Machine translation has come a long way from its first clunky attempts to today’s seamless integration into business workflows. What began in the 1950s as a pioneering technological experiment has evolved into an indispensable tool for international businesses. Yet, its real power lies not in replacing human expertise, but in complementing it, especially when combined with professional post-editing. For exporting industries and businesses targeting new markets, machine translation with post-editing offers speed, accuracy and cost efficiency without sacrificing quality.
The beginnings: from rules to systems
The first experiments in machine translation date back to 1954, when IBM and Georgetown University translated a handful of Russian sentences into English. It was a proof of concept that inspired great enthusiasm. However, the reality of building accurate systems proved to be far more complicated. By the 1970s and 1980s, rule-based machine translation systems, such as SYSTRAN, became widely used, particularly in Europe, where multilingual communication was essential. These systems were reliable for repetitive, technical texts but lacked fluency and flexibility.
The 1990s brought statistical machine translation, which analysed large bilingual data sets to generate translations. This method was more natural than rule-based approaches, and its development laid the foundation for tools like Google Translate, launched in 2006.
The breakthrough: neural machine translation
The 2010s marked a turning point with the arrival of neural machine translation (NMT). Using artificial neural networks, NMT processes entire sentences in context, producing translations that sound smoother and more accurate than ever before. Services like DeepL quickly gained recognition for delivering high-quality output, particularly for European languages.
Today, NMT is at the heart of most machine translation solutions, enhanced by artificial intelligence and transformer models capable of handling more complex linguistic challenges.
Why machines alone are not enough
Despite remarkable progress, machine translation is not infallible. Nuance, tone, and industry-specific terminology often escape the grasp of algorithms. Free online tools, in particular, pose risks – not only in terms of quality but also data security, as uploaded texts can be reused for training purposes. This is why professional language service providers rely on secure, licensed platforms and combine machine translation with human expertise.
This hybrid approach is called machine translation with post-editing (MTPE). A machine produces the draft, and a native-speaking translator with subject expertise refines it to meet professional standards. This process is faster than traditional translation while still ensuring accuracy, cultural relevance and stylistic consistency.
Post-editing: efficiency with precision
Post-editing has become a cornerstone of modern translation workflows, and for good reason:
- Speed and cost benefits: Machines handle the first draft, saving valuable time. Post-editors then focus on corrections, terminology and tone.
- Industry-specific accuracy: Whether it’s technical manuals, legal contracts, or financial reports, post-editors ensure that specialist terminology is applied correctly.
- ISO-certified quality: At SemioticTransfer, post-editing is performed according to ISO 18587, the international standard for MTPE. A qualified translator reviews every text to guarantee consistency and reliability.
- Confidentiality: With ISO 27001-certified data security, sensitive documents are processed securely, without risk of exposure through public machine translation engines.
A tool for Swiss business exports
For export businesses, time-to-market is critical. Websites, product information, user manuals, contracts and marketing material often need to be available in multiple languages at short notice. Machine translation with post-editing enables the efficient handling of large volumes while maintaining the high-quality standards required in regulated industries.
Consider a manufacturer expanding into Asia. Technical specifications must be translated into multiple local languages to comply with regulations and support distributors. MTPE accelerates this process, while human oversight ensures that safety instructions or compliance details are never lost in translation.
The same applies in finance, legal services, and e-commerce, where reaching international clients depends on precise, culturally adapted communication. MTPE provides the scalability to address new markets without compromising credibility.
From everyday use to business strategy: why choose a Swiss translation agency
In daily life, millions of people rely on machine translation for instant communication. In a business context, however, the stakes are higher. A mistranslation in a contract or instruction manual can have costly consequences. That is why successful businesses treat machine translation as part of a wider content strategy – one that combines technology, human expertise and robust processes.
SemioticTransfer helps you do exactly that. By integrating machine translation with professional post-editing, terminology management and strict confidentiality, we create translation solutions tailored to your industry and your goals.
Contact us today for all your machine translation needs.