In a world driven by convenience and the use of technology, it is no surprise that all industries are looking to innovate and cut costs. And translation is no different.
In this technical revolution, machine translation (MT) has been the disruptive technology driving change and causing questions to be asked about how language service providers work. Through cutting costs and working almost instantly, you can see the benefits immediately.
But what about quality?
This question is the cause of some debate. But we believe the answer to be somewhere in the middle.
We see MT as a tool rather than a solution. We use it when it’s of benefit to us or a project, but always in conjunction with humans, which is where the name AI assisted translation comes from. We will never just use MT on its own. It’s a tool in our arsenal and will only be used when appropriate and effective. This way we can gain as much as possible from the technology while still providing quality translation through a hybrid process.
In general AI assisted translation is simple to set up: we add the file and click go. Accepting almost any file type, we can help on a vast array of projects from legal documents to subtitling eLearning videos, and localising websites and marketing materials for international campaigns. Although we can accept most files, most MT programs still work best with Word documents.
Quality does vary depending on subject matter and language, but MT can create a great foundation and be a useful instrument. MT in general is easy to use and extremely time efficient. So long as you know what to expect, it’s a great facilitator and can take off days from delivery times, saving both time and money.
However, it shouldn’t be overused or seen as a crutch. Most MT use ultimately depends on people’s wants and needs, which is why it’s important to know and understand your requirements as well as what tools are available.
Translation Memory is a service we have inside our MT process. If you are looking to translate a user manual or have updated pieces of a document that we’ve previously translated and there is repeated text, translation memory can be used to increase the quality and decrease the cost of translation as it will remember the repeated words and or sentences. This decreases the amount of post-editing required as the previous versions will have been checked.
OUR AI ASSISTED TRANSLATION WORKFLOW
As a rule, we set out clear expectations and will never use MT without a client’s knowledge. We will always be transparent on what tools we are using for their translation and will ensure we adhere to their wants and needs.
Prestige Network provides end to end solutions for all your language needs. Learn more about the work we have done and about us as a company.
