Machine Translation Post-Editing

Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE) is a workflow where machine-generated translation is reviewed and refined by a qualified human linguist to achieve the required quality standard. It combines the speed and cost efficiency of machine translation with human expertise to produce output that is accurate, fluent, and fit for purpose.

MTPE operates at two levels. Light post-editing focuses on correcting critical errors — mistranslations, omissions, and factual inaccuracies — while accepting that the output may not achieve the same stylistic polish as full human translation. It is appropriate for content where accuracy matters but publication quality is not required, such as internal communications or knowledge base articles. Full post-editing brings machine translation output to the same quality standard as human translation, addressing not just accuracy but also fluency, style, terminology consistency, and cultural appropriateness. It is appropriate for any content that will be published or distributed to external audiences.

MTPE is most effective for content types where machine translation engines perform well — typically factual, structured content with consistent terminology. It is less effective for creative content, marketing copy, or highly nuanced material where the machine translation baseline is poor and extensive rewriting negates the efficiency gains.

The economics of MTPE depend on the quality of the raw machine output. When MT quality is high, post-editing is significantly faster and more cost-effective than translation from scratch. When MT quality is poor, post-editing can actually take longer than human translation because the editor must identify and correct errors while being influenced by the machine's choices.

LEXIGO offers MTPE as part of our service portfolio, recommending it where the content type, quality requirements, and MT engine performance make it an efficient and appropriate approach.

MTPE offers a middle ground between raw machine translation (fast and cheap but unreliable) and full human translation (high quality but more time and cost). For organisations with large content volumes and mixed quality requirements, MTPE enables a tiered approach — investing in full human translation for high-visibility content while using MTPE for content where speed and cost are the priority.

Understanding when MTPE is appropriate versus when full human translation is needed helps organisations optimise their translation budget without compromising quality where it matters most.