A misconception (among non-translators and clients hoping it will save time and money) is that translation isn’t needed now we have Google Translate. The article says that some translators avoid machine translation on the grounds that it creates “more problems than solutions”. I firmly agree and have informed clients that I won’t accept “post-editing” requests.
The Proz article argues MT is “virtually useless” for creative, marketing and literary translation but I’ve had massive problems in almost every field, due to incorrect, inconsistent and awkward translations that need almost completely re-translating, which takes longer than translating would – like a builder being asked to repair a bodged, uneven wall instead of building one from scratch, and being told that was worth 60% of the normal rate – or less!
It does concern me. Am I being a luddite? I see translation as a craft, rather than a repetitive task to be automated and quality-controlled at the final stage! Do any translators see post-editing machine translation as a good thing?
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