Translating documents with Curie

If you have a document in Chinese, Portuguese, or Spanish, Curie can translate that document to English with a focus on preserving the meaning of the text. 

 

File Requirements

Curie requires .doc or .docx files. Only one .doc or .docx file can be translated per request.

Word count limitations

We accept documents with 12000 words or fewer for translations.

Starting language preference

When you upload a document for translation, Curie will want to know which language it is in right now. Curie can currently translate from the following languages into English:

• Chinese (中文)
• Portuguese (Português)
• Spanish (Español)

Style of English preference

Each time you upload a document, Curie will ask into which style of English you want your document translated. Curie can translate for either American English or British English.  The differences between those two styles is described in our article: What is the difference between British English and American English? 

Translation processing

Once you begin a translation, you will see a new translation card added to your workspace with a “processing” status. Translation can take up to 10 minutes to complete, depending on file size and your internet connection speed.

Downloading a translated document

After completing the translation, select Download in the card with the uploaded document’s file name to save your new translated document. Once downloaded, you can open it in your preferred word processor.

Translation suggestions

Beyond the translation itself, Curie will make noticeable changes to the English text of your document that you will see as tracked changes. Some of the changes you can expect include:

• Changes to incorrect articles (like "the" or "an").
• Spelling and capitalization corrections
• Improvements on awkward phrasing (e.g., "in the current time" changed to "currently")
• Incorrect word choices corrections (e.g., confusing "latter" and "later")
• Incorrect preposition (like "above" or "among") corrections

Translation use limits

Users with a Premium plan can translate 2 documents per month.

Users with a Preferred Group plan can receive translations allocated by the group's administrator, with the quantity varying by plan. Unlike a Premium plan, these translations do not expire monthly but can be used anytime before their designated expiration date. Additionally, the group's administrator can allocate more translations as needed.

Users with a Free Trial do not have access to translation.

In the event a translation fails to be completed, we will not count the failed translation against the number of translations available during that month.

Reporting or acknowledging the use of Curie to a journal

Certain journals may ask for a statement about using technology with artificial intelligence (AI) to help write your paper. Our tools work much like the grammar check in Microsoft Word, which uses machine learning. So, if your journal asks for a statement about using Word, you should also declare that you used our services for language editing and translation help.

 

If you have to include a statement in your paper, we offer a sample declaration below for your consideration. You can adjust it to fit your specific requirements.

During the preparation of this work, the author(s) corrected the language by using Microsoft Word and the editing services of American Journal Experts, both of which use tools based on machine-learning algorithms to assist with language correction. After using this service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the publication.

 

Frequently asked questions

Do you provide AJE Editing Certificates for Curie translations?

We do not provide editing certificates for Curie translations. Our editing certificates are only provided for edits or translations performed by our professional editors. 

How long does it take to translate my documents?

It can take an average of 5 minutes of processing time for the translation to complete. Translation can take up to 10 minutes to complete, depending on file size and your internet connection speed.

 

Will translations preserve the original formatting and layout of my document?

You can expect Curie to provide suggestions and improvements without causing unwanted formatting changes. Nevertheless, a document’s formatting can sometimes change when using out tools.

If your formatting gets changed, don’t worry. Your original document remains unchanged.

 

Do translations check for plagiarism?

Curie does not offer plagiarism detection.

We can, however, make some recommendations:

The current industry standard for measuring plagiarism/text similarity is iThenticate. This is the tool most journals use. 

If you do not have access to iThenticate, the free version of Turnitin may be of use to you in identifying text this is similar/overlaps with already published texts.

If you find that you need to reduce overlapping text, the following AJE Scholar articles helpful: 

• Self-plagiarism: How to define it and why to avoid it
• Plagiarism in academic writing: How to identify and avoid it
• Editing Tip: Defining plagiarism
• Editing Tip: Avoiding plagiarism
• How to read an iThenticate Report

 

Why can’t I download my translated document?

Translation can take up to 10 minutes to process. 

If a translation is still processing 10 minutes after you started it, the document may need to be hand-processed through our tool by one of our experts. If this happens or if the translation is complete but you cannot download it, please contact us for help.

My translation failed to finish. Does that still count as one of my translations this month?

We do not count failed translations against the number of translations available during that month.