DeepL Write AI writing tool launches
DeepL, maker of DeepL Translator, today launched a companion product, DeepL Write. DeepL Write is an AI writing companion that, according to the company, is designed to improve written communication.
DeepL Write is available for free currently and labeled beta. The writing tool fixes grammar and punctuation mistakes, makes writing suggestions, and may rephrase entire sentences.
The interface resembles that of DeepL Translator. Users type or paste text into the text field on the right and DeepL Write its improved version on the right. The process is instantaneous and users may copy the result to the clipboard right away.
The option to display alternatives for words is available. A click on a word or phrase displays alternatives, which the user may select with a click. The same option is available for sentences also. DeepL Write displays different versions of the sentence, which users may select to replace the selected one.
DeepL Write is available as a web tool only at this point. Language support is limited to English and German at the time. The writing companion supports British and American English, which users may select from a small menu at the top of the source text field.
The company's translation service started with limited language support as well. Additional languages and tools were added over the years, and the same is going to happen to DeepL Write. Expect languages like Spanish, French and Portuguese to be included in coming updates. Future updates may also include options to process entire documents and dedicated tools or add-ons to improve workflows and the usability.
DeepL has not revealed plans regarding a commercial version of the service. The company may target the freemium model again, which it uses for DeepL Translator already; this would keep a base version of DeepL Write free for anyone, but limited.
Now You: have you tried DeepL Write? What is your impression so far?
I’m quite unhappy with these guys.
Installing the DeepL app on Windows creates an entry in the right-click menu on Docx, PPTX, and PDF in File Explorer to “translate with DeepL”. I don’t want this entry in my context menu; I’ll never use it and it’s just in the way. They appear to allow a limited number of “file translations” per month, so are probably hoping to get you over that limit to nag you into paying for the Pro version.
The app settings provide no way to add or to remove this context menu item. So I headed to the registry and deleted the relevant key from there. But every reboot the app recreates that annoying context menu item.
Their website does not allow you to contact support unless you first “Subscribe to DeepL Pro”!!
SO I will be uninstalling this desktop app.
Me:
Really digging the DeepL articles lately. I missed or either was not interested at the time the early articles about DeepL Translate but I am now working with a team whose native language is not my own so having a good translate tool was essential. DeepL seems much better than Google or Bing translate. And I don’t have to scroll through hundreds of languages to find the one I need.
DeepL Write:
I have been really digging the DeepL articles lately. I missed, or either was not interested at the time, the early articles about DeepL Translate, but I am now working with a team whose native language is not my own so having a good translation tool was essential. DeepL seems to be much better than Google or Bing Translate. And I don’t have to scroll through hundreds of languages to find the one I need.
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) educated people in the US may find it easier to get a higher paid job, and use a program like DeepL Write to compensate for their deficiencies in their education in more classical subject areas. Most higher level politicians in the US are lawyers and it’s obvious what the consequence of that has been on politics. Now AI may limit the ability of society to advance as well.
I pasted this article into DeepL Write and it didn’t work so well.
Nice because there is also an automatic spelling corrector present.
Hopefully, there will be a free version when Deepl comes out of Beta for the less fortunate under us.
I’ve just had a look at ‘DeepL Write’ after reading this article. Seems interesting, valuable even.
Had a look for a most basic sentence:
“Hi, i’d like to say i’m sorry for yesterday’s fiesta”
brought by ‘Deepl Write’ to a more civilized “Hi, I’d like to apologise for yesterday’s fiesta.”
But isn’t it rather “apologize” with a “z” ? — Teacher mistakes is always fun, lol.
I’ll have to try with elaborated approximations regarding vocabulary and grammar within a long and complex paragraph.
Thanks, Martin. I think ‘DeepL Write’ is on the row for a wide audience.
“…But isn’t it rather “apologize” with a “z”?”
“Apologize” with a “Z” is American spelling. “Apologise” is the correct spelling for British English.
Same as “Color” (American English) and “Colour” (British English).
Also “Canceled” (American English) and “Cancelled” (British English).
And “12/31/2022” (American) and “31/12/2022” (any sane country).
@ECJ, indeed. We may be aware of several spelling differences between British and American but I wasn’t aware of this one. I’d love to know why/when these differences appeared.
Regarding dates, a valuable universal mistake-free format is year-month-day, also when date starts a file’s name and as such gets those files ordered chronologically.
But, but, but … long live differences, better than living in a robotic world. Even when it concerns driving on the right-side :=)
The differences often come about because British English has ‘tended’ to keep the spelling of words it has absorbed from other languages (e.g. French), while American English has adapted the spelling to reflect the way that the words actually sound when they’re spoken.
Verbs in British English that can be spelled with either –ize or –ise at the end are always spelled with –ize at the end in American English.
@Divine Shadow, a British English opened to foreign influences and an American English more pragmatically driven is interesting, an approach I hadn’t in mind.
