Machine Translation:
What You Need to Know
Copyright Translations.com 2009
White Paper: Machine Translation
Overview human translation. This process, called “gisting,” is a reason-
able application of MT on its own.
As companies are faced with higher volumes of content that
require translation, and as the time allotted for these projects However, when a higher quality standard is required, MT can
shrinks, more and more organizations are weighing the pros be combined with human linguists who review the source lan-
and cons of machine translation (MT) as a viable solution to guage and machine output and make the appropriate edits to
tackle these time-critical projects. spelling, grammar, and sentence structure. The end result is a
significantly more accurate translation that, while likely not per-
On its own, MT is a limited technology—anyone who has ever fect, is a notable improvement on machine translation alone—
used a free online program to quickly translate an email or and can be produced in a fraction of the time.
website has probably noticed that the level of grammatical ac-
curacy in the output leaves much to be desired. However, when Furthermore, for organizations that already have significant
MT is incorporated into a total solution that can be customized translation memory assets, the performance of MT is even bet-
based on specific project needs, it becomes a valuable tool if ter. Before undergoing MT, your documents will be analyzed
used in the proper applications. against existing TM and any matching segments are automati-
cally propagated with approved, distribution-quality language.
Translations.com has done just this with our customized MT The remaining content undergoes the standard MT process,
methodology. Whether your project calls for the fastest pos- and then all translated content is reviewed by a human lin-
sible way to loosely translate large volumes of documents or a guist. The benefits of incorporating translation memory into
more quality-conscious solution requiring distribution-quality fi- the process are that the overall quality of the deliverables is
nal language under a seemingly impossible time crunch, an MT significantly elevated, and much less time must be dedicated
solutions is an option worth considering once the benefits and to human review, significantly reducing costs and speeding
limitations are fully understood. There are, unfortunately, times turnarounds.
when a machine-based translation system is the only option—
but on the flipside, there are times when, even in the presence
of other options, MT may be the best of them all.
Will a Machine Translation Solution
Save Me Money?
What is a Machine Translation Solution? Generally speaking, MT solutions will cost less than traditional
human translation. However, before embarking on any transla-
A true MT solution is not just the machine translation process.
tion project – whether standard human translation or MT – it’s
It’s a specialized methodology that – depending on your time
extremely important to reconcile your overall goals with re-
frame, cost requirements, and end-use – can be customized to
gards to quality, cost, turnaround, and end use. If cost was the
utilize the ideal combination of MT, complementary technolo-
only factor driving translation decision-making, MT would be
gies such as translation memory (TM) and optical character
used for virtually every project. However, in the vast majority of
recognition (OCR), and variable involvement of human transla-
cases, a full machine translation would result in such low quality
tors. Once we determine the ideal process to meet your needs,
that it would, despite the initial cost savings, negatively impact
a customized MT solution can be used to quickly and reliably
ROI (not to mention your organization’s reputation). When your
produce useable translations for a number of purposes.
requirements do not call for distribution-level quality (such as
the aforementioned gisting example), a heavily machine-based
What Level of Quality Can I Expect from a solution is faster and significantly less costly.
Machine Translation Solution?
More and more, companies are faced with the challenge of
Traditionally, machine translation quality has been subpar. The producing distribution-quality translated materials in volumes
truth is that even today it remains a less-than-perfect technol- and within timelines that do not allow for full human transla-
ogy that can’t truly replace human translation as the industry’s tion. In applying a custom MT solution, cost reductions may
gold standard. This does not mean that MT is not useful—in vary from minimal to significant (depending on how much
fact, when incorporated into a comprehensive MT solution, translation memory can be utilized), as the level of human
machine translation is just one step in a process that can be review required may negate the MT-generated cost savings.
fully customized to ensure that the final deliverables meet your Still, MT solutions featuring a significant human review ele-
specific quality requirements. ment produce distribution-ready translations at a rate that is
Certainly, there are instances where subpar quality is perfectly not possible with a standard translation process, ensuring that
adequate—for example, you may need a “quick and dirty” your organization can reliably translate high volumes of content
translation of thousands of documents so you can determine quickly, at a reasonable cost, and with a minimally acceptable
exactly which among them are significant and need to undergo level of accuracy.
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White Paper: Machine Translation l Copyright Translations.com 2009
TDCS03002 I 070601
White Paper: Machine Translation
Furthermore, invoice costs are not the only place where actu-
al savings can be quantified. Even in situations where the re-
view burden within the customized MT solution is substantial,
it is a virtual guarantee that the total process will save time
over traditional human translation. Accordingly, even though Translations.com’s Scalable MT Methodology
invoice costs may be roughly similar to traditional translation,
for some businesses or projects the time saved holds far more
1) Documents are collected in electronic and hard
monetary value than the amount that appears on the final bill.
copy formats
How Much Time Can Be Saved by Using a
2) Front end Source Material Analysis and Source
Machine Translation Solution?
Sampling help determine the ideal project strategy
MT solutions save a significant amount of time; precisely
how much depends on the size of the project—the larger the 3) Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software is
project, the more time can be saved with MT. One fact that
used on hard copy documents to create electronic
is constant through all of this is that machine translation solu-
tions will always be faster than human translation. files where possible
That said, even if speed is your primary concern, MT may not 4) All documents are run against existing translation
necessarily be an ideal option. Since each project is unique,
memory (TM) for matching segments
there’s no mathematical equation to determine exact time
savings; what’s clear, however, is that the time savings ac- 5) Remaining text is translated through advanced
crued by MT is directly proportional to volume—projects
machine translation (MT) software
that might take months to complete with traditional human
translation can be shortened to weeks or even days using MT
6) Reviewers comb through translated text, correcting
methodologies. For small projects, though, the turnaround
time disparities are significantly less pronounced, and in many basic spelling and grammar issues
cases a “rush” human translation (assembling a larger team
7) Final files are delivered to the client in electronic
of linguists to complete a project more quickly) is the better
choice—rush translations are still fast, but result in a higher format
quality final deliverable than a process that involves MT.
Is Machine Translation Right For Me? document analysis and strategy session to help you de-
MT is a highly evolving medium, but despite all the advances, termine if MT is the right choice. No matter what your re-
there is no computer program at this time that can come quirements call for, you can be sure that your Translations.
close to interpreting the subtle cultural and linguistic idio- com team will recommend a solution that strikes the most
syncrasies that the human brain can. Since language is an appropriate balance between timing, cost, and quality for
intensely human device, computerized translations by nature your translated materials.
lag behind human translation in quality, reliability, nuance,
and cultural appropriateness.
Applied in the right circumstances (i.e. extremely high-volume
projects where quality is not a major concern), MT solutions
can convey levels of time and cost savings that may not pos-
sible with conventional translation processes. That said, in the
vast majority of circumstances, the risks associated with pro-
ducing lower quality content outweigh the benefits, and hu-
man translation is the only option that should be considered.
Should you be interested in exploring an MT solution for your
organization, our expert client service team will lead a source
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White Paper: Machine Translation l Copyright Translations.com 2009
TDCS03002 I 070601
White Paper: Machine Translation
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White Paper: Machine Translation l Copyright Translations.com 2009
TDCS03002 I 070601
