Youdao Translation

What is Youdao Translation?

Youdao Translation is a machine translation and language learning service offered by NetEase Youdao; it includes web translation, the Youdao Translation Officer tool, desktop and mobile versions of the NetEase Youdao Dictionary, as well as the Youdao Smart Cloud AI open platform designed for businesses and developers.

The functions of different interfaces vary: the web version is suitable for quick text translation; YD Translator is geared more towards use in travel, photography, voice communication, and simultaneous interpretation.

NetEase Youdao Dictionary combines authoritative dictionaries, word lookup functions, documents, audio and video content, as well as specialized terms; Youdao Smart Cloud, on the other hand, offers text translation, OCR, voice translation, and real-time interpretation powered by large language models through API connections.

Core functions

1. Text translation

Users can enter words, short phrases, and long texts; the system automatically identifies the source language and translates it into the target language. NetEase Youdao Dictionary currently supports translation between 109 languages, provides audio playback for 26 common languages, and offers specialized modes for fields such as medicine, computer science, and finance.

The number of languages available varies depending on the entry point used to access the product. The Youdao Translator app lists 107 languages, while the desktop version of the dictionary shows 109 or more languages; it should not be assumed that all these numbers indicate that every feature supports the same set of languages.

2. Dictionaries and learning

In addition to machine translation, the NetEase Youdao Dictionary includes content from Oxford, Webster, Collins and other multilingual dictionaries, offering pronunciation, example sentences, word forms, word lists and notes. When learning a formal foreign language, dictionary definitions and sample texts are usually more useful for verifying the meaning of words than relying solely on machine-generated translations of whole sentences.

Some copyrighted dictionaries, exam materials, and advanced learning features require membership. The example sentences in the dictionaries may also come from online sources, and the context should be checked when citing them.

3. Photo-taking and image translation

On mobile devices, it is possible to take pictures of menus, signs, textbooks, and product labels; OCR is used to identify the text, which is then translated and displayed overlayingly. The desktop version supports screenshot translation, and macOS allows users to import images taken with the Continuity Camera on an iPhone or iPad.

Image translation can currently recognize around 99 languages. Bent pages, reflections, text written vertically, artistic fonts, and low resolution can affect OCR accuracy; prices, dosages, dates, and safety warnings must be checked manually.

4. Document translation

Youdao allows the uploading of common office documents while preserving much of the original formatting; it is suitable for the initial translation of papers, contracts, manuals, and reports. Different platforms impose varying restrictions on format, number of pages, file size, and free usage quota – the actual rules apply as indicated on the upload page.

Document translation handles the main text, tables, and certain formatting elements simultaneously, but complex formulas, footnotes, annotations, scanned pages, and embedded objects may end up out of place. Formal documents need to be checked page by page; it is not sufficient to merely verify whether the translation was exported successfully.

5. Web page translation

Desktop applications allow users to enter a website address to have its content translated while trying to maintain the original layout; they also enable the translation of text from browsers and other software by selecting words, using shortcut keys, or taking screenshots. However, dynamic web pages, login pages, and script-based content may not be loaded completely.

6. Audio transcription and translation

The desktop version of NetEase Youdao Translation allows for the upload of audio files in both Chinese and English, enabling transcription, translation, and organization of the content. It currently supports MP3, WAV, AAC, and other formats up to 100MB in size.

Noise, accents, multiple voices speaking at the same time, and specialized terminology in audio can first affect the transcription, and these errors are then transmitted to the translation. Important recordings should be checked against the original audio.

7. Translation of video subtitles

Video translation allows for the extraction or creation of subtitles, the translation of those subtitles while preserving the timeline, and the export of an SRT subtitle file; it is suitable for localizing courses, interviews, and content on social media platforms.

Subtitles require control over line length, reading speed, and timeline. Automatic sentence segmentation, as well as the handling of character names and cultural expressions, should be reviewed by native speakers; for commercial videos, it is also necessary to verify the rights to the used materials and their translations.

8. Simultaneous interpretation

Youdao’s translation tool offers real-time speech recognition and on-the-spot translation; the desktop version of NetEase Youdao Dictionary can be used for real-time transcription in Chinese-English classes and meetings, supporting translation into more than a hundred languages, and it also generates classroom notes or meeting minutes automatically.

