Translation services: MTPE, translation, revision and proofreading
Taia's professional linguists work in four services. Clients meet them as the steps of a quality tier, and linguists choose them for each language pair in their vendor profile. This page explains what each one means at Taia.
| Service | In short | Languages involved | Paid on |
|---|---|---|---|
| MTPE | A translator perfects a machine pre-translation | Source and target | Weighted words of the source |
| Translation (no MT) | A translator translates from scratch | Source and target | Full source word count |
| Revision | A second linguist checks a translation against the source | Source and target | Full source word count |
| Proofreading | A final read of the target text alone | Target only | Full target word count |
MTPE (machine translation post-editing)
What it is. A bilingual translation process in which the meaning and style of the source text are carried into the target language with the help of machine translation (MT) and translation memory (TM).
How it is done. The source text is pre-translated by MT, and translation memory is applied where there is one. The translator then works through the pre-translated text in Taia's editor and perfects it, applying the project's glossary and style guide.
When. Most of our translation projects are MTPE. It is the first step of every quality tier: Essential, Enhanced and Ultimate.
The goal. A high-quality translation that reads as though a native speaker wrote it. MTPE is full translation work, not a light check of the machine output.
Not generic machine translation
If you have post-edited raw output from a generic engine, you know it can take longer than translating yourself. Taia's pre-translation is made for the client and the document in front of you:
- The whole document as context. The AI translates large batches of segments together, never sentence by sentence, so it sees the surrounding text and the translation holds together across the document.
- The client's glossary. Approved terms are given to the AI, so terminology is right from the first draft.
- Translation memory as input. The client's earlier approved translations guide the AI, so it follows wording the client has already signed off, beyond filling in exact matches.
- The client's style guide, where the project has one: tone, formality and conventions such as dates and decimals.
- Automated checks in the editor. As you type, the editor underlines misspellings and highlights glossary terms missing from your translation. When you save, it checks formatting tags and length limits.
The draft you receive is a strong starting point. Your job is to make it read as though a native speaker wrote it, not to rescue it.
Translation (no MT)
What it is. A bilingual translation process in which the meaning and style of the source text are carried into the target language, without machine translation.
How it is done. No MT is applied, and the work is often done outside a translation tool, without translation memory.
When. Rarely. We mainly work with MTPE, and translation without MT is ordered only occasionally.
The goal. The same as MTPE: a high-quality translation that reads as though a native speaker wrote it.
Revision
What it is. A bilingual process in which a reviser checks the translation of another linguist: a detailed examination of the translated text, compared with the source text.
How it is done. The reviser compares the translation with the original, usually in Taia's editor, or by comparing the two files when the translation was done outside a translation tool.
When. After the translation step is complete, when the client has ordered revision. Revision is the second step of the Enhanced and Ultimate tiers.
The goal. To verify that the meaning was carried over correctly in translation or MTPE, to improve the quality of the translation, and to remove any remaining mistakes and inconsistencies.
Proofreading
What it is. A monolingual process in which a proofreader reads and corrects the final text, without comparing it with the source.
How it is done. The proofreader works in Taia's editor or on the files, depending on the project. When proofreading a Word file, use tracked changes so every correction is visible.
When. As the final step of a translation, which is the third step of the Ultimate tier, or as a review of an original text that was never translated.
The goal. To improve the quality of the text: no remaining mistakes, no inconsistencies, and a final text that flows naturally.
How linguists are paid for each service
Linguists set a rate per word for each service in their vendor profile. The rate is applied to a different word count depending on the service:
- MTPE is paid on weighted words: repetitions within the text are not paid in full, because the translation memory fills them in.
- Translation (no MT) and revision are paid on the full word count of the source text.
- Proofreading is paid on the full word count of the target text, because the proofreader reads only the translation.
Words are counted as described in How Taia counts words.
Glossary
- MT: machine translation
- MTPE: machine translation post-editing
- TM: translation memory
- Translation tool (CAT tool): computer-assisted translation software, such as Taia's editor