10 Best Translation Software Options For Your Business

Translation software is an integral tool for global organizations. Translation software allows businesses to expand their reach, enhance content accessibility, and establish a presence in otherwise inaccessible markets.

Automated translation is not a modern solution. Google Translate has been used for online translation for nearly two decades and remains the most-used translation app, with over 1 billion installs on mobile devices. However, despite its widespread use in everyday life, Google Translate does not meet the stringent standards needed for professional business communications.

In response, numerous companies have emerged to provide translation solutions that combine high accuracy with cost-effectiveness. These advanced platforms are designed to meet the specific needs of professionals and enterprises, ensuring precision in multilingual communication.

Here is a list of the top 10 translation software options that can become a vital aspect of your company’s globalization.

Key Takeaways

• Translating your English content into other languages can improve the accessibility of your content and tremendously increase your overall audience.
• Traditional translations with tools like Google Translate are outdated due to their use of statistical machine translation (SMT), which is limited to non-contextual translation.
• Modern neural networks and AI-based translation software are capable of contextual translation with proper sentence structure and close to 100% accuracy.
• Sonix distinguishes itself as the premier translation software due to its 99% accuracy rate and extensive language support, making it ideal for various professional uses.

What Is Translation Software?

Translation software are tools that are designed to assist or replace human translators and convert audio/video or even text from one language into another quicker in comparison to traditional translation.

As previously mentioned, Google Translate is a well-known example of translation software. However, its approach to translation differs significantly from the advanced software we are discussing today.

Google Translate uses a technology called statistical machine translation (SMT). While Google Translate is effective for simple translations, such as interpreting a recipe on a foreign noodle package or translating a street sign, it struggles with larger content pieces. This limitation arises from its inability to fully grasp the linguistic context, often resulting in substandard translations for more complex texts.

This shortcoming was solved via AI and neural networks, which have ushered translation into a new era away from SMT, allowing translation models to account for context and sentence structure.

This advancement has enhanced the accuracy percentages that businesses could achieve through automated translation and increased the turnaround time compared to traditional human translation.

With that said, if you’re looking to adopt an AI-based translation software for your business, here are your best options.

10 Best Translation Software in 2024

Here’s a brief overview of the ten best translation software out there and a quick highlight of their core features, intended consumers, and pricing.

1. Sonix

Sonix distinguishes itself as the best translation software on the market. This is primarily due to its very high accuracy in translating and transcribing a diverse range of sources, including pre-recorded audio and video, lectures, meetings, and interviews.

Sonix excels in both recorded and real-time translation and transcription, which makes it the top choice for various industry professionals.

Core Features

Here are a few core features of Sonix that distinguish it from other competitors in the market.

High Degree of Accuracy

The accuracy that Sonix can achieve in comparison to the competition is unrivaled. Sonix is capable of consistently reaching accuracy rates of up to 99%.

Despite challenges like thick accents and background noise, Sonix maintains consistent accuracy rates surpassing its competitors.

Fast Turnaround

Apart from accuracy, speed is also one of Sonix’s primary attributes, giving it an advantage over the other tools on this list. When it comes to translation and transcription, Sonix is able to process data much faster than other services, both human and AI-powered.

Files that would otherwise take hours or days to translate accurately can be completed in a similar time frame as the length of the file when using Sonix, all while maintaining a stellar degree of accuracy.

Language Support

Sonix excels in translating and transcribing content across more than 39 languages, supporting various global languages.

Its advanced technology handles various dialects and linguistic nuances with remarkable efficiency, making it a versatile tool for international businesses, educators, and media professionals seeking efficient multilingual support.

Advanced Security Suite

Sonix’s enterprise security is at the forefront of the company’s focus. With advanced security protocols offering bank-level security, Sonix has set out to safeguard your personal data against malicious entities.

Ease of Use and Editing

Sonix is well-regarded by customers for its ease of use. The intuitive UI of Sonix makes it simple for first-time users to navigate the platform and explore the various functionalities offered by the platform.

To streamline the editing process, Sonix includes an in-browser editor, enabling users to conveniently modify translations and transcriptions. This feature is particularly useful for correcting any errors in the output. 

Additionally, Sonix is equipped with advanced features like entity and topic detection and thematic and sentiment analysis, which creates additional value for the translated documents. 

