# How computers translate human language

- Institution: TED
- Department: TED-Ed
- Speaker: Ioannis Papachimonas
- Year: 2015
- Level: For everyone
- Language: English
- Subjects: Computer science, Engineering, Languages and linguistics, Art, architecture and design, Teaching and learning
- Source: [TED](https://www.ted.com/talks/ioannis_papachimonas_how_computers_translate_human_language)
- Licence: [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) (Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions.)
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

Is a universal translator possible in real life? We already have many programs that claim to be able to take a word, sentence, or entire book in one language and translate it into almost any other. The reality, however, is a bit more complicated. Ioannis Papachimonas shows how these machine translators work, and explains why they often get a bit mixed up. \[Directed by Peyton Skyler, narrated by Addison Anderson\].

## Lectures

1. [How computers translate human language](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/ted/ioannis_papachimonas_how_computers_translate_human_language/b861e55dc650), 5 min (TED's player)