Machine Translation Post-Editing

Reduce translation costs by up to 50% and speed up turnaround times.

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What Is MTPE?

Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE) combines machine translation with expert human editing for fast and accurate multi-language content translation. The merger of technological efficiency with linguistic expertise offers businesses quick turnarounds, a broad language range, cost savings, and various levels of edit to make sure the quality meets your program goals.

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I've worked with Alconost for several years now, and I've always been impressed with their professionalism and attention to detail. They consistently deliver high-quality translations that are accurate and culturally appropriate. I highly recommend their services to anyone looking for a reliable localization partner."

Radinka Danilov Sehovic

Marketing & Communication Expert

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  • Services: Continuous localization, MTPE
  • Languages: ES-ES, NL, PL, ZH-CN, ZH-TW, PT-BR, IT, KO, FR, DE
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Benefits

Faster than translation from scratch by linguists.

Up to 50% more cost efficient than traditional localization.

The translation quality is fit-for-purpose and can be at the level of native speakers.

Packages

Raw MT

check-icon-greenA GenAI or NMT (Neural Machine Translation) engine that fits your project

check-icon-greenDedicated project manager

Light Post-Editing

check-icon-greenA GenAI or NMT (Neural Machine Translation) engine that fits your project

check-icon-greenDedicated project manager

check-icon-greenEssential editing made by professional linguists to spot inaccuracies

check-icon-greenEngine evaluation

Full Post-Editing

check-icon-greenA GenAI or NMT (Neural Machine Translation) engine that fits your project

check-icon-greenDedicated project manager

check-icon-greenEssential editing made by professional linguists to spot inaccuracies

check-icon-greenMeticulous editing made by professional linguists to ensure high-quality, fluent, and contextually correct content.

check-icon-greenAccess to the Localization Management Platform

check-icon-greenEngine evaluation

Custom Scenario

Everything in Full Post-Editing, plus:

check-icon-greenPersonalized service for custom needs, such as engine training, terminology management, and meeting other specific requirements.

Here's how MTPE at Alconost works

Preparation:

During the preparation stage, the project manager (PM) reviews the content and collects additional context if required (e.g., type of content, audience, tone of voice, quality expectations, etc.). In the preparation stage, the PM:

1

Selects a sample from the text (typically ~2000 chars, up to 2 languages) that will be used in engine evaluation.

2

Pre-selects 7-9 Neural Machine Translation (NMT) engines or GenAI for evaluation.

3

(Optional) Conducts prompt engineering if GenAI is used.

4

Sets up a test project on the localization platform.

Evaluation:

The PM performs the following actions to determine which engine(s) perform the best for the given project. There are 2 types of evaluation Express and Deep:

5

Pre-translates the text into all project languages using the pre-selected NMT engine or GenAI. Express Deep

6

Sends the output translation samples to native-speaking human linguists for evaluation. At this stage, the translation outputs generated by each NMT engine or GenAI are reviewed and holistically evaluated. Express Deep

7

Determines the translation sample with the highest evaluation score, which will then be post-edited by human translators. Deep

8

Requests engine scoring. Each translation sample is assigned a score derived based on industry-accepted metrics used to compare sample translations against the post-edited translation (COMET, CHRF, BLEU, hLEPOR, WER). Engines with the highest scores will be used in the project going forward. Based on our experience, NMT/GenAI perform differently for different language pairs and types of content. Deep

9

Based on the holistic evaluation and metrics above (in case of Deep evaluation), the PM prepares the project estimates (budget, turnaround time).

Continuous Translation:

10

The project manager builds the localization workflow, pre-translates content using the NMT/GenAI selected above, allocates tasks to linguists on the localization platform, and monitors deadlines and translation quality.

11

If translators have questions, they ask them on the localization platform. Discussions are visible to the whole project team.

12

The completed translations are automatically exported in the same format as the original files using an API or manually.

13

The PM also conducts recurring QA checks to validate that the output quality is continuously high and that the NMT/GenAI perform as expected. Depending on the project requirements, the NMT/GenAI can be regularly retrained based on glossaries and translation memory accumulated during the project.

MTPE Service Packages

Raw Machine Translation

Receive immediate raw translation output produced solely by advanced machine translation engines, without any human intervention. Benefit from a Managed Service, supported by a dedicated project manager who ensures that your localization process runs smoothly from start to finish.

It’s best for large-scale projects demanding fast and efficient translation, such as:

  1. Product descriptions (e-commerce)
  2. News articles
  3. Corporate blogs
  4. Internal documentation
  5. Support content
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Light Post-Editing

Build on the advantages of RAW MT with essentials-only editing by professional linguists to render the translated content comprehensible, addressing any inaccuracies that could misconstrue meaning or trigger confusion.

For non business-critical content, including:

  1. Blog posts/SEO content
  2. Software development and API documentation
  3. User-generated content
  4. Documentation
  5. E-commerce descriptions
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Full Post-Editing

A comprehensive review and correction of machine-generated translations by professional native linguists. The objective is to produce a final product that is the same quality as a human translation, with proper attention to style, tone, and context or culture-specific nuances.

Track process and progress to ensure high-quality, fluent, and contextually correct content with access to our Localization Management Platform.

For high-volume urgent tasks and mission-critical content, such as:

  1. Legal documents
  2. Game descriptions
  3. Finance documents
  4. Educational textbooks and complex academic articles
  5. Online course descriptions
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Custom scenario

Request a unique solution for your specific project needs, integrating advanced MT with customized workflows and human expertise.

We will tailor your translation service to match the nuances of your content. Pricing depends on your particular needs.

This is a comprehensive package for solutions like:

  1. Content profiling
  2. Style guides
  3. Engine training
  4. Terminology management
  5. Quality checks
  6. Meeting specific requirements
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MTPE vs Traditional Translation

When deciding between Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE) and traditional human translation, several factors come into play. MTPE offers notable advantages over traditional methods:

Speed and Efficiency:

MTPE accelerates the translation process by quickly processing large volumes of text through a trained engine, followed by human revisions and refinement.

Cost-Effectiveness:

With less intensive human input when compared to traditional translation, MTPE often leads to lower costs while leveraging advanced machine translation technology.

Scalability:

MTPE scales well for high-volume multilingual projects, quickly providing base translations across various languages for subsequent post-editing.

Consistency:

Machine translation maintains consistency in terminology and style, which is particularly beneficial for large volumes of text, such as in traditional localization. Human editors then refine it to match specific guidelines.

Choose MTPE for projects prioritizing speed, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. Quality is guaranteed by the post-editing process, in which human linguists review content to make sure the quality meets expectations. Traditional translation remains ideal for projects that focus on detailed, high-quality content, demanding deep cultural understanding, like creative and marketing materials and sensitive or confidential documents that require human accuracy and security.

FAQ

How does MTPE work?

How do I pick the right MTPE package?

What is MT Engine Evaluation?

Is MTPE more cost-effective than traditional translation services?

What is the difference between Generative AI and Neural Machine Translation (NMT)?

Who are your translators and how are they selected?

What localization TMS (translation management systems or platforms) are you working with?

What file formats do you work with?

What languages do you translate into?