In these times of constant technological change, we can say that machine translation still does not achieve the expected results. Whether we’re talking about tone, nuance, humour, or even sarcasm, machine translation tools still don’t capture the meaning in the same way as a professional. So, what do you do when you need the speed and cost-effectiveness of machine translation whilst still sounding natural and fluent in the target language? The answer is post-editing.
At BBLTranslation we now offer this new service as a solution for those clients who, because of time and money, choose to use an automatic translation tool first and then require a professional proof. In this second phase, the reviewer will be in charge of correcting the most common errors: spelling, punctuation and terminological inaccuracies, so that the final product is as accurate as possible, although its quality will still not be the same as if the translation had been made directly by a professional.
As our CEO Barbara Beatrice Lavitola points out, “a bad translation at the decisive moment can ruin any business move.” For this reason, our post-editing service is reviewed by professionals who can polish the machine translation and thus guarantee a minimum standard of quality. This way, we combine greater speed with significant financial savings and the added value of the human factor for the final edition.
Postediting is a more suitable linguistic solution in technical or scientific documents because in these areas the terminology is usually more precise and, therefore, the margin of error for a machine translation engine is lower, as there are not many connotations. Thus, in general, it is not recommended to use this service when it comes to creative or literary texts, since they tend to have a more varied vocabulary or double meanings that require the skill of a translator for the final product to be creative. A machine translation in this type of content could become too complex for postediting, and it would be more effective to re-translate everything from scratch.
For more information about our new service, contact us and we will be happy to advise you in the best possible way.