Post-editing & Why Human Intervention Is Essential

As machine translation engines have become more advanced, translation costs have significantly decreased with faster results. However, the output is not always perfect which is where post-editing comes into play.

What is post-editing?  

Post-editing is the process of correcting the content produced by a machine translation, which is when a document is automatically translated using translation software. The aim is to make sure the translated text is accurate and intelligible to humans. This process also allows us to continue training the machines so that they produce better results.    

From machine translation to post-editing  

When optimising machine-translated texts with post-editing, there are two approaches we can take.

1. Light post-editing

Human linguistic intervention is minimal and only necessary changes are made to ensure the text is understandable. This means that only obvious errors are corrected, such as typos, grammatical errors, confusing phrases and inappropriate terms. 

The text might not flow well and may seem slightly robotic, but it is nevertheless grammatically correct. 

2. Full post-editing  

Full post-editing requires the highest level of human linguistic intervention. Everything is scrutinised, including grammar, vocabulary, spelling and style. The post-editor reformulates phrases wherever necessary, giving the text a natural flow.

The aim is to perfect the content and produce a high-quality translation.

Why choose post-editing?  

Translating your documents is the first step when taking your business global, and the quality of those translations is the key to your success. The translated text must read naturally while accurately reflecting the content of the original document.

While a human translation would deliver those results, this can be time-consuming and more costly. On the other end of the spectrum, machine translation is faster but could negatively impact your entry into a new market by producing questionable content.

Post-editing delivers the best of both worlds. The initial machine translation speeds up the human translation process, giving you great translations at a fraction of the cost. 

Your post-editing specialists

At Intertranslations, we offer quality translations with fast turnarounds at competitive prices. We are a professional translation agency specialising in both light and full post-editing, and with over 20 years of experience, we guarantee a professional and personalised service!  

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