Machine Translation Services
Efficiency Meets Language Expertise
Introducing Our Machine Translation Services
When content needs translating for internal use — and very quickly too — an intelligent machine translation service with human post-editing might be all you need. Brightlines can do this.
Machine translation is faster and cheaper
For quick translations of internal documentation for information purposes, MT is a highly effective service. For market purposes, we recommend a human translation to ensure any serious translation project has the quality and personal touch that international businesses demand from their consumer-facing collateral.
What is machine translation?
Machine translation (MT) is a translation service that uses machines to translate from one language to another. For clients who require very quick low-cost informational translations for internal purposes, our trained software can provide an instant translation of your content.
We also provide machine translation with additional human editing called machine translation post-editing. This is where machine-translated content is reviewed and edited by a human to achieve a better output.
Post-edited machine translation (PEMT)
Machine translation post editing (MTPE) is the process whereby a professional translator reviews and makes changes to the ‘raw’ output of a text file from a machine translation engine. Our project managers will liaise with you on the quality standards required for a particular type of content and then have the material edited accordingly.
The amount of post-editing needed depends on your objectives. For example, content to be used internally will only require minimal post-editing, such as changes for accuracy and grammar, whereas highly visible content will require a full post-editing service that ensures the copy is completely accurate with changes to style and tone where necessary. Full post-editing also requires appropriate cultural adjustments depending on the target market.
At Brightlines, we understand that business reputations are on the line which is why we have an expert team of top-level linguists on hand and ready to perfect your machine translated collateral. With our experts going through the completed machine translation (MT) for post-editing, clients can ensure their multilingual communications are highly targeted for a specific audience.
How does our machine translation service work?
Our machine translation services are state-of-the-art. Our trained software has monitored linguistic patterns and nuances from across the globe and can provide an instant translation of your content. Large volumes of content can be translated in a short space of time, making it a good choice if you have short lead-in times and need the information quickly.
Machine translation with Brightlines is completely secure as compared to free online translation engines, which can seriously compromise your data security. Crucially, our service ensures your linguistic assets remain your intellectual property rather than the translation provider.
The benefits of our machine translation services
Multilingual machine translation is a good choice for material that is not either customer-facing or mission-critical, such as internal communications. In some cases, it can also be used for large volumes of content that includes a lot of repetition, such as video transcripts or product descriptions.
The main benefits of machine translation are:
- Speed. Machine translation offers quicker turnaround times, even with human post-editing.
- Cost. Machine translation is very cost-effective for large batches of similar content.
- Scalability. Machine translation can handle growth in volumes of content.
What content is machine translation suitable for?
Machine translation is the most practical solution to the task of sifting through large amounts of text that needs translating. It is suitable for content such as:
- Video transcripts may contain a lot of text, especially if the video features interviews or other types of speech. A machine-translated video transcript will quickly provide the general themes of the video. This can be post-edited afterwards to fill in any missing details.
- Product descriptions often contain a large amount of repetition. Machine translation is a fast and cost-effective way to translate large amounts of product descriptions. It can help a business break into international markets quickly and effectively, offering growth and saving money at the same time.
- Customer reviews are vital to all companies but, if you are a global business, come in a variety of different languages. Translating reviews offers the opportunity to identify customer concerns before they escalate and have a negative impact on your business. Potential customers who can review content in their own language are more likely to use your product or service.
- Social media posts have the power to make or break a company. They need to be translated quickly so that they can be responded to if necessary. Machine translation can handle the large volume of text and convert it to the target language very quickly.
We can help you with:
Blogs
Chats
FAQs
Internal Communications
Product descriptions
Knowledge base
Social media
Technical documents
User forums
Video transcripts
When do I need machine translation services?
Machine translation isn’t appropriate in all circumstances, for example when content is medical or legal in nature, includes sensitive content or needs cultural context. It is appropriate for large volumes of content that need to be translated quickly, such as internal communication or reporting, or user-generated content such as online reviews.
What are the two post-editing options?
Light post-editing is when a human translator reviews the edited content to ensure all words are translated without improving writing style or syntax. All information will be accurate, but not stylistically compelling.
Full post-editing requires the content to be reviewed by a translator with experience of the subject matter. It will be accurate on a terminological and grammatical level, as well as stylistically suitable for the target audience.
What languages does the machine translator cover?
Our machine translation service covers many of the world’s commercial languages. For more information on what languages we can translate, please drop us a message or give us a call.
Advantages and disadvantages of machine translation tools
The main advantage is that Machine translation can deliver results incredibly quickly, whereas human translation takes longer. Due to the speed, it can be performed, and much reduced human involvement, machine translation is highly cost-effective and can get through large volumes of content.
The disadvantages are mainly concerned with quality. In terms of accuracy, machine translation can never match the accuracy and reliability of a human translator’s expertise. Human translators have a large amount of knowledge of their area of specialism and can translate complex content with far more precision. Machine translation also has no knowledge of local idioms, customs or cultures and cannot handle humour, irony, nuances or figures of speech, sometimes resulting in meaning getting lost in translation.
Are machine translation tools always the right choice?
No. Machine translation tools are only suitable for large volumes of content that needs to be translated quickly, such as internal comms, customer reviews and video transcripts. Translations where absolute certainty is required, for example, legal or medical documents, must be carried out by a human translator.
What is the difference between human translation and machine translation?
Human translation provides linguistic skill, expertise of a particular field or subject, and an understanding of the complex subtleties that are relevant to a particular culture and language. Machine translation has none of these attributes but can offer a fast and cheap method of translated content which doesn’t require precision or localisation.
Does machine translation remove the need for expensive human translation?
No, because using cheap or free translation can end up costing much more in the long run. For example, a legal or financial document that has been badly translated could lose you business or brand reputation or even end up landing you in legal hot water. For important documents, it’s vital to use human translation.
What is the history of machine translation?
Machine translation was pioneered in America in the early 1950s and by 1954 a machine had been invented that could translate 250 words from Russian to English. Machine translation continued to improve thanks to the development of computing and the internet. As computers grow ever more powerful and intelligent, so will machine translation.
MT for when cost and speed matter the most
If there’s anything else you’d like to know about our machine translation services, or any of the other translation services we offer, please get in touch today.