AI Translation: Best Practices for Implementation

AI translation best practices, quality risks, and the processes you’ll need to create successful multilingual materials.

In an era where global communication is paramount, translating with AI tools can offer a revolutionary approach to breaking language barriers within companies. However, the adoption of using AI to translate is not just about embracing new technology; it’s about understanding its implications, benefits, and best practices, especially for those outside the language, writing, or editing industries. Here’s a comprehensive guide to navigating the complexities and opportunities of using AI to translate within your business.

Topics covered in this article:

• Using Artificial Intelligence Translation: Is it Cost and Time Efficient?
• AI Translation vs Human Translation
• Translate with AI: Balancing Cost with Quality
• How AI Translation Works (3 Types of Processes)
• Evolution of Translation Agencies with AI
• Is AI Right for Your Translation Needs?
• The AI Translation Services We Can (Confidently) Recommend
• Next Steps: Navigating AI Translation Implementation in Your Company

Using Artificial Intelligence Translation: Is it Cost and Time Efficient?

The question every company is asking right now: “Can using AI for translation save money?”

Artificial Intelligence (AI) translation is not just a technological innovation—it’s proven to be an investment in time and cost reduction.

Interpro has witnessed, on average, a 30% savings in project costs from companies adopting AI-based translation. However, the disclaimer is this varies based on the volume of content, languages involved, as well as the degree of localization and human review required.

The most significant benefit, however, lies in efficiency. AI translation outpaces human capabilities in speed for quicker turnaround times for projects that require fast communication channels. Ultimately, this streamlines the translation process to involve human review primarily for accuracy checks.

AI Translation vs Human Translation

Human Translation is completed entirely by humans, with high levels of personalization during the process. It usually involves some version of the Translation, Revision, and Proofreading (TRP) process to ensure the highest levels of localization and translation accuracy. For example, Interpro’s client surveys and feedback find that our human TRP process consistently has a 99.8% accuracy rate.

AI Translation is completed using one of the processes previously mentioned in the article. There is little-to-no human editing, accuracy varies, and localization levels are low to non-existent. Accuracy levels range from 50%-90% depending on the language and content type. The average cost savings from Human Translation are 30%, but again, this really depends on the type of project and volume of work.

A Blend of the Two: AI Translation + Machine Translation Post-Editing involves sending an AI-generated translation to a human translator for further quality assurance and localization. This solution seems to be the best of both humans and AI because the process is more flexible, allowing you to determine the degree of AI involvement vs human review and editing in your translation workflow. It can be as accurate as human translation while still offering some of the cost savings using AI.

Will AI replace translators?

It’s highly unlikely AI will replace human translators any time soon. AI translation tools can’t capture the semantics and complicated nuances of language for an accurate or localized translation. Like every other AI tool out there, you need someone behind the keyboard that understands the languages, context of the material, and the complexities of human emotion.

How accurate is AI translation?

Using AI to translate can have varying levels of accuracy based on several factors, including the language pair, the complexity of the text, and the context. While AI translation has improved significantly with some systems achieving accuracy rates of over 90%, do you really want a public document that reflects your company filled with 10% of errors?

In the next section we break down the particular issues with using AI to translate and how to approach the translation process with AI to produce the least amount of issues possible.

Is AI Translation Good? Understanding the Risks of AI for Language Translation

Translation agencies and translation companies like Interpro stay ahead by employing AI. Despite the advantages, though, using AI for translation comes with its share of risks.

There are five main risks when translating with AI:

Confidentiality of proprietary or sensitive materials. We cover the issues of using public domain tools such as ChatGPT for translation, but other Google Translate, AWS, and Microsoft Azure could potentially expose sensitive information to the public, compromising confidentiality.

Localization. Do you need basic things like currency, dates, measurements, addresses, and phone numbers changed to meet your global audience’s needs? AI may not account for these small adjustments. It certainly won’t account for language and cultural changes that would ensure the message is understood as you intended.

Translation Accuracy. Is the actual translation accurate or are there grammatical and spelling errors? Are the proper words being used, or is AI putting together sentences that don’t make sense? It’s easy to understand that AI might miss cultural nuances, but it makes spelling and grammatical errors just as easy.

Aligning Messaging Across Content. If you’re translating an eLearning course, does the verbiage and tone in module A match the verbiage and tone used in module B? If you’re translating compliance-related topics, do regulatory terms get translated in a way that keeps the intended message and keeps you compliant? Ensuring AI keeps your brand consistent is complicated at best and definitely requires a professional translation company.

