CAN YOU TRUST MACHINE TRANSLATION?

Part 2: The Positives

Machine translation offers several cost benefits that make it an attractive option for businesses. Firstly, machine translation is significantly faster than human translation. It can process large volumes of text in a fraction of the time it would take a human translator to do the same. This speed can be particularly beneficial for businesses that need to translate content quickly, such as e-commerce websites or customer support platforms. By saving time, machine translation can help businesses increase their productivity and efficiency, ultimately leading to cost savings.

Another cost benefit of machine translation is its relatively low upfront investment. While human translation often requires hiring professional translators or outsourcing translation services, machine translation can be implemented with minimal initial costs. There are many free or low-cost machine translation tools available online, making it accessible to businesses of all sizes. Additionally, machine translation can be easily integrated into existing workflows and systems, eliminating the need for extensive training or infrastructure changes.

Machine translation also offers cost benefits in terms of scalability. As businesses grow and expand into new markets, the need for translation services increases. Hiring additional human translators to meet this demand can be expensive and time-consuming. Machine translation, on the other hand, can handle large volumes of translation work without the need for additional resources. This scalability allows businesses to quickly and cost-effectively translate content in multiple languages, enabling them to reach a wider audience and increase their global presence.

Lastly, machine translation can help businesses reduce their overall translation costs. While it may not always produce perfect translations, machine translation can be a valuable tool for generating initial drafts or rough translations. Human translators can then review and edit these machine-generated translations, saving time and effort compared to translating from scratch. This hybrid approach, known as post-editing, can significantly reduce translation costs while still ensuring high-quality translations.

In conclusion, machine translation offers several cost benefits, including speed, low upfront investment, scalability, and reduced translation costs. While it may not be a perfect substitute for human translation, machine translation can be a valuable tool for businesses looking to save time and money on translation projects. By understanding the limitations and potential of machine translation, businesses can make informed decisions about when and how to incorporate it into their translation workflows.