From Raw Machine Translation to Polished Content: Understanding ISO 18587 Advantages

In today’s fast-paced global landscape, businesses are increasingly turning to machine translation to bridge communication gaps and reach wider audiences. However, the challenge lies in ensuring the quality of these machine translations. Raw machine translation output often falls short of the mark, requiring skilled intervention to transform it into polished, accurate, and culturally appropriate content.

Introduction

Challenges in Achieving Quality in Machine Translations

The quality of the MT output can vary greatly, depending on factors like the complexity of the source text, the language pair, and the capabilities of the machine translation engine. Often, raw MT output suffers from inaccuracies, unnatural phrasing, and a lack of cultural nuance, which can be mitigated through human post-editing. These translation errors can lead to misunderstandings, damage brand reputation, and ultimately undermine the effectiveness of communication in traditional translation processes. Understanding machine translation’s limitations is crucial to avoid these pitfalls.

The Rise of Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE)

To address the quality gap in raw MT, machine translation post-editing (MTPE) has emerged as a crucial step in the translation process. MTPE involves a linguist, or post-editor, reviewing and refining the machine translated content to ensure accuracy, fluency, and appropriateness for the target audience. The process ranges from light post-editing to full post-editing, depending on the desired level of quality and the intended use of the translated content, offering a balance between speed and accuracy compared to traditional human translation.

Thesis Statement: ISO 18587 as a Quality Assurance Solution

ISO 18587 provides a framework for translation and post-editing of machine translation output, addressing the need for standardization in MTPE. This standard offers a solution to ensure the delivery of high-quality translated content. By adhering to ISO 18587, organizations can confidently transform raw MT into polished translation that meets the specific requirements of each translation project. This standard professionalizes MTPE, ensuring consistent and reliable results in MT post-editing services for various content types.
 

ISO 18587 Overview

Definition of ISO 18587:2017 Standard

ISO 18587:2017 is an international standard that provides requirements for the process of machine translation post-editing, offering a structured approach to refining machine translation output. It defines the competencies required of post-editors and outlines the necessary processes to ensure high-quality translated content. This standard specifies best practices for machine translation with human oversight, ensuring that the final product meets the required quality levels for multilingual content. The post-editing machine workflow is optimized by applying the standard’s guidelines.

Core Purpose of the Standard

The core purpose of ISO 18587 is to establish a framework for ensuring quality in machine translation post-editing (MTPE) through effective human post-editing practices and professional translators. This standard aims to bridge the gap between raw machine translation output and polished translation, providing requirements for translators to achieve high-quality, linguistically accurate, and contextually appropriate content. The post editing guidelines support businesses in maintaining brand consistency and clarity across multiple languages, reducing the likelihood of translation errors that could negatively impact their global presence. The standard ensures the efficacy of post-editing of machine translation.

Key Stakeholders in MTPE Workflows

ISO 18587 impacts various key stakeholders involved in machine translation post-editing workflows. These stakeholders are detailed in the table below. Furthermore, this standard impacts translation project managers responsible for overseeing machine translation post-editing (MTPE) projects and ensuring adherence to quality requirements. Through common best practices for machine translation (MT), ISO 18587 creates accountability for each of these parties.

Advantages of ISO 18587 Certification

Standardized Post-Editor Competency Requirements

ISO 18587 emphasizes the need for standardized competency requirements for post-editors, ensuring they possess the necessary skills and qualifications to deliver high-quality translation. This advantage ensures that all post-editors involved in machine translation post-editing (MTPE) projects meet a defined standard of expertise. This standardization is critical for maintaining consistency and reliability in the post-editing process.

Qualified Linguist Requirements

The standard requires that post-editors possess qualifications as qualified linguists. This includes a strong educational background in translation, linguistics, or a related field, ensuring a deep understanding of language principles. A qualified linguist will also have proven expertise in the subject matter of the translation project, guaranteeing accurate and contextually appropriate translation services.

Skill Verification Process

Skill verification is a crucial aspect of ISO 18587 certification, ensuring that post-editors have demonstrated proficiency in machine translation post-editing (MTPE). This process involves assessing their ability to correct machine translation errors, adapt content for the target language, and maintain linguistic accuracy. Through skill verification, ISO 18587 ensures that only competent and qualified post-editors are entrusted with translation projects.

Consistent Quality Across Projects

By establishing standardized competency requirements and skill verification processes, ISO 18587 promotes consistent quality across all machine translation post-editing (MTPE) projects. This consistency ensures that clients can expect a uniform level of quality. Using translation memories can provide assurance regardless of the complexity or subject matter of the content that is being translated, providing a competitive edge for localization.

