If leading Translate, would you add more language pairs that might reduce accuracy, or focus on improving existing languages?

Introduction

The trade-off we're considering for Google Translate is whether to expand language coverage by adding more language pairs, potentially at the cost of reduced accuracy, or to focus on improving the accuracy of existing language pairs. This decision is crucial for the product's growth strategy and user satisfaction. I'll analyze this trade-off by examining the product context, potential impacts, key metrics, and experimental approaches to guide our decision-making process.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Context: I'm assuming Google Translate currently supports a significant number of languages. Could you confirm how many language pairs we currently offer and what our market share looks like compared to competitors?

Why it matters: Helps understand our current position and growth potential Expected answer: 100+ language pairs, market leader with 70-80% share Impact on approach: High market share might lean towards improving accuracy

• Business Context: Based on our revenue model, I'm thinking Translate might not directly generate revenue but supports other Google products. How does Translate fit into our overall business strategy?

Why it matters: Aligns solution with broader company goals Expected answer: Supports search, ads, and Android ecosystem Impact on approach: May prioritize user engagement over direct monetization

• User Impact: Considering user behavior, I'm curious about the usage patterns across different language pairs. Can you share insights on which pairs are most frequently used versus those with lower usage?

Why it matters: Helps prioritize improvements or expansions Expected answer: English pairs dominate, followed by major world languages Impact on approach: Could focus on improving high-traffic pairs first

• Technical: Regarding our current translation technology, I'm wondering about the scalability of our models. How easily can we add new language pairs or improve existing ones from a technical standpoint?

Why it matters: Influences feasibility of different approaches Expected answer: Adding languages is easier, improving accuracy is more complex Impact on approach: Might favor adding languages if significantly easier

• Resource: Looking at our team structure, I'm thinking about our capacity for parallel work. Do we have separate teams for language expansion and accuracy improvement, or would this be an either/or resource allocation?

Why it matters: Determines if we can pursue both strategies simultaneously Expected answer: Limited overlap, mostly separate teams Impact on approach: Could potentially pursue a hybrid strategy