What are the differences between human and machine translation?

by Target Language Translation Services

- September 19 2021

When someone starts to looking for a translation service, one of the things they must think about is whether or not they need a human translator. Depending on their desired goals and intentions with a project, they have two options when it comes to translating the content: machine translation (MT) and human translation.

Machine Translation vs Human Translation

Machine translation means content is translated by a machine from one natural language to another, with no human involvement. It is practically instantaneous and continues to improve by leaps and bounds each day thanks to the use of AI. Some machine translations make use of AI and can be customized for specified industries. Machine translation can be used in its raw (unedited) form or it can be post-edited (by a human translator) before use.

Human translation means content is translated from a source language to a target language by a real person with the care and expertise. Translators are subject area specialists with expertise gained through years of translation work, working in industry, translation-related qualification, etc. Translators can be members of professional associations, showing commitment to the industry and professionalism. Applying human translation is expected to pay a bit more, but for a higher quality outcome.

Where is machine translation best used?

Machine translation can be helpful for content that is high volume and needed fast, but where precision is of low significance. Comments, social media posts, reviews, instant chat facilities and website help sections are all good candidates for machine translation.

Machine translation is also useful for so-called ‘gist translation’. For instance, when someone receives an email in another language and needs to understand a rough gist first.

Here are also some situations where machine translation can be used:

--To translate content for a section of businesses that are not yet bringing in significant revenue.

--When someone dips a toe into an expansion or tests a market and is not yet ready for the more complex project of human translation.

--The content which needs translation is not very creative in nature, and is more basic such as guidelines or directions.

Where is professional human translation best used?

If someone needs a high-quality translation, where precision is a key concern, or intends to make a good impression for a new target market, then human translation must be used. Translators are highly-skilled professionals and will be aware of and respectful to cultural nuances and sensitivities, something which is not possible by a machine.

Professional translators can also take on board any brand and tone of voice guidelines. Having deep knowledge of the particular industry in both the source and target languages and cultures means that a translator can also emphasize any potential issues with the source content. All these things are just not possible with machine translation. Whether it’s a website, marketing materials, terms or conditions, professional human translation is the way forward.

Here are also some situations where human translation can be used:

--The project prioritizes precision over a quick turnover.

--The idea of being able to communicate with a live human being is alluring and/or important.

--Quality content is high priority.

How about a mixture of human and machine translation?

Human translation can be combined with machine translation. This is known as post-edited machine translation (PEMT, also known as MTPE). A file is translated first using a machine translation system to create the raw output. This output is then reviewed and edited by a professional human translator.

It is quite a different skill to professional translation, so not every translator is able, or even willing, to post-edit. Clear guidelines are necessary for post-editing to work successfully, since under/over-editing can be one of the main issues.

In some cases, content which needs translation might be segregated. The document types that require the most accuracy and attention are sent to a professional translator. In the meantime, the remaining documents are machine translated. Further precision can be guaranteed by conducting spot checks.

In summary, while machine translation does have some uses when the aim is speed and/or cost rather than precision, a professional human translation is a guarantee of quality and a necessity when accuracy is crucial.

If you would like more information about the interesting topic, feel free to get in touch to share your thoughts.

This article is reprinted from TRANSLATIONS DEAL, SMARTLING, and Alexika.

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