Defined Quality Assurance Processes

ISO 18587 defines quality assurance processes, ensuring a systematic approach to machine translation post-editing (MTPE) and high-quality translated content. This structured approach involves implementing specific quality checks and review stages throughout the post-editing workflow. The goal is to identify and correct errors, improve linguistic accuracy, and ensure that the final translation meets the required quality standards and provides high-quality results.

Systematic QA Methodology

A systematic quality assurance methodology lies at the heart of ISO 18587, ensuring that every machine translation post-editing (MTPE) project adheres to a rigorous process. This methodology includes defined review stages where human post-editing editors meticulously check the translation for accuracy, fluency, and compliance with style guides, ensuring a high level of post-editing. This also checks and corrects potential translation errors and makes necessary adjustments to the raw MT output to enhance quality.

Error Categorization and Review Stages

ISO 18587 emphasizes the importance of categorizing translation errors to identify common issues and improve the machine translation post-editing (MTPE) process. Defined review stages are incorporated into the translation workflows, with post-editors carefully assessing the machine translation output at various points. These steps help to address translation errors, enhance linguistic accuracy, and ensure the overall quality of the translation project.

Predictable Outcomes for Clients

The defined quality assurance processes within ISO 18587 provide clients with predictable outcomes for their machine translation post-editing (MTPE) projects and the level of post-editing required. This is because the systematic approach ensures that all translation services consistently meet the required quality standards. This reduces the risk of errors and rework, providing clients with confidence in the reliability and accuracy of the translated content, while controlling cost of machine translation.

Clear Client-Vendor Communication Framework

ISO 18587 establishes a clear communication framework between clients and language service providers (LSPs), ensuring effective collaboration throughout the machine translation post-editing (MTPE) process. This framework involves establishing project specifications, style guides, and terminology management protocols to enhance the quality of multilingual content. Clear communication promotes shared understanding and minimizes misunderstandings to reduce the number of translation errors, ultimately leading to better translation and localization services.

Project Specifications and Style Guides

Clear project specifications and style guides are essential components of the client-vendor communication framework defined by ISO 18587 to ensure effective translation and localization. These documents outline the specific requirements of the translation project, including the target audience, tone, and style. They provide guidance to post-editors and ensure that the translated content aligns with the client’s brand voice and messaging for polished translation.

Expectation Alignment and Glossary Management

Aligning expectations between clients and language service providers (LSPs) is critical for the success of any machine translation post-editing (MTPE) project. ISO 18587 promotes this alignment through clear communication and collaboration. Glossary management is another important aspect, ensuring that terminology is consistently used throughout the translation, enhancing accuracy and clarity and contributing to the high-quality and polished translation.

Reduced Revision Cycles

By fostering clear client-vendor communication and expectation alignment, ISO 18587 helps to reduce revision cycles in machine translation post-editing (MTPE) projects. When clients and language service providers (LSPs) are on the same page from the outset regarding understanding machine translation, there is less room for misunderstandings and errors. This reduces the need for multiple rounds of revisions, saving time and resources and contributing to a more cost-effective and efficient workflow.

Technology and Tool Requirements

ISO 18587 outlines specific technology and tool requirements for machine translation post-editing (MTPE) delivery. These requirements ensure that language service providers (LSPs) have the necessary infrastructure and resources to effectively manage and execute MTPE projects. By standardizing technology and tool usage, ISO 18587 contributes to efficiency, accuracy, and consistency in the post-editing machine workflow.

Infrastructure Standards for MTPE Delivery

Infrastructure standards are crucial for ensuring the smooth and efficient delivery of machine translation post-editing (MTPE) services. ISO 18587 specifies the technical infrastructure required for MTPE, including secure servers, reliable internet connections, and appropriate software and hardware. These standards ensure that language service providers (LSPs) can handle large volumes of data and meet tight deadlines, while maintaining quality and productivity.

Integration with CAT Tools and TM Leverage

Integration with computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools and translation memories (TM) is essential for maximizing efficiency and consistency in machine translation post-editing (MTPE). ISO 18587 emphasizes the importance of leveraging neural machine translation technologies to streamline the translation process and reduce manual effort. CAT tools provide features such as terminology management, translation memory, and quality assurance checks, while translation memories store previously translated segments for reuse.

Efficiency at Scale

By standardizing technology and tool requirements and promoting the use of CAT tools and translation memories (TM), ISO 18587 enables efficiency at scale for machine translation post-editing (MTPE) projects. Language service providers (LSPs) can handle large volumes of content more quickly and cost-effectively. This makes MTPE a viable option for businesses that need to translate large amounts of content into multiple languages, and ensuring that a machine translation engine is used efficiently.