Pricing

Aside from having a suite of features that makes Sonix a great translation and transcription tool for various industries, it also has a competitive and transparent pricing model that makes it a great choice for both one-time and consistent use.

• Standard Pay-As-You-Go Plan: $10 Per Hour
• Premium Subscription: $5 Per Hour flat fee along with a $22 base pricing per user
• Enterprise Subscription: You’ll need to contact the Sonix sales team for pricing

Pros of Sonix

• Exceedingly high accuracy – up to 99%
• Quick turnaround
• Affordable pricing structure
• Support in over 39 languages
• Exemplary security features
• Many integration and collaborative options

Cons of Sonix

• Some competitors may offer support in more languages (although you will have to compromise for a lower accuracy).

Looking to test the capabilities of Sonix’s translation services, with 99% accuracy and rapid turnaround times? Sign up for a 30-minute free trial today. No credit card required.

2. GlobalLink

GlobalLink offers diverse translation features that make it suitable for highly complex translation tasks. GlobalLink’s services are not specifically targeting individuals. However, it is a leading choice for large enterprises that need scalable, fast, and accurate translations.

A key aspect of GlobalLink is its usage of translation memory management, which reuses previously translated segments to reduce costs and maintain high accuracy.

GlobalLink also supports custom workflows and provides enterprises with advanced project management and quality assurance tools to ensure that all translations maintain high standards and accuracy.

Pros

• User-friendly interface
• Advanced project management tools
• Consistency in translations
• Robust integration capabilities

Cons

• Complex setup
• High cost for individuals

Pricing

GlobalLink offers a customized pricing model, with costs tailored to specific requirements. As previously mentioned, GlobalLink is not well-suited for individual users. However, this does not mean that the pricing is universally inadequate. Their pricing model remains a good option for large-scale organizations where affordability or budget is not a primary concern.

3. Unbabel

Unbabel is a unique translation software that blends the capabilities of AI and human services to generate accurate translations that can be used in a variety of industries. The hybrid approach of AI and human services combined provides high accuracy thanks to human oversight with the added advantage of being faster than pure human translation.

Unbabel is a good solution for processing high volumes of content that must be accessible in many languages. To make workflows smoother, Unbabel can integrate seamlessly with popular CMS and CRM platforms.

Pricing

Unbabel is largely popular due to its cost-effective pricing for both individuals and agencies. A brief review of their pricing is listed below.

• Pay-as-you-go Model: $0.0006 per word with no annual commitment
• Standard: From $0.00050 per word, with a $30,000 minimum annual commitment
• Starter: From $0.00055 per word, with a $10,000 minimum annual commitment
• Enterprise: From $0.00046 per word, with a #125,000 minimum annual commitment

Pros

• Advanced integration features
• Highly scalable
• Cost-effective when compared to human translations
• Efficient and reliable

Cons

• May not be as fast as some other services
• Inconsistent accuracy

4. Wordly

Wordly is a high-quality AI-powered translation service designed primarily for real-time translations for conferences, meetings, lectures, and interviews. It has a suite of advanced features that enable it to record, transcribe, and translate live language in real time, and it can do so into several languages.

With both text and audio translations, Wordly is a suitable choice for those who need to make their content, particularly live and spoken content, more accessible to a wider audience, such as audience members attending a conference.

Pricing

Wordly has several pricing options available, with the final price depending on the size of the event and the number of attendees. There are starter, pro, pro+, corporate, and enterprise packages, each with differing prices depending on your needs. For pricing, you will have to contact Wordly for further details.

Pros

• Scalable
• Easy to use
• Vast integrations with meeting and conferencing tools

Cons

• Fairly expensive
• Poor user experience
• Needs a consistent internet connection

5. Pairaphrase

Pairaphrase is a competent translation software for business and enterprise needs. This is the only software that comes close to Sonix regarding its security features. However, Sonix still excels by a wide margin.

Aside from its commendable security package, it can produce fast and accurate translations into over 100 languages using powerful machine-learning algorithms and technologies. If security and confidentiality are your main concerns, Pairaphrase is a good option.

However, an issue with Pairaphrase is its formatting limitations. The tool has limitations when processing italicized and bolded sentences, often leading to errors in the final version of the translation. Furthermore, the tool puts two spaces instead of one or no spaces instead of one when parsing italicized and bolded sentences. These formatting issues mean users have to add on additional time when editing files. 

