The Nuances of Post-Editing in Specialized Domains Such as E-Commerce, IT, Game Development, And Fintech Translation
Do you opt for machine translation??
Then, be ready for #post-editing!
Yes, we believe that MT engines are great tools if you need to reach perfection regarding translation speed, efficiency, and affordability.
Indeed, we are aware that machine translation engines continuously improve and undergo training to deliver the most accurate translation results.
Still, any artificial intelligence, even the most perfect, cannot fully reproduce:
That's why post-editing is inevitable when it comes to:
Nevertheless, there are some nuances in the MTPE process depending on the field your project belongs to.
Let's discuss the key features of post-editing in the most popular specialized domains!?
We hope that this knowledge will prove useful when dealing with translations like this.
E-commerce
If you have an online store or a large e-commerce platform, it's only natural to want to reach as many markets as possible and encourage buyers to place as many orders as you can.
However, as you understand, it is impossible to establish sales growth without an offer that will pique interest and elicit an appropriate response from the buyer.
That is why MTPE is here.
Many still think that translating a site into English is enough to make a name on the international market and achieve success.
Think a little and answer the question: Would you rather buy from a seller who offers goods in your native language or from one who presents them in English?
If you choose the first option, you're part of the 77% of users who prefer goods and services offered in their mother tongue and tailored to their requests.
So, if you consider the needs of online buyers in any foreign market, you already have an answer. And now, we believe you understand why MTPE within a localization workflow makes so much sense.
As a rule, localization of a marketplace implies the translation of considerable volumes of content of a variety of types, ranging from lists and descriptions of goods to news, shares, and official information for buyers.
Machine translation may well do this, but right after it, MTPE comes into play to achieve the following goals:
The development of a competent SEO and content strategy, along with the careful selection of CAT tools and translation management systems, achieves all these goals. By prioritizing MTPE, you get all the chances for seamless integration of your eCommerce project in the target market, good ROI, and corresponding sales growth.
Our case: Translation of product listings for Alibaba
The biggest company in the eCommerce sector commissioned us to edit machine-translated content for the platform adapted from English into Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Indonesian. There were not only good descriptions but also specifications and marketing texts. After MT, there were numerous inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and errors.
We started by developing clear instructions for translators and post-editors on how to act in various language situations. Furthermore, we asked the client to provide links to all of the products to avoid misunderstandings and interpretation errors.
Though the process was challenging, we managed to:
As a result, the promotion of the products in the target Asian markets was significant.
Learn more about this case study by clicking on the link: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/how-alibaba-diversifies-markets-localization-applications-pzkzc/?trackingId=dcs6Pdq6mqUC6JgTvxwteQ%3D%3D
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IT
The localization of IT products also implies some challenges in terms of translation. Relying solely on MT and ignoring MTPE won't adequately address them.
So, when dealing with products such as mobile applications or search engines, it's crucial to consider the following aspects:
All these points help to reach flawless usability and absolute user-friendliness, which are key criteria in choosing one product over another.
Thanks to MTPE, you can correct mistakes and make the product more convenient and engaging for the target users. If they are interested, they buy it. Isn’t that your goal?
Our case: Mobile app localization for Huawei
The company develops its projects in various fields, and we had the honor to work on Link Now, its mobile application. Our task was to localize it in 70 language pairs. We should say it was an involved experience!
We had to translate and adapt not just texts but also codes, identifiers, extra line designations, and more. We deployed the API integration with the Crowdin translation management system for this purpose. We also engaged two translators with post-editing skills for each language pair.
It took us two years to perform the localization for all the components and subsequent updates. Our contribution to making Link Now a holistic part of the Huawei ecosystem was considerable. Thanks to high-quality MTPE localization, the number of downloads increased greatly.
Game Development
The gaming industry's development pace is impressive today, so the need to localize certain products becomes imperative.
As you may have already understood, game localization entails translation. However, can you handle it entirely through MT without a post-editing routine? Well, we don’t think so. And there are three reasons why:
This makes MTPE a crucial component of game localization, enabling the achievement of perfect accuracy, relevance, and usability while preserving a distinctive gaming environment.
Our case: PC Game Patch Localization for Age of Empires
Age of Empires is a real-time computer strategy known worldwide. Its fans love its high-quality and advanced graphics, high-screen resolution support, and regular patches that help maintain game balance. We received an offer to localize one of these patches, which also came in a stylish case!
Of course, the localization of game elements implies some software and technical subtleties. But since we’re talking about MTPE, we have to say that here we had to work hard, too.
We localized the patch in 17 different languages. We needed to find appropriate translation solutions for each of them to make the patch more understandable and user-friendly for all gamers in the target countries. This time, the post-editing process included character names, unit names, structures, storyline campaigns, and tags in source strings. So, our experts did their best to reach the most accurate and appropriate interpretation, which is vital for any flawless game localization.
We are proud of this project, as it was an absolute success. We meticulously adapted all the text elements. The thousands of users' positive feedback became the best proof!
FinTech
Financial technologies deal with numbers, innovations, and current digital developments in the areas of payments, remittances, finance, insurance, and capital management. Obviously, translations of such content require:
That is why we can't recommend machine translation for such cases. MT is still characterized by a weak sense of context, so the risk of errors, inaccuracies, and logical inconsistencies is extremely high.
When using MT engines to translate content like this, post-editors need to process the translated context almost from scratch, achieving the necessary accuracy and relevance.
That is why human translation is the preferred option for fintech texts and documents. However, if you choose to use the MT and MTPE bundle, be ready to put in a lot of effort and carefully evaluate the quality of the translated content.
Our case: Legal translation from Thai to English for PayPal
Working with PayPal was another unforgettable experience for us, though the project wasn’t so large-scale. This time, the largest electronic payment system asked us to translate a few legal documents from Thai into English.
Legal content always needs absolute accuracy, as it provides all users with precise guidelines for their activities. There is no place for even the slightest error, misunderstanding, or discrepancy. Still, it is necessary to reach fluency and clarity for users with any level of education and mentality.
To achieve these goals, an English native speaker proficient in Thai with relevant expertise in legal translation was engaged. As the instructions were clear and the control was rigorous and adequate, we just made it—quickly, accurately, and just as the client wanted it.
If you implement machine translation, MTPE plays a crucial role in the localization workflow. Though there are some nuances in its application in each domain, its role as a tool for achieving accuracy and overall high quality can’t be denied.
Want to see more proof? Well, we’ll keep talking about them in our future posts!