Privacy and Security in Google Translator Toolkit

This article explains meaning of the official usage terms related to the Google Translator Toolkit. The actual terms are written with grey and italic text and followed by a discussion and explanation of the term in corresponding paragraph. You can check out the terms (Google Translator Toolkit Additional Terms) at  http://translate.google.com/toolkit/TOS.html.

Welcome to Google!

By using Google Translator Toolkit (the “Service”), you agree to be bound by our Google Terms of Services located at http://www.google.com/accounts/TOS as well as these additional terms. Google may change these terms from time to time and post any modified terms at http://translate.google.com/toolkit/TOS.html. In the event of any conflict between these additional terms and the Google Terms of Service, these additional terms will govern with respect to your use of the Service. You understand and agree that if you use the Service after the date on which these terms have changed, Google will treat your use as acceptance of the updated terms.

The first paragraph is pretty straightforward. If you use the service, you will be bound by these additional terms. You will be also bound by the more general terms that are in http://www.google.com/accounts/TOS. What is significant is that the additional terms specific to Google Translator Toolkit (the terms covered in this document) will prevail if there is a conflict between the two sets of terms. You should also note that if the Google changes the terms, you would be bound by the new terms only if you accept them. If you continue to use the service after the terms are updated, it is assumed that you have accepted the new terms.

Use and Deletion of your Content

By submitting or creating your content through the Service, you grant Google permission to use your content to improve or make available the Services pursuant to these additional terms, provided that Google will not disclose the subject matter of your content or make your content available on a standalone basis to any third parties without your consent. If Google displays your content to an end user, it will do so only according to the sharing rules below, and only on a translation unit basis. If you delete your content, Google will delete the content from its servers and will not use it for any additional improvements to the Services after the date of such deletion from its servers.

The most significant part is this: if you delete your content from the services, Google will indeed delete your content from all of its servers. Naturally, when your content is deleted from the Google servers, it's simply impossible for anyone to use your content – because your content does not exist on the Google servers anymore!

When you are still using the service, Google has right to use your content to develop and produce its services. However, Google is not allowed to show your content to other end-users unless the rules below are followed. We will analyze these rules in the next paragraphs. Even if you allow sharing of your content with other end-users, the content is only shared per translation unit that is, not as a whole document, but one translation unit at a time.

It's a bit unclear what ”make available the Services” means, but this should not be a problem because Google explicitly states that the content will be available to other end-users only according to the rules below. If you are afraid of Google being your competitor and using your content to compete against you, then a more thorough analysis of this part is required.

The term “translation unit” has the meaning assigned to it in the XLIFF standard, and “displaying on a translation unit basis” means that a translated segment will be displayed only in response to fuzzy match search of the source segment.

This is just a definition and is in accordance to common understanding. Here, it is also clarified what ”on translation unit basis” means: if you allow sharing of your content with other end-users, your content will be shown as a result, such as a search for a translation and not as a whole document. Apparently, the other end-users would not be able to download your translation memories or glossaries even if you wanted them to do that!

Sharing your Documents, Glossaries, Translation Memory(-ies) and Ratings with others and terminating your Google account

Document

Each document is only viewable by you and users with whom you explicitly share the document.

This is very clear. If you don't allow other users to see any part of your document, they will not see that. It’s that simple, and safe too.

Glossaries

Each glossary is only viewable by you and users with whom you explicitly share the glossary or documents that use the glossary.

This is again simple and safe. You must explicitly share your glossaries with other users, otherwise your glossaries are only for your use.

Translation Memories

(1) If you mark your translation memory as "not shared with everyone", each translation unit in the translation memory will be viewable only by you and users with whom you explicitly share the translation memory or documents that use the translation memory.

This is safe as well. If you mark your translation memory as private, it will be private. However, be sure to check this setting yourself. The default value at least used to be ”shared with everyone” which is not good for you. In order to protect your content, you may have to change this setting yourself.

(2) If you mark your translation memory as "shared with everyone", each translation unit in the translation memory will be viewable by other end users.

This is very clear: if you choose to share your translation memory, it will be available to other end-users, but only ”on translation unit basis”, as explained earlier.

You can revoke sharing privileges on Documents, Glossaries, or Translation Memories that you created at any time. If you do not want your Translation Documents, Glossaries, or Translation Memory(-ies) to continue to be shared with the people you designated for sharing after you terminate your Google account, you must revoke sharing privileges prior to terminating your Google account.

Although some parts of the terms may be a bit vague or may require a closer look, this paragraph makes it all safe again. You can choose not to share anything at any point despite what you have agreed to earlier. Some sources have incorrectly claimed that if you accidentally share your translation memory, it would be made ”public forever”.

This paragraph completely prevents such accidents. If you have shared your translation memory and want to stop sharing it now, just change the setting accordingly, and that's it! Naturally, if you have shared your translation memory earlier, someone may already have used your translations, and that can't be affected by any setting.

This paragraph actually makes sharing translation memory online much safer than, for example, sending translation memories via email. If you send your translation memory to a wrong recipient, you have no way to cancel your email. In Google Translator Toolkit, you can stop sharing anytime, e.g. after a translation project outsourced online has been concluded.

Rating Suggested Translations

If you rate a translation, Google may store your rating and associate it with your Google account. Your individual ratings and personal information will not be viewable by other end users, although we display the number of ratings a translated segment has received, as well as the current aggregate rating. You may edit or remove your ratings from a translated segment. Unless you delete your ratings prior to terminating your Google account, Google may continue to use your ratings as permitted herein. If you terminate your Google account, Google will disassociate your existing ratings from your account.

This paragraph relates to the feature that allows one to vote for the best translation candidates. This is as safe as it can, and it should be. Your vote will be used anonymously to calculate the aggregate ratings and the number of votes only. If you choose to do so, you can delete your votes any time.

CONCLUSIONS

In general, the terms of Google Translator Toolkit are very end-user-friendly. There is absolutely no need to share anything with other end-users while using the toolkit. However, one should be careful about choosing the correct setting related to sharing translation memories. What is reassuring is that there is always the possibility to delete the content from the service.This action alone ensures that no one, not even Google, can use your content for anything – because no one will have access to your content.

The only problem I can see is for companies that compete directly with Google in developing and providing similar services. Even in that case, safety is not necessarily compromised, but one should still be careful.

Back to the Multilizer Online Translation Outsourcing.