Multilingual DTP and Formatting. A major downside to using AI translation is that your team will have to reformat the AI translation output. For a Word document, it’s easier. For InDesign documents or PDF translations, and you’ll want to add a Multilingual DTP step to avoid errors.

Translate with AI: Balancing Costs with Quality

Diving deeper into costs versus quality, it’s essential to recognize that AI, when used in isolation, may compromise the translation’s accuracy and won’t be highly localized. Recognizing this, our company advocates for a blend of AI-driven translation with a crucial step of Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE). This hybrid approach ensures not only speed and cost-efficiency but also accuracy, consistency across content, and adequate localization to cater to the global audience’s needs.

It’s also important to remember that the quality of your translations depends on the quality of your content as well. The more work you and your team put in first to make the initial content good, the better you set yourselves up for success later with AI translation.

How AI Translation Works: The 3 Types of AI Translation Processes

You might be asking “How can we implement AI into our translation process? What are professional translation agencies doing?” Or “Should we make the investment to do AI translation internally?”

The answer: it depends, but we’ll cover the options here.

Interpro has identified three main approaches to the AI translation process:

• a professional translation agency uses an AI translation tool like Phrase + MTPE*
• building a customized translation engine + MTPE*
• your company invests in AI tool and processes to perform the initial translation on your own, but use a professional localization agency for MTPE*

*MTPE = Machine Translation Post-Editing. You’ll note that all these options include a Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE) step. Again, that’s because we really don’t recommend using only AI to complete the translation process alone without a human linguist review.

Option 1: Professional Translation Agency for AI Translation Services

This is the AI Translation process that would be the best fit for most companies. And we aren’t just saying that because we are a translation agency. After consulting with our clients and internal teams this is truly the best option if you are looking for time and cost savings.

In this translation process, you’ll provide the content you want to be translated to the translation agency. They test your content with an AI translation tool and ensure the content is a good “match” based on the language translation ability within the AI tool.  If your content is a good match for translation, Interpro will recommend AI to translate.

Next, the translations will then go into MTPE. This is where they are sent to a human linguist who reviews and edits the translation. Think of editing levels and localization here as a spectrum. Do you just want to ensure the text is grammatically correct? Or do you want localization applied, like dates, currency, and measurements? Refer to the localization comparison chart to help you decide the level of post-editing you’ll require.

Option 2: Building a Customized Translation Engine

This is a rare solution because it requires your company to have expansive translation projects. But your company would be a good candidate for this option if:

• You have lots of content already translated for the translation engine to reference,
• Have other translation tools available like a translation memory, translation glossary, or multilingual style guide,
• Have lots of ongoing translation work, usually in multiple languages,
• Need the messaging to be aligned and consistent across different pieces of content where it’s important for the viewer’s comprehension that verbiage stays consistent. Example: you might have a website that references a technical manual, plus assets like PDFs and PowerPoints for sales to sell your product. It’s important for the viewer’s comprehension that verbiage stays consistent.
• Have time for the translation agency to “train” the custom engine through multiple rounds of translation.

This is where it’s important to confirm that the translation agency has a layered process and partnership approach to translating your content.

This means they should build the custom translation engine using all your translated content but layer the process with a human linguist (or two) to ensure the translation was completed accurately while applying any additional localization and brand standards that AI simply can’t provide.

A word of warning before considering this process: This process requires an upfront cost investment. Just like every other AI model for other services, your custom translation engine would require “training” with the translation process becoming more efficient over time.

Option 3: Your company invests in an AI translation tool and processes to perform the initial translation, but use a professional localization agency to review the AI output for accuracy and localization requirements.

You might be considering this option because you think it will be the best cost saver. However, that would require further analysis from your internal Human Resources team and current translation processes.

If you want total control over your translation project or perhaps already have an internal person managing your translation projects who is familiar with AI translation, this option may make sense.

However, this option may not make financial sense if your company isn’t an enterprise serving the entire globe with a translation team on staff. You may not see the cost savings once you account for the resources to hire and train internal talent + the cost of the tools required + outsourcing the MTPE to a company like Interpro. As we mentioned, the average savings when using AI to translate is about 30% when working with a professional translation team that has experience with editing machine translation output. You may not see this same cost benefit if you perform the translation yourself.

