More and more companies are turning to post-editing of machine translation (MTPE) for both speed and quality. This work relies on the intervention of an experienced translator who corrects and adapts content produced by artificial intelligence (AI). Alphatrad offers solutions tailored to your post-editing needs, for reliable texts that are perfectly suited to your context.
What is post-editing?
Post-editing is a method that combines the speed of machine translation with the expertise of a human translator. Here's how it works: AI software automatically generates an initial translation based on a mega-database of multilingual public websites, and applies an evolutionary algorithm to improve the wording, which is then reworked by a qualified post-editor.
The purpose of this post-editing stage is to:
- Correct errors
- Refine the writing style
- Ensure terminological accuracy, especially when the same word can have synonyms that do not have the same meaning depending on the context (e.g., "il pleut des cordes" (French) becomes "it's raining ropes" in English without post-editing, whereas the correct English idiomatic expression is, "it's raining cats and dogs")
- Ensure the overall consistency of the content
- Add nuance and subtlety to the text.
All the advantages of post-editing with Alphatrad
With over 40 years of experience and a network of 12 subsidiaries and representative offices throughout Europe, Alphatrad offers multilingual post-editing services (MTPE) for all types of translations. This method combines the power of AI tools with human expertise to guarantee faithful, accurate translations that are free of misinterpretations and tailored to your expectations and target audience.
When you choose Alphatrad for your post-editing needs, you benefit from:
- Time savings and increased efficiency: AI speeds up the translation process, allowing our post-editors to focus on checking and improving the texts.
- A cost-effective solution: this method reduces costs compared to 100% human translation, while maintaining a high level of quality.
- Easy management of large volumes of content: thanks to AI, we can quickly process your large translation projects without compromising on the quality of the final result.
Machine translation vs. post-editing: what are the differences?
There are many differences between machine translation and post-editing. While machine translation is done entirely by software, without human intervention, post-editing combines the power of AI with the accuracy and meticulousness of a human translator, who improves the generated result. There are also major distinctions in terms of speed, accuracy, cost and quality.
Machine translation has many limitations and can lead to misinterpretations, inconsistencies in terminology, stylistic awkwardness, or even approximate syntax. In contrast, post-edited translation guarantees comprehensive revision, correction, and final proofreading, ensuring you receive a high-quality result.
In general, machine translation is suitable for quick tasks where accuracy is not paramount, while translation with post-editing is preferable when quality and context are essential.
Here is a comparative table of the differences between machine translation and AI translation with post-editing:
| Criteria | Machine translation | AI translation with post-editing |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Translation generated entirely by software. | Translation generated by AI followed by human revision. |
| Speed | Very fast. | Fast, but requires revision time. |
| Accuracy | Less accurate, often erroneous or awkward. | More accurate thanks to human intervention. |
| Cost | Less expensive. | More expensive due to manual editing. |
| Adaptation to context | Limited, often poorly adapted to the context. | Improved with post-editing that adjusts tone and style. |
| Advantages | Quick and economical solution. | Better end result, more natural and accurate. |
| Disadvantages | Less reliable, frequent errors. | Additional time and cost for revision. |
Post-editing: why trust us?
At Alphatrad, we combine the efficiency of AI translation software with the expertise of our professional post-editors. Human intervention is essential to guarantee optimal quality results, as it allows us to:
- Verify the relevance of technical terms: Our experts ensure that terms are appropriate for the field and context and correct any interpretation errors that AI may make.
- Maintain consistency with terminology: Our post-editors identify unwanted variations in the terms used in the target language.
- Preserve untranslatable text elements: We ensure that names, trade names, company names, and other specific terms remain intact.
- Rewrite sentences if necessary: Our translators adjust the AI's wording to make it fluid and easy to read, avoiding overly literal or stiff translations.
- Correct syntax errors: Post-editors modify conjugations, adjust verb tenses and ensure the grammatical accuracy of the translated document.
- Guarantee the overall quality of the text: By combining technology and human expertise, Alphatrad delivers flawless translations that are ready to be used with confidence.
→ Good to know : the costs associated with post-editing vary according to different criteria: the length of the text, the complexity of the content, the languages involved, and the level of accuracy required. For a no-obligation tailored quote, summarise your project needs using our online form. We will provide you with a quote as soon as possible.
With Alphatrad's post-editing services, you will benefit from the expertise of a translator specialising in your field of activity (automotive, tourism, IT, social media, industry, etc.). Our post-editing experts, hand-picked from a network of 3,500 native-speaking professionals, will provide you with a highly accurate result that is ready to use.
Post-editing services in over 100 languages
With over 40 years of experience in professional translation, Alphatrad is one of the world's leading language service providers. In addition to its numerous agencies, the company works with over 3,500 professional native translators worldwide. We work in over a hundred different languages, from the most common to the rarest: English, Chinese, Russian, Italian, Arabic, German, Turkish, Spanish, Portuguese, and more.
⚠️ Please note that AI translations use public servers located mainly in the United States and China. We cannot guarantee confidentiality under any circumstances.
If this document is confidential, please let us know so that we can use a traditional translation service.