Lactate and lactic acid are not the same. They are opposites.

Although lactic acid and lactate are reported as lactate these are actually opposites, acid and conjugate base. The more lactate pared with an inert cation such as sodium there is the more pH will go up and the more lactic acid there is the more the pH will go down. Both are carbohydrates with 2 carbon atoms which makes them similar in that regard but they are otherwise different and actually opposites. The important characteristic is how they affect hydrogen ion concentration, that is pH.