OpenAI arms itself against Google and DeepL with a new translator. Why ChatGPT Translate is rather disappointing so far?

Text translation from one language to another is one of the industries that artificial intelligence has dramatically transformed in recent years. Although chatbots have not yet reached a state where they can completely replace human work, their capabilities are constantly improving, and companies developing AI models are making it clear that they do not intend to let up (even if they focus more on programming automation). OpenAI is now launching its own translator under the ChatGPT brand, which is going after established solutions from Google and DeepL.

Style selection as the main distinguishing feature

Although its interface is not particularly surprising – with two text fields and a language selection menu at its core, ChatGPT Translate distinguishes itself (mainly from Google Translate) with the option to adjust the translation style. Users can choose with one click whether the resulting text should be more fluent, more formal, suitable for an academic audience, or, conversely, understandable for a child. These presets leverage ChatGPT’s ability to understand the context and tone of the message.

The tool currently supports over 50 languages, including Czech. Only text translation is available on the web version so far, while mobile browsers also allow voice input. OpenAI also mentions future support for image translation on the page, but this is not yet functional.

It falls short of Google Translate in many aspects

However, compared to Google Translate, OpenAI’s new offering has several limitations. It currently lacks a mobile application, support for document translation, and entire website translation. After completing the translation, the tool redirects the user to the regular ChatGPT interface, where they can continue working with the text.

So, should you rejoice that OpenAI has launched its own translator? If you intend to process only text content, then perhaps, but if you desire maximum convenience with an application or frequently translate images, the new tool under the ChatGPT umbrella will likely disappoint you so far. However, we expect developers to gradually address these shortcomings.

Have you tried ChatGPT Translate yet? How does it compare to Google Translate or DeepL?

Sources: OpenAI, The Verge, CNET, own