Post-editing: benefit or disadvantage?

In the translation industry, post-editing is now very common. Some love it, some hate it, but what is it all about? Is it the end of translators or is it a boon to our productivity?

What is post-editing?

In the dictionary, post-editing is an activity based on a machine translation system. This production is then revised by a translator.

In other words, PE (post-editing) or MTPE (machine translation post-editing), is a text translated by software that is then checked by a translator.

The most famous machine translation tool, and also one of the least performing, is our dear Google Translation. Of course, it is not this type of software that professional translators use, but neural translation engines. These are very advanced systems based on millions of sentences for the best possible results in the target language.

Then, advantage or disadvantage for the translator?

Like many things, I would say it should be used in moderation. It is obvious that it is impossible to use machine translation as it is, especially in some fields. Even though the machine is getting better and better, it will never grasp the subtleties or innuendoes. And let's not talk about its proper name management!

On the other hand, putting a pre-translated file in the hands of a professional translator can lead to a real productivity gain. Instead of spending several hours translating, the linguist will just have to proofread to correct any errors. He or she will also refine the style and flow of the text to improve its quality.

Closing remarks

Like all professions, the translation is constantly evolving. Now, everyone is free to collaborate with the machine or to run away from it.

Personally, I find this exciting and really think that the future of the the translator's profession lies, to a large extent, in post-editing.

What do you think about it? Is it a simple additional service that we need to propose or more than that? Are we nearing the end of translation or the beginning of a new era?