Simultaneous interpretation is a form of translation with low latency and does not equate to professional interpretation; for meeting decisions, medical communications, legal statements, and public speeches, human translators or a review mechanism should be employed.

9. Glossary of technical terms

The desktop version offers 42 databases of professional terms, and it allows users to upload their own terms in order to standardize company names, product names, and industry-specific expressions. These term databases help improve consistency, but rules regarding capitalization, singular/plural forms, and context still need to be established.

10. Machine translation

Some entry points offer human translation and customized services; quotes can be provided based on the language, word count, field of expertise, delivery time, and formatting requirements. These services are billed separately from machine translation memberships and are suitable for formal documents where high accuracy and proper formatting are essential.

Youdao Translator

Youdao Translator is a standalone mobile application designed for everyday communication, travel, and learning; it supports text translation, photo translation, voice translation, and simultaneous interpretation. Photo translation offers functions tailored for specific scenarios such as menus, products, exhibits, and the analysis of complex sentences.

The current price for a continuous monthly subscription on the App Store in China is 35 yuan. Subscriptions to the Super Member version of NetEase Youdao Dictionary are not necessarily compatible with one another; it is necessary to check which applications and benefits are included as well as the auto-renewal options before making a purchase.

NetEase Youdao Dictionary membership

NetEase Youdao Dictionary combines word lookup, text processing, document handling, audio and video functions, as well as simultaneous translation within a single application. The price for the premium membership, as listed on the Mac App Store in China, is 38 yuan per month; annual subscriptions, promotional packages, and products available through other channels may also be offered.

Members usually gain access to document translation, professional dictionaries, simultaneous interpretation, ad-free experiences, as well as learning benefits; however, this does not mean that all human translations and enterprise APIs are available free of charge. The purchase rules may vary for web versions, iOS, Android, and desktop applications.

Youdao Zhiyun Text Translation API

Youdao Zhiyun provides natural language translation services for developers and enterprises. According to the official product page, the cost for translating between Chinese and common languages is as low as 48 yuan per million characters.

Purchasing bulk resource packs can cost as low as 38.4 yuan per million characters.

The prices for other minor languages, fields, and interfaces are different.

Newly registered accounts receive a $50 trial credit that can be used to try out certain services. Pay-as-you-go pricing is based on the actual number of characters used, while resource packages come with specific specifications and expiration dates. For large-scale enterprise use, inquiries can be made regarding client-based or business-oriented solutions.

API language and invocation

The text translation API supports automatic language detection; the languages that can be identified automatically in this document include Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Vietnamese, German, Arabic, Indonesian, and Italian. Languages that cannot be identified automatically should be specified explicitly to avoid misidentifications.

API authentication is based on the application ID, key, and signature. Developers should protect the keys on the server side, set up alerts for budget limits and overdue payments, and control retries, the maximum number of characters per batch, error codes, as well as any sensitive information contained in logs.

Voice translation API

The voice translation interface receives audio encoded in Base64 and returns the translated result. The official limit is 15 seconds for each audio segment and 2MB for the file size; this setup is suitable for short voice interactions but not for uploading long meeting recordings.

Long audio clips need to be split, transcribed, or processed using other real-time interfaces. When splitting them, it is important to maintain the context in order to avoid inconsistencies in the translation due to sentence boundaries.

Large-model simultaneous interpretation API

Youdao Zhiyun also offers a WebSocket-based interface for real-time translation of large language models, suitable for use in meetings, live broadcasts, and real-time communications. The costs, number of concurrent connections, supported languages, and latency values are specified in the control panel and the latest interface documentation.

Real-time systems need to handle audio sample rates, network disconnections, reconnection, incremental updates of results, and privacy considerations. The latency in the testing environment cannot be taken as an indication of the performance in production.

AI capabilities of other companies

Youdao Zhiyun offers capabilities such as OCR, speech recognition, text-to-speech synthesis, and document processing; these can be combined with translation services to create workflows that involve images, audio, and documents. For the pronunciation of certain translation results, it is necessary to use a separate text-to-speech synthesis service, which incurs additional costs.

