Post-Editing: The Translator's New Superpower
Mohamed Helmy
Localization Engineer | Technical Problem-Solver | Leveraging MBA Insights for Business Growth
Hey everyone! I’m excited to chat about an awesome opportunity in the translation world: post-editing. Let's look at it as a new superpower with the translators not replacing their jobs. ;)
It’s all about taking machine-made translations that aren’t quite perfect and giving them a human touch. Think of it like a chef who adds a pinch of salt to make a dish just right.
What’s Post-Editing Anyway?
Imagine a machine trying to translate a text. Sometimes it gets things a bit off—like missing a joke or using a word that sounds funny in another language. That’s where we come in. We fix the mistakes and smooth things out, so the translation feels natural, just like a chat with a friend.
Why Post-Editing is a Great Opportunity
The Not-So-Fun Parts (But We Can Laugh About Them)
领英推荐
What Makes a Great Post-Editor?
Tips for Getting Started
Looking Ahead: The Future is Bright!
Post-editing isn’t just about fixing errors—it’s about taking a good translation and making it great. As machines get smarter, our job is to add that extra spark of human creativity: the right tone, a bit of culture, and a dash of emotion. Embrace the change, keep your sense of humor, and enjoy the ride.
In short, if you love words, tech, and a little challenge, post-editing might be the perfect adventure for you.
Medical Translator & Linguistic Validation Consultant, English > French, ISO17100:2015, Human Factors specialist in a former life
1 个月I think it depends on the nature of the text/document to be translated. I can't see MT + post-editors completely taking over when more creative, culturally sensitive translations are needed...
Freelance Translator | Technical & Medical | EN / FR > NL
1 个月I have been post-editing since 2015 or so and in my experience, it is the best way to go for most clients. However, there are those who insist on human translation to ensure higher quality, especially in terms of creativity, or more confidentiality. Also, there has to be a large enough volume of text to train a client-specific engine. Generic ones often miss the nuances and style a particular client/company desires. And using translations for client A to pre-translate jobs for client B leads to the risk of confidential information to be re-used for a competitor by mistake. So there are definitely caveats. But like I said, most clients will benefit from it, and most translators are perfectly able to handle it, too. The biggest problem though is that sometimes an engine is trained insufficiently but the client insists on machine translation and post-editing because of the lower costs. This jeopardizes the quality - or the translator needs to spend a lot more time than they are compensated for to ensure proper quality. An open and honest dialogue about expectations and limitations is paramount!