Pricing

Although Pairaphrase has some good features, it’s also expensive.

There are many different packages and subscriptions to choose from, with the lowest one being the Berlin package, coming in at $0.008 per word, and the Rome package, coming in at $0.004 per word. However, you have to pay $199, $299, and $399 for each package, respectively.

There are also yearly plans available that are suitable for large-scale needs, ranging from $3,399 to $19,999 per year.

 Pros

• Many supported languages
• Fast and accurate
• User-friendly
• Great security features

Cons

• Relatively expensive
• Poor formatting and spacing

6. Text United

Text United uses AI technology to quickly and accurately translate documents and video content. A standout feature of Text United is its inclusion of diverse project management tools, which improves workflow across the board.

Text United also offers customizable translation glossaries and memories, which help maintain consistency across translations. Text United supports over 30 types of files and supports transcription as well.

The most prominent feature of Text United is its robust integration capabilities with various software and websites. Thanks to advanced APIs, Text United can easily integrate with development environments and content management systems for accurate translations across various platforms.

Pricing

Text United features a free plan, which is sufficient for users who just need a few pieces of text translated every month. For regular users, there are three packages: essential, extended, and enterprise.

• Free Plan: 2,500 words per month
• Essential:  €70/month
• Extended: €250/month
• Enterprise: Contact the Text United team for more details

Pros

• Advanced integration capabilities
• Scalable
• Highly customizable
• Very user-friendly layout
• Supports many file types

Cons

• Some integrations may require technical expertise

7. DeepL

If high-quality translations are essential, whether for individual or business purposes, DeepL consistently remains a leading option.

DeepL uses advanced neural network technology to generate translations. The foundation of this network focuses on contextual accuracy. DeepL can follow the contextual meaning of your text, resulting in greater overall readability.

DeepL has recently added English, most European languages, and various Asian languages to their list of supported languages as well.

DeepL can also translate complete documents while maintaining their original format, which is especially useful for business documentation. DeepL can also seamlessly integrate with other apps and services thanks to its APIs. 

Additionally, DeepL places significant emphasis on privacy, making it a suitable choice for users intending to upload sensitive company information to DeepL servers.

Pricing

As mentioned above, although DeepL has a variety of plans available, it can get fairly expensive if you intend to use it for high volume translations.

• Starter: $10.49 per user per month
• Advanced: $34.49 per user per month
• Ultimate: $68.99 per user per month
• DeepL API Pro: $5.49 per month + usage-based price
• DeepL API for Business: Custom pricing

 Pros

• High-quality translation
• A user-friendly interface
• Advanced security measures
• Real-time and document translation
• Diverse selection of supported languages

Cons

• High costs with high volumes of translation
• Pricing tiers include file size limitations that restrict the uploading of files, even when there are available minutes on your account

8. Copy.ai

Copy.ai is a seemingly simple yet advanced translation service that mainly targets marketers and sales professionals. Copy.ai is designed to create engaging, creative, and exciting copy, with its primary purpose being to create easily accessible, understandable, and engaging marketing content. It’s a preferred option for marketing campaigns.

Copy.ai currently supports nearly 100 languages, and it comes complete with hundreds of content templates to streamline marketing efforts. Copy.ai also allows users to create and customize unique voice brands and styles, with repetitive tasks being automated for the ultimate efficiency.

However, it’s crucial to mention that Copy.ai is not a translation platform per se. It’s an automation platform designed to automate menial CRM tasks, and its translation algorithm is a small part of a bigger system. The translation is good, but it’s not on par with platforms like Sonix, which have translation as their core feature.

Pricing

Copy.ai is ambiguous about the pricing of their translation services. The pricing page did not include information about translation minutes, so we contacted their support to clarify this. After a wait time of four days, we received a reply that wasn’t related to our query. 

UPDATE: Three days later, their support team reached out to our reply to the above email. While they still didn’t answer the question accurately, they did give us some idea on how the pricing works.

Nonetheless, here is an outline of their pricing tiers. Currently, the method for calculating translation charges remains unclear.