Side-note and question : I know a bit of the American culture, my accent, speech and writing (for what they’re worth) are American (I’m French myself) and ignore most of the British culture and codes. I wonder if there is in the UK (or in GB and Ireland should the two offer different answers) any controversy when it comes to the way English language is treated elsewhere, mainly the Commonwealth and the USA. Controversy in whatever social layer, from academic to pubs’ mentalities! I’d have to live in GB and Ireland to find out by myself or read English novels (long-term) and press (short-term) to figure it out for myself, but meanwhile, any comment? :=)
British English often favours an –ise ending. From what I gather, the Oxford Dictionary tends to list the spelling variation to prevent confusion, e.g. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_English_Dictionary#Spelling).
Obviously metre and meter are two different things and the British do know the difference (and will use both appropriately).
[https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/metre] [https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/meter_1]
“In September of 1999, after almost 10 months of travel to Mars, the Mars Climate Orbiter burned and broke into pieces. On a day when NASA engineers were expecting to celebrate, the ground reality turned out to be completely different, all because someone failed to use the correct units, i.e., the metric units.”
Personally, I dislike quite a lot of American spellings; I think that is also the view, of many people in England.
May His Merciful Shadow fall upon… me, preferably.
Yeah, I too prefer using the ISO 8601 international date/time standard (YYYY-MM-DD).
EDIT : my mistake, my apologies to DeepL :
The sentence was re-written with ‘English (British)’ which considers “apologise”
re-writing with ‘English (American)’ renders “apologize”.
I’m apologizing on the ground that English does indeed “apologise” with an “s”, which I wasn’t at all aware of. Built-in Firefox corrector considers “apologise” as wrong, but maybe because the browser is running with ‘English-US’?
Spelling Differences–one who works with the language would immediately know the difference, which is . . .
. . . The exact reason one shouldn’t rely solely upon AI Text Generators; taking a paragraph from the article by Martin only heightened my realization that DeepL Write [and others] may enhance one’s writing, but obliterate any sense of style/tone/voice.
As with listening to a “voice” mechanically read a text, so it is with AI Text Generators and AI Art Generators. That “distinct” character that makes writing “magical” completely disappears.
I’m thinking, “What would DeepL do with McCarthy’s ‘The Passenger,’ a novel of intense and profound insight with stylistic choices made for thematic purpose? Obliterate and dissolve–make him sound like everyone else.
Yes, tools. Replacements? Not for me.
Jasper makes a great choice if one needs some fresh copy for a blog!
@VioletMoon, is it ever possible to improve without a basis, to develop one’s own style without the knowledge of the language? I agree with your comment if the expectation of an artificial assistance is to elaborate a written style but not if it is to correct basic spelling and grammar.
I’d compare AI writing assistance more to a journalistic, cold concise and precise style than to aiming an author’s talent. Those of us who wish to present a correctly built argument, thought in a language they battle with more than they caress (as myself) AI assistance may possibly prove to be helpful.
Of course the best approach to write correctly is always to read, read and read. Meanwhile assistance can come in handy. From there on — and maybe then could I reconsider your comment — the question might be, as it is with all forms of assistance, is being assisted an open door to laziness? Maybe, maybe not, maybe not always : it does depend on each of us i guess. Tomorrow’s (if not already today’s) robotized humans may very well be those who presently rely on assistance for everything rather than work things out by and for themselves.
The topic is of course very interesting.
Yes, and I think I mentioned it, the use of anything like DeepL Write or any other writing tool can help and will help one with writing [staring at a blank page–anxiety promoting]. Read, read, read–and write everyday–essentials for developing both verbal and written communications skills.
Anyone who has read a bit of Hemingway, Faulkner, Steinbeck–not Jane Austen, she writes impeccably perfect British English–but literature, writing–when “tone/voice/style” emerges–it’s truly magical; it may be why we find ourselves wanting to re-read a novel, or we find ourselves reading and reading a favorite author. The influence JD Salinger had on my writing for years after reading “Catcher in the Rye.”
It doesn’t happen when one relies entirely on a program–either for inspiration or a final product.
A number of articles ago, numerous comments noticed a change in Martin’s tone and use of language. How can that be? Because those of us who have been reading gHacks for years have come to “hear” his voice in his writing. It was only for one article he wrote.
It’s funny; students I have in classroom never understand how I know whose paper it is I have without a name on it. It’s because each and every student has a unique “voice” that comes through in writing.
Guessing here–in the future, DeepL Write will enable us to “choose” a certain “voice” and proceed. All well and good. Sort of like, we can choose a female or male voice to mechanically read to us.
Lunapic, an online image program, allows a user to upload a photo and apply an effect, say Escher. That’s where writing programs are headed: “Boss,” “Steinbeck,” “James,” “Sagan,” “Joyce.”
“The topic is of course very interesting.”
Yes!
Perfect