Post editing
Thread poster: Frank Zou
Frank Zou
Frank Zou  Identity Verified
China
Local time: 06:42
Member (2016)
Chinese to English
+ ...
Feb 2, 2018

A translation agency is applying post editing rate as of next week, which is a little bit lower than the already low rate. I wonder if any of you does post editing. I personally don't like it.

 
Thomas T. Frost
Thomas T. Frost  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 22:42
Danish to English
+ ...
No Feb 2, 2018

No, I don't.

You cannot merge your thoughts with a computer algorithm. You still have to produce entire sentences in your head, and MT often leads you onto the wrong track or contains misunderstandings, because a computer can't think or understand what it is translating.

Editing an incorrect MT sentence can end up taking as much time as if you had started from scratch.

The only case where I have seen usable MT is in formulaic IT texts, but that client is st
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No, I don't.

You cannot merge your thoughts with a computer algorithm. You still have to produce entire sentences in your head, and MT often leads you onto the wrong track or contains misunderstandings, because a computer can't think or understand what it is translating.

Editing an incorrect MT sentence can end up taking as much time as if you had started from scratch.

The only case where I have seen usable MT is in formulaic IT texts, but that client is still paying a normal rate without any deduction for MT.
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Daniel Frisano
Daniel Frisano  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 23:42
Member (2008)
English to Italian
+ ...
Nobody likes PE, but... Feb 2, 2018

Nobody likes to do post-editing. Then again, if I put myself in their (the agency's) shoes, rather than receiving a crappy human translation I would at least consider MT + PE. From direct experience, it's still better than at least half of what you get from a human nowadays.

Solution: provide something that is way ahead MT, demonstrably.


 
Thomas T. Frost
Thomas T. Frost  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 22:42
Danish to English
+ ...
Something for nothing Feb 2, 2018

Daniel Frisano wrote:

if I put myself in their (the agency's) shoes, rather than receiving a crappy human translation I would at least consider MT + PE. From direct experience, it's still better than at least half of what you get from a human nowadays.


If they wanted quality, they'd probably pay what it costs to get quality, but they want something for nothing. They have the right to work that way – I just don't want to be part of it.


 
Patrice
Patrice  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 15:42
Member
French to English
+ ...
The rock-breaking of the translation world Feb 2, 2018

Yes, for very formulaic / standardized terminology, MT might be helpful, if the term bases are very consistent. And even so, in my experience, PE is just as labor-intensive as the actual translation, or probably more so, despite my attempts to find more productive ways of working with it.

With the low rates/value placed on it, it becomes 'translation on the fly', because you have to basically do a full translation (at least in your head) but won't be able to afford to spend a lot of
... See more
Yes, for very formulaic / standardized terminology, MT might be helpful, if the term bases are very consistent. And even so, in my experience, PE is just as labor-intensive as the actual translation, or probably more so, despite my attempts to find more productive ways of working with it.

With the low rates/value placed on it, it becomes 'translation on the fly', because you have to basically do a full translation (at least in your head) but won't be able to afford to spend a lot of time on it.
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