What is post-editing? Generally speaking, Machine Translation Post-Editing, also known as MTPE, is a process in which a machine-generated translation undergoes careful review by a specialized linguist. Its main goal is to improve productivity and reduce translation costs. Its main goal is to improve productivity and reduce translation costs.
There are two types of post-editing:
- Light Post-editing: It consists of making the minimum changes necessary to ensure understanding of the text when reading it, without trying to improve style or fluency. These changes may be about grammar or terminology.
- Full Post-editing: Its purpose is to deliver a professional-quality translation that is not only faithful, but also fluent, giving the impression of having been originally written in the target language. To achieve this goal, all necessary modifications must be made, covering aspects such as tone, punctuation, text style, etc.
Proofreading vs. Post-editing: What are the Differences?
Although automatic translators fulfill their function, they do not achieve optimal quality in translations. This is where professional translators come into the picture.
Post-editing presents some fundamental differences compared to proofreading or correcting translated texts by a human being. Firstly, the work process is more complex because the errors generated by machine translators differ considerably from those made by humans when translating a text. These errors tend to be semantic, sometimes completely modifying the meaning of the sentence. They can be grammatical, addition or omission, as well as overly literal translations, calques or incoherent expressions.
On the other hand, completion times are usually shorter compared to the conventional professional translation process. This is due to the reduction in the need to write manually (which is a physical relief for the translator), as long as automatic translation engines are used that guarantee adequate quality.
And what Translation Engines are Used?
There are three categories of translation engines:
- Public generic engines that are NOT customizable: These engines, which may be free, are designed for the general public. Although they can serve as support for professional translation, the generated texts always require extensive review.
- Public generic engines that are customizable: These engines have an associated cost that can be significant. If customized correctly, they can be a great support in professional translation.
- Private custom engines built for specific companies or fields: These engines, which involve a considerable investment, can offer the maximum quality that this technology allows.
Ideally, companies would have their own automatic translation engines, powered by validated translation memories, which would allow them to obtain considerably better results than conventional commercial engines.
In summary, post-editing is emerging as a new paradigm in the language services sector. However, currently, it could be perceived more as a preliminary step to support the translation, since the other phases of the translation process remain unchanged. This suggests that, although post-editing is seen as an integral part of the future, the figure of the professional translator continues to be essential in the framework of translation.
