadvantages:
The free version of Textshuttle is limited to five languages, while DeepL offers 29. Textshuttle does not yet have an app, though it works with a mobile-optimised web page. There is no OCR function for phone cameras; however, OCR for PDF documents is supported.
Conclusion:
Textshuttle is ideal for private users in Switzerland who set great store by local language support and data protection. It is also worthwhile for professional users who require precise and tailored translations for their day-to-day work, and who have found that generic translation services can’t meet their needs.
Google Translate
Google Translate has continued to develop over the years as an alternative to DeepL. Initially criticised for its sometimes inaccurate translations, the tool has now significantly improved its performance. It may not always be the first choice for highly professional translation needs, but it’s a solid option if all you need is a quick translation of a website or an everyday text. Google’s smartphone app is also a good companion when travelling abroad.
Advantages:
• Linguistic diversity: With support for over 130 languages, Google Translate is extremely versatile.
• Web page translation: The tool allows users to easily translate entire web pages simply by entering the URL – a feature that is missing from competitors such as DeepL.
Disadvantages:
The accuracy of the translations varies, especially compared to Textshuttle or DeepL, which often perform better for European languages. Unlike Textshuttle or DeepL, Google Translate does not allow users to look up synonyms for individual words.
Conclusion:
Google Translate is a practical solution for spontaneous translations in everyday life or when travelling abroad. It supports more than 130 different languages and is therefore very versatile.
ChatGPT
Recently, ChatGPT has seen a real surge in popularity. The introduction of the paid version, ChatGPT 4.0, has provided users with a tool for a wide range of tasks that go far beyond translation.
Advantages:
• High quality: ChatGPT is known for its excellent translation quality in popular languages.
• Language support: All languages are supported. In less widespread and more complex languages, however, the quality deteriorates rapidly.
• Flexibility: ChatGPT can do much more than just translate. It can also summarise content and generate further text, and enables a high level of interaction through detailed prompts.
Disadvantages:
There is no option to look up synonyms for individual words. ChatGPT also lags a little behind traditional translation tools in terms of speed. And while its translations are of high quality, it is not always as precise as some competitors. The quality also depends heavily on the specific input from the user.
Conclusion:
ChatGPT 4.0 (the paid version) is a solid choice for those who are looking for an all-round tool and do not want to switch between applications for different tasks. However, the free version – GPT 3.5 – has some weaknesses. In such cases, the free version of Textshuttle or DeepL may provide better results. Professional translators can use a ChatGPT API in their CAT tools.
PONS
Having started out as a publishing company for dictionaries and language learning materials, PONS has now embraced the digital age, leveraging its expertise to create an online dictionary known for its accuracy in translating both individual words and texts.
Advantages:
With 22 languages in its repertoire, PONS covers a wide range of user needs.
Disadvantages:
PONS is financed by advertising, which is displayed on the website and in the app and can interfere with the workflow. The tool works very well when translating individual words, but quickly reaches its limits when dealing with full sentences or texts. The user interface is also somewhat old-fashioned.
Conclusion
PONS is well suited for fast translations of individual words. For more extensive texts and a modern and intuitive user interface, however, users should look elsewhere.
LEO
LEO presents itself as a digital dictionary that offers much more than just translations. The tool enables translations in both directions and supplements this basic feature with extensive additional information, including audio files that reproduce the correct pronunciation of words.
Advantages:
LEO is characterised by a rich database of synonyms, verbs and phrases. It’s an especially valuable resource when it comes to technical terms and highly precise translations.
Disadvantages:
Unlike other services, LEO does not offer machine translation of complete sentences, and its focus on individual words and phrases limits its effectiveness when it comes to longer texts.
Conclusion
Although LEO is losing ground to other online language services, it retains its raison d’être in technical niches. For users who need more detailed information or the exact pronunciation of a word, LEO remains a useful resource. However, it’s not suitable for machine translation of whole sentences or texts.
Linguee
Linguee, a service from DeepL, is an online dictionary for 25 languages that combines dictionary features with a search engine. It provides access to a wide database of bilingual sentence pairs, giving users unique insights into how words are actually used in practice. Compared to services like LEO, Linguee offers more than just translations: it serves as a comprehensive language tool.
Advantages:
Linguee provides examples of sentences from native speakers, enabling a deeper understanding of how specific terms and phrases are used.
Disadvantages:
The tool does not allow for direct machine translation of whole sentences, which slows down the workflow. Some language pairs are unavailable – for example, Chinese, Japanese and Russian can only be translated into English.
Conclusion:
Despite its innovative approach, Linguee seems outdated because it doesn’t allow machine translation of complete texts. However, it remains a valuable resource for users looking for authentic sample sentences.
We recommend Textshuttle as a DeepL alternative for users who care about data protection and are looking for a customised translation solution. It is aimed at anyone in Switzerland who needs accurate translations that take the nuances of local language use into account.
Google Translate and ChatGPT are useful for languages that DeepL and Textshuttle do not offer.
When it comes to professional translations, Textshuttle is the ideal choice for companies operating in a multilingual environment or dependent on accurate specialist translations. With powerful AI, dedicated customer support and the ability to take individual writing styles into account, Textshuttle is the perfect match for your needs.