Every company that wants to sell internationally inevitably must decide which documentation to translate to support their product and how to go about it. Of course, which documentation to translate will depend on the message you want to convey to your foreign audience. But, your second decision will have much farther reaching consequenses: the decision to use machine translation (MT) or professional translators. To help you with this decision, we have created this primer to explain the basic differences between professional translation and MT.

You Need It Now!

For immediate translation capability, there is no substitute for machine translation (also called automatic translation). Free translation websites powered by remarkable computer translation programs fill a handy niche for those who need a word or a phrase translated on the go. In the information industry, these specialized software applications pay for themselves when a company has large volumes of text that must be translated right now. However, though you can rely on MT for a speedy translation, don’t rely on it for an accurate one.

Despite the money that has been, and continues to be, poured into research to advance the quality of machine translation, a document translated by MT is rarely more than 80% accurate. Companies that invest in MT do so with the understanding that a document that is up to 20% inaccurate is acceptable provided they can understand the ‘gist’ of that document.

There are definitely documents that you should not trust to MT such as legal texts, literary works, and most technical instructions. But, other acceptable uses for MT are for websites or email and internal memos from foreign offices.

You Need It Correct!

If it is important that the document to be translated is done so accurately, then professional translation is your only option. Professional, human translators don’t merely translate words from one language to another (as MT does), they translate the ‘meaning’ of the text. They understand the context and nuance of communication like no software program that has yet been created, and they convey it into the ‘target’ language. However, professional translators are not nearly as fast as MT, so managing a translation project requires lead time consideration.

Professionals translate at an average rate of 300-500 words per hour, but a properly managed project also includes time for proofreading and/or editing and, depending on the project, desktop publishing. These are all activities that a professional translation company will be able to explain and perform for you. When it is important to you that the ideas, cautions, and caveats in your documentation are conveyed clearly, there is no substitute for professional translation.

Our Recommendation

If machine translation seems like the right solution for your company’s needs, there are reputable companies that make fine software such as Systran™, Babelfish™, or Prompt™, et. al. But if the requirement of your documentation, and your message for your customers demands professional translation, look no further than The ComWell Group. We use only professional translators who are native speakers of the target language; native inhabitants of the country where the documentation is intended; and professionals who are experienced in your industry.