“Free” machine translations feel like the perfect gift, right? Just paste some text, click a button, and the content gets translated instantly. No quotations, no waiting, and no coordination with a translation agency. However, this efficient, modern, and cost-effective tool can become expensive in the long run. Behind the speed and convenience of machine translation sit hidden costs that can lead to irreparable damage to your business. But there is a solution that involves both the speed of machines and the oversight of humans. This solution is MTPE services, also known as machine translation post-editing services.
In this blog, we will deeply explore what risks machine translation brings and why combining technology with human expertise is the smartest translation solution today.
Why Is There a Debate Between Machine Translation and Human Translation?
Machine translation processes patterns, probabilities, and data to provide desired results instantaneously. Human translations, on the other hand, process the meaning and then change the language accordingly.
Although this difference might not seem very big, it has some serious implications.
Machine or AI translations often struggle to translate:
- True context and intent of the document.
- Cultural elements of the target region.
- Required tone and emotional weight.
- Complex, industry-specific terminology.
Some studies even claim that the most advanced AI tools lag behind human translation when it comes to handling complex, sensitive documents that need legal integrity.
Do you want to explore more about where human translations trump machines? Check out our related blog: Human Translations: Expertise When AI Can’