Supported platforms

• Youdao Translation web version;
• There are Youdao Translator apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android;
• NetEase Youdao Dictionary clients for Windows and macOS;
• NetEase Youdao Dictionary iOS and Android apps;
• Scenarios such as highlighting text in a browser, taking screenshots, and translating web pages;
• There are Youdao Zhiyun HTTP, WebSocket APIs, and SDKs.

Company and open-source status

Youdao Translation is provided by NetEase Youdao. The consumer applications, dictionary resources, translation models, and cloud APIs are all commercial products; their complete source code is not made public, so it does not constitute an open-source translation project.

The authorities may provide example interfaces and SDKs, but the existence of open-source client code does not mean that the models, datasets, dictionaries, or translation services can be deployed locally.

Guide to using Youdao Translation

Complete a basic task.

1. Clarify the issue, time frame, location, source priority, and output format;
2. On Youdao Translate, upload materials for which you have permission to use or enter search queries;
3. First, establish a framework using text translation, and then supplement it with evidence from dictionaries and learning resources.
4. It is necessary to distinguish between factual information from the source, the author’s opinions, and AI-generated conclusions.
5. Check each item for dates, numbers, the original location, and any conflicting evidence;
6. The conclusions are manually revised, the verification time is recorded, and then they are published;

Create reusable professional workflows

1. Break down complex topics into four categories of questions: background, data, comparison, and conclusions;
2. Combined text translation, dictionaries, learning tools, photo-taking, and image translation constitute the fixed research steps;
3. Give priority to using the official website, research papers, regulatory documents, and raw data;
4. A second person is assigned to review conclusions that are considered high-risk;
5. Save queries, evidence, versions, and unresolved issues;
6. Re-run after the data changes and update the conclusions;

Which users is it suitable for?

• Travelers who need text, photo, and voice translation;
• Students who look up words, learn foreign languages, and read papers;
• Professionals who translate office documents, web pages, and technical terms;
• A team responsible for creating multilingual subtitles and processing audio and video content;
• Organizations that need real-time interpretation support for classes and meetings;
• Developers who integrate translation, OCR, and speech capabilities via APIs.

Product advantages

• Dictionaries, texts, images, documents, audio and video materials, as well as the simultaneous translation interface are all available;
• Familiar to Chinese users, available on multiple platforms and in over a hundred languages;
• Specialized fields and custom term banks improve consistency;
• There are paths available for personal applications, manual services, and enterprise APIs;
• The text API provides publicly available pay-as-you-go pricing, which makes it easy to estimate costs;
• It allows for the export of subtitles and the processing of real-time audio scenarios.

Restrictions and Precautions

• Machine translation may misinterpret context, negations, terminology, and cultural expressions;
• Laws, medical matters, contracts, and published materials must be reviewed by professionals;
• Youdao Translator, NetEase Youdao Dictionary, and Youdao Smart Cloud are part of different product lines, and the membership benefits as well as API quotas are generally not interchangeable between them.
• Do not use the number of languages, prices, or file limits for one entry to represent all products;
• Documents, audio files, and simultaneous interpretation content are uploaded to the cloud by the users;
• When dealing with trade secrets, personal information, and protected data, it is necessary to verify the authorization procedures, privacy policies, as well as the requirements regarding storage and deletion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Youdao Translation free?

Web text and basic application functions are available for free, while documents, simultaneous translation, professional dictionaries, and higher quotas may require a membership; enterprise APIs are billed on a usage basis or through resource packages.

How many languages are supported?

The diameter of the different input ports varies; Youdao’s translation tool identifies 107 such types, while NetEase Youdao Dictionary identifies 109. The list of available functions should be based on the actual page.

Can it translate PDFs and office documents?

It can handle common documents while trying to preserve their layout; however, scanned pages, formulas, and complex layouts require verification. The format and size constraints are those applied to the uploaded pages.

How much does a DoDao Translation membership cost?

On the App Store in China, the price for the translation service on a monthly basis is 35 yuan; the premium membership for NetEase Youdao Dictionary costs 38 yuan per month, with prices possibly varying on other platforms.

How much does the Youdao Translation API cost?

For translations of texts in common languages, the cost is as low as 48 yuan per million characters; for resource packs, it’s as low as 38.4 yuan per million characters. Other languages and services have separate pricing.

Is Youdao Translation open source?

It is not open source. The vendor provides commercial applications, APIs, SDKs, and examples, but the translation models and services do not have their source code made available.