Why do you have to use machine translation

Why do you have to use machine translation?

Letting only translation machines do the work is a no-go. However, translation technology is developing rapidly, and machine translations are an excellent addition to the translation process.

What are machine translations?

A machine translation is a translation made by fully automated software that can translate text into various target languages. The quality of texts translated by translation machines varies greatly and such machines are constantly learning to improve this quality.

Post-editing: editing of machine translations

Although the quality is far from perfect, using machine translations is still a good idea. Why, do you wonder?

Machine translations together with the human touch of a professionally trained translator are a golden combination.

This combination is called post-editing and is a process that consists of reviewing and revising a text that has been translated by advanced translation technology. The best of both worlds:

  1. The speed of machine translations
    Within minutes, advanced translation machines can process thousands of words and convert them into fairly accurate translations in almost all languages.

  1. With human input
    By having a professional translator edit machine translations, you lend nuances to a translation that the machine itself is not capable of conveying.

Light and complete machining of machine translations

In post-editing, there are two types of processing: light and full machining of machine translations. A light edit consists of correcting and reviewing the translation choices made by the translation machine. The aim of the light version is to produce an understandable translation.

The full editing of machine translations goes beyond that. The translator ensures that the translation matches the original both stylistically and grammatically.

What are the benefits of post-editing?

  • Faster delivery times
    Advanced translation technology saves our translators hours of work because the text only needs to be revised. Thanks to the translation machine's preliminary work, the delivery time of your translation is considerably reduced.

  • High consistency and quality
    Texts are translated by the best translation technology available, combined with the human touch of a professionally trained translator. Thanks to revision by an experienced translator, texts form a clear and correct whole.

  • Cheaper translations
    Because of the use of machine translations, the cost of the translation itself is much lower. Choosing the post-edit service for your texts results in considerably cheaper translations.

Which texts are eligible for this?

The use of machine translations for post-editing is most suitable for technical, legal and general business translations. Think of websites, blog articles, manuals and general terms and conditions.

Short descriptive texts, tables, texts with many word repetitions or many specialist terms, and large volumes of texts are also eligible for post-editing.

In addition, post-editing is also suitable for companies that regularly want to translate texts in the same language combination within a specific discipline. It can also be useful for companies that would like to have an idea of the scope of a document before deciding which parts will be translated more accurately.

Want to know more about post-editing?

Want to know more about machine translation and post-editing? Feel free to contact one of our project managers. We are ready for you!

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