Automated translation (AT) is fast and inexpensive. Raw, un-edited AT can be useful for communicating via social networks, or getting the gist of a foreign language website. However, when a translation of publishable quality is required, AT in itself is not sufficient.

For smaller businesses trying to make their way into the multilingual international market, automated translation (AT), AKA machine translation (MT) offers a cost-effective solution for those occasions when hiring a human translator is not an option. By using this kind of automated language translation software, large amounts of written material can be quickly translated within a short span of time.

“When you’re working within time and budget restrictions, MT can seem like a good idea. However, this quick solution can also be problematic. In particular, MT can struggle with isolated sentences and can fail to place text in context. The output can be of variable quality. Even where the translation is usable, it will almost certainly need editing before publication,” writes Andy Way in a recent article for TechWench.

According to Way, automated translation represents is a good starting point, and is especially useful for those who frequently publish large amounts of information. But he warns that the resulting translations are bound to be fairly impersonal and will certainly contain some inaccuracies.

Several factors can determine whether automated translation is right for you, including the nature of your source material, the raw output quality of the AT, the target audience of the translation (i.e. internal use, publication, etc.), and your own cost, quality, and time requirements.

For situations where the quality of raw AT just won’t do, the post-editing of automated translation can also offer substantial money and time savings. Using this method, one automatically translates the source text through an AT engine, then human translators edit that output to bring its quality up to the required standards.

“In Post-Edited Machine Translation (PEMT) a language professional will work through the translation, correcting grammatical inaccuracies and substituting words where a better choice exists. Because the machine has handled the bulk of the translation, high quality results can be obtained with PEMT in a fraction of the time,” says Way.

Way points out that using a professional to polish material that has been automatically translated also adds a “human touch” to the process. “If you need the finished content to be friendly or persuasive or otherwise make a connection with your reader, this is an essential step,” he argues.

By Alex Dupont
Marketing Communications Specialist
Language Translation Inc.

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Today, everyone has access to free automated translation (AT), also known as machine translation (MT) or automatic translation through Google, Babel Fish, or Bing.
When you’re working within time and budget restrictions, MT can seem like a good idea. However, this quick solution can also be problematic. In particular, MT can struggle with isolated sentences and can fail to place text in context. The output can be of variable quality. Even where the translation is usable, it will almost certainly need editing before publication.

The Advantages Of Customized Machine Translation and Post-Editing
Machine translation (MT) offers a more cost-effective solution for those times when using a translator isn’t an option. By using this kind of software, large volumes of text can be processed in a short span of time.