Machine Translation vs Human Translation: When to Use Each
MR
Michael Roberts
Technology Lead
January 10, 2024•6 min read
The Evolution of Machine Translation
Machine translation has come a long way from its early rule-based systems. Modern neural machine translation (NMT) produces remarkably fluent output, but it still has significant limitations.
When Machine Translation Works Well
- ✓High-volume, low-stakes content like user reviews or internal communications
- ✓Gisting - getting the general meaning of foreign content
- ✓First-draft creation followed by human post-editing
When Human Translation is Essential
- ✓Legal documents requiring certification
- ✓Medical/pharmaceutical content where accuracy is critical
- ✓Marketing content requiring cultural adaptation
- ✓Creative content like literature or advertising
The Hybrid Approach
Many organizations now use machine translation with human post-editing (MTPE) to balance cost and quality.
Conclusion
The choice between machine and human translation depends on your content type, quality requirements, and budget.
Topics
machine translationAIqualitycostNMT
MR
Written by
Michael Roberts
Technology Lead
Specializes in translation technology, machine translation, and localization engineering.
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