What you need to know before using Machine Translation

Machine translation, sometimes it is referred to by the abbreviation MT or automated translation. It simply refers to the use of artificial intelligence to translate content instantly, and it's a gamechanger when it comes to translation speed.
The two most common machine translation systems are Statistical Machine Translation (SMT) and the newer Neural Machine Translation (NMT).
Statistical machine translation (SMT) is done by analyzing previously translated texts (often referred to as bilingual text corpora) and creating rules that are most suited to translating a specific sentence
More input in the necessary languages will increase the SMT's percentage chance of producing a translation that is more accurate. Additionally, this indicates that no human involvement is required throughout any phase of the translation process.
Neural machine translation (NMT), In contrast, is processed through a neural network. each neuron in the network is a mathematical function that processes data.
By feeding examples into the neural network during the first assessment, often known as "training," modifications are made based on how much error was present in the output.
This ensures12 that the network will continue to optimize itself as it is used more frequently to deliver better results.

There are approximately 640,000 translators worldwide according to TranslateMedia
In 2022, approximately 80% of translators report they are using MT,
This refers to instances where the translator has determined that machine translation will be beneficial; we are not necessarily talking about running full jobs through machine translation, although in some cases that can also be an option. For the most part, machine translation applied by translators happens in specific cases, and is used in a variety of specific ways. It may be applied more in some jobs than in others.
Having a machine translation (MT) tool can be helpful when translating simple texts or lists. MT can provide you with suggestions for possible translations, which can save time. Additionally, seeing the incorrect translation that MT gives for a term can sometimes help your brain to find the correct translation. Each translator uses MT in different ways, depending on what works best for them and the type of text they are working on.
As more and more translators are finding, there can be advantages to doing their own machine translation post-editing as well. This involves running the text through MT and then refining the results where necessary.

Compared to human translation, machine translation is far faster. You may quickly translate full text documents with translation software. Human translation requires substantially more time, particularly when precise definitions need to be sought up in a dictionary. Even though a qualified human translator will provide a higher-quality translation, machine translation is frequently adequate for the job and can save you time.

Although investing in language translation software may initially seem pricey, it is a considerably more affordable alternative to using a human translator when it is not entirely necessary. You will get access to the translation software anytime it is required in the future by paying the upfront expenses. When you don't necessary need to engage a human translation, this can help you save money. It is also important to note that there are numerous free options on the market that can perform various kinds of translating.

The ability of many translation programs to memorize and subsequently reuse frequent terms and phrases that are used within a certain industry is a significant advantage of machine translation. This implies that when you use a translation program more, it will effectively perform its translation tasks better.

Machine Translation uses a large amount of source and target languages that are compared and matched against each other by a machine translation engine.
Many translations software allows you to not only translate words and phrases but also to save approved translations memories (TM) in the memory database. This way, when starting a new project, you can quickly access similar or matching content from your previous work and use it as a jumping off point for your new project.
Generally, as your translation memories expand, you'll find that you can save on translation costs by recycling translations more often. This is because there tend to be more matches as your database grows. So keep translating - your wallet will thank you later!

The use of TM is most advantageous when a document is huge in size and contains repetitious and recyclable content.

- Depending on the MT results quality, some translators may only charge 50% to 70% of their standard translation costs for post-editing services. (ProZ Forum)
- Other study of machine translation showed that the output required an average of 3 edits per sentence. (Recent Advances in Natural Language Processing 2017)
The same study found that the human translation of the same text is longer than the machine translation.
- Using the suitable Machine Translation software can help reduce translation costs by 90% that result from human error, pointless email correspondence, and time spent uploading content and searching. (Business Insider)
- One company reported that their productivity increase by up to 60% in the first 5 months of using Machine Translation. (Smartcat)
- According to another business, project managers spent 40% less time on tasks linked to localization. (SmartCat)
- Machine translations were used in 24% of end-client projects in 2020, up from 13% in 2019, according to language service providers. (CSA Research)