Evolution of Translation Agencies with AI

As AI technology for translation services gets more sophisticated, translation services are rapidly adapting.

“Machine translation has been around for decades” says Beshar Bahjat, Interpro’s Chief Technology Officer. “The recent AI technology revolution has dramatically increased the demand for AI services. In turn, translation technology has continued to evolve and adapt as AI services are advancing at a rapid pace. We leverage AI for select services, identifying the most cost-effective solutions for our clients. Our approach is to understand your company’s translation goals and determine whether AI can meet your needs , a human translation is a better fit or a if a hybrid solution would be your best option. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution in translation; and consulting with a specialized agency like ours will help you choose the optimum solution for your translation needs.”

At Interpro, we are committed to evolving as AI evolves. By staying ahead of the AI technology curve and continually advancing our services, we know we are providing the best translation solutions using the latest cutting edge technology as it becomes available.

Is AI Right for Your Translation Needs?

To evaluate if AI translation is right for your translation needs, consider:

• Language: AI services are highly developed for languages like Spanish, while few resources exist for Maori or Arabic.
• Subject Matter: Technical content or content that doesn’t require high levels of localization to resonate with the viewer, will generally perform best.
• Budget: Does your budget allow for AI translation + human post-editing? If you’re already translating content, the answer is likely yes.
• Service Type: The technology AI video translation is great, but other services are greatly lacking. We’ll dive into the services we recommend in the next section of this article.

Examples of some industries and subject matter that are not the right fit for AI translation services:

Medical document translation services, entail an incredibly high standard of accuracy and would not be a good candidate.

Same for marketing content that usually requires a high level of localization. Choosing a human linguist and certified translation service providers who can offer multilingual desktop publishing are crucial to the translation and localization process.

eLearning translation could be a good fit for technical manuals or standard word documents. However, it depends on the content, message intent, and level of localization required.

Similarly, legal translation services must ensure that documentations such as contracts and legal briefs are managed with precision, discretion, and legal compliance. Risking errors by using AI is not recommended.

The AI Translation Services We Can (Confidently) Recommend

If you’ve determined your language, subject matter, and budget are a good match for AI translation, what kind of services are available to you?

These are the services that we feel AI technology is developed enough to produce good results and cost savings:

• AI Interpreting
• AI Captioning
• AI Voice Over Recording
• AI Translation with Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE)
• AI Document Translation

Such tools can significantly enhance the translation process when paired with efforts to standardize and simplify source materials for better compatibility with AI translation.

Next Steps: Navigating AI Translation Implementation in Your Company

The journey to implementing AI translation into your company involves careful consideration of your goals, the unique characteristics of your content, and the capabilities of AI technology. While AI offers significant time and cost savings, ensuring quality requires a balanced approach and the right partnership with professionals skilled in navigating the intricate landscape.

Ready to explore AI translation for your business?

Here are the steps Interpro recommends:

• Identify the languages and content that would be suitable for AI translation. Remember, it will truly shine with AI Interpreting, AI Captioning, AI Voice-Over Recording, and Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE).
• Consider the level of localization you will need. Interpro’s team can help you decide what should be localized and adjusted after translation.
• Decide what type of documents need 100% accuracy and high localization and what documents have a “good enough” passable threshold.
• Determine your budget, and remember to consider costs for incorporating human review for accuracy.
• Interview translation agencies. We cover how to approach this complete process in our guide to choosing a translation company.
• Ask the translation company candidates if they can guide you on which AI solutions would be best for your specific needs. For example, Interpro offers our potential clients an AI translation consultation. We believe there is no one solution for every client. (Otherwise, you wouldn’t need a translation company!)
• Select a translation agency that prioritizes quality, understands your specific needs, and is willing to protect your confidential information through NDAs or similar agreements.
• Finally, make sure the company asks to see your files for translation before you kick off the work and provides reassurance that AI can do the job.

Choosing the right translation partner is crucial for effectively communicating your brand’s message across different languages and cultures. If you’re looking for custom AI Solutions for your business, you can contact us any time.

AI is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but it’s a powerful enabler that can be tailored to the needs of a diverse content spectrum. By partnering with a knowledgeable translation service that offers online translation services or global translation services, businesses can refine their translation processes for the highest efficiency and accuracy—thus engaging audiences worldwide more effectively.

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