Risk Management and Confidentiality Protocols

ISO 18587 mandates robust risk management and confidentiality protocols for machine translation post-editing (MTPE) projects, ensuring data security and client confidentiality. These protocols protect sensitive information, mitigate potential risks, and maintain the integrity of the translation process. Risk management and confidentiality are paramount in today’s global landscape, where data breaches and intellectual property theft are significant concerns.

Data Security Measures

Stringent data security measures are a cornerstone of ISO 18587, safeguarding client data throughout the machine translation post-editing (MTPE) process. These measures include secure file transfer protocols, data encryption, and access controls. Language service providers (LSPs) must also implement policies to prevent unauthorized access, use, or disclosure of client data, ensuring compliance with data privacy regulations and best practices for machine translation.

Quality Risk Assessment Procedures

ISO 18587 requires language service providers (LSPs) to conduct quality risk assessments to identify and mitigate potential risks that could impact the quality of the translated content. These assessments evaluate factors such as the complexity of the source text, the availability of qualified human translators, and the potential for machine translation errors. By proactively addressing these risks, LSPs can minimize the likelihood of quality issues and ensure client satisfaction.

Protection of Intellectual Property

Protecting client intellectual property is a top priority in machine translation post-editing (MTPE). ISO 18587 mandates that language service providers (LSPs) implement measures to prevent unauthorized use or disclosure of client confidential information. These measures include confidentiality agreements with post-editors, secure data storage, and restrictions on data sharing. Protection ensures that client’s valuable assets are safeguarded throughout the translation process.

Continuous Improvement Mechanisms

ISO 18587 promotes continuous improvement through feedback integration, performance metrics, and post-editor training. These mechanisms enable language service providers (LSPs) to refine their processes, enhance the skills of their post-editors, and deliver increasingly high-quality translations. By embracing a culture of continuous improvement, LSPs can stay ahead of the curve and meet the evolving needs of their clients.

Integration of Feedback into Processes

Feedback is essential for continuous improvement in machine translation post-editing (MTPE). ISO 18587 requires language service providers (LSPs) to establish mechanisms for collecting and integrating feedback from clients, post-editors, and other stakeholders. This feedback is used to identify areas for improvement, refine processes, and enhance the quality of translations, leading to more accurate and contextually appropriate translated content types.

Performance Metrics and Post-Editor Training

ISO 18587 emphasizes the importance of tracking performance metrics and providing ongoing training for post-editors. Performance metrics provide insights into the efficiency and effectiveness of the machine translation post-editing (MTPE) process, while training ensures that post-editors stay up-to-date on the latest technologies, best practices, and client requirements. Together, these initiatives drive continuous improvement and enhance the quality of translations.

Evolving Quality and Efficiency Over Time

Through continuous improvement mechanisms such as feedback integration, performance metrics, and post-editor training, ISO 18587 enables language service providers (LSPs) to achieve evolving quality and efficiency over time. By constantly refining their processes, enhancing the skills of their post-editors, and leveraging the latest technologies, LSPs can deliver increasingly high-quality machine translation post-editing (MTPE) translation services more quickly and cost-effectively. This ensures that clients receive the best possible value for their translation investment.
 

Conclusion

Bridging the Gap Between Raw MT and Polished Content

ISO 18587 effectively bridges the gap between raw machine translation output and high-quality, polished content by providing a clear and standardized framework for machine translation post-editing (MTPE). The ISO 18587 standard ensures that machine translations produced by mt engines are not merely literal conversions but linguistically accurate and contextually appropriate communications. This enables businesses to confidently use machine translation (MT) to reach global audiences, while maintaining brand consistency and clarity, and also reducing translation errors through effective translation workflows.

The Role of ISO 18587 in Professionalizing MTPE

The ISO 18587 standard plays a pivotal role in professionalizing MTPE by establishing clear competency requirements for post-editors and standardizing quality assurance processes for machine translation post-editing services. It ensures that linguists and post-editors involved in translation projects possess the necessary skills and expertise to refine machine translation (MT) accurately and effectively. This promotes consistency, reliability, and efficiency in machine translation (MT) workflows and ensures the final translated content meets the required quality standards.

Encouraging Evaluation of ISO 18587-Certified Providers

Ultimately, it’s crucial for organizations to evaluate and choose ISO 18587-certified translation services and language service providers (LSPs) to ensure the highest quality for their global content. By partnering with certified providers, businesses can rest assured that their machine translation (MT) projects adhere to industry best practices for translation quality. This is thanks to the post-editing of machine translation outputs and the use of translation technologies and processes to ensure accurate and effective communication across all languages and cultures.