• Free Plan
• Pro Plan: $49 per month (5 seats)
• Team Plan: $249 per month (20 seats)

 Pros

• Allows for great creative flexibility
• Simple interface
•  Performs well for creative and marketing needs
• Quick deployment of marketing campaigns due to quick and easy functionality

Cons

• Limited nuance with languages
• Ambiguous translation pricing

9. Geoworkz

Geoworkz features a robust translation workspace that suits those in the localization industry. Geoworkz has various tools, including real-time and collaborative project management tools, that make it a reliable translation software.

It’s a suitable choice for businesses looking to expand globally, especially thanks to features such as glossary management, which allows live glossary updates so teams can access glossary assets from anywhere around the world and update them in real-time. Geoworkz also supports several different file formats, making it an ideal choice for handling various project requirements.

Pricing

Free trials are available for freelancers (5000 words) and agencies (160,000 words), which are great for testing Geoworkz out. There are also several freelance, agency, and enterprise plans available.

• Freelancer: Ranging from $14 monthly for 5,000 words to $71 monthly for 80,000 words
• Agencies: Ranging from $71 monthly for 10,000 words to $1,230 monthly for 1,000,000 words
• Enterprise: Up to $1,188 monthly for 1,000,000 words

 Pros

• Real-time access to translation memory
• Easily scalable
• Offers enhanced productivity
• Flexible pricing

Cons

• Relies on the cloud

10. Transifex

Transifex is a leading competitor that excels at continuous localization for websites, video games, and apps. It allows new content to be localized automatically, thus keeping it up to date without the need for constant manual translation.

Overall, Transifex is very user-friendly, as it offers several workflow automation tools combined with an overall user-friendly platform. The real-time collaboration capabilities of Transifex features are unrivaled.

Pricing

Transifex has a 15-day free trial that’s ideal for anyone who wants to test its capabilities. There are also various plans to choose from.

• Starter: From $145 per month
• Growth: From $680 per month
• Enterprise: Contact the Transifex team for more information

 Pros

• Extensive language capabilities
• Fast and efficient translations
• Suited for continuous localization
• Scalable
• Flexible prices

Cons

• Requires technical knowledge

How to Choose the Best Translation Software in 2024

Choosing the best translation software goes beyond picking the cheapest or the most accurate one. There are several additional factors to consider. Here are three factors that should directly influence your final decision.

Usability

Any competent translation software needs to have a user-friendly interface. This is vital for teams that require tools that can be easily accessed from any location and simultaneously by multiple team members. Translation apps should also have a minimal learning curve and feature clear labeling, intuitive navigation, and easy-to-access customer support. 

Free trials are highly recommended to assess the software’s ease of use. If a free trial or money-back guarantees are not offered, it may be advisable to consider another platform.

Diverse Language Support

Language support is critical to consider before you make the purchase. If you purchase a tool that doesn’t support your target language, you won’t be able to utilize the subscription fully.

While choosing a platform with the widest range of languages might seem ideal, it’s important to consider its accuracy, too. A tool offering 99% accuracy in three of your required five languages is preferable over one that supports all five languages but only with 70% accuracy.

Cost Effectiveness

Cost effectiveness of the tool requires consideration as well before you register with a platform. Certain tools are designed for individuals. In such cases, scaling the minutes/words to support higher volume translations will be expensive. Similarly, if a tool targets enterprise users, it might be costly for individuals or small businesses. 

It’s always a good idea to compare various options to determine which will offer you the most value.

How Do These Translation Software Options Compare?

Here’s how the top 10 best pieces of translation software stack up against each other.

What is the Best Translation Software?

Based on our in-depth analysis, the best translation software at this time is Sonix. With its high degree of accuracy, enterprise-grade security features, optimal translation speed, and cost-effectiveness, Sonix is well-equipped to support both small and large-volume translations.

While there are other competent competitors in the market, no other tool matches Sonix’s comprehensive capabilities.

Try Sonix’s free trial today! You’ll get 30 minutes of free translation. No credit card required!

Best Translation Software: Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Most Accurate Translation Software?

At this time, the most accurate translation software is Sonix, often reaching accuracy levels of 99% or higher.

What Software Do Professional Translators Use?

Professional translators often choose Sonix, although GlobalLink, Unbabel, Wordly, and Pairaphrase all make for top contenders as well.

What is Better Than Google Translate?

Since Google Translate uses outdated technology incapable of contextual translation, any of the tools on this list surpass the accuracy provided by Google Translate.