When to use Machine Translation

One of the biggest differences between TranslationLeague and other translation services is that we have our own human translators who are well-versed in more than 250 languages. For the vast majority of the projects we take on, we advise our clientele to utilize our human translators, but depending on the scope of the project, it may be best to run the translations through a computer program.

Typically, machine translation programs are perfect for translating thousands upon thousands of documents that need to be converted in a timely fashion. But sometimes, it's difficult to gauge which type of translation is best for one particular project.

Weighing the costs of human vs. machine translation

In addition to the services we provide, TranslationLeague is also a machine translation vendor based out of New York. We don't offer just a typical program however. Our software is designed to allow for customization, giving users the ability to target the translated content toward a specific dialect or demographic.

But because the technology behind our translation software is so advanced, the costs associated with it may not be feasible for small-scale translations. In which case, it would actually be much more cost-effective to have one of our expert linguists manually carry out the translation.

Keeping in mind that the expectation of output by a typical human translator should be around 3,000 words per day, first consider whether or not having a person take on your translation project makes sense given the deadline you've set. Secondly, consider that the services of a human translator are oftentimes billed per word, while machine translation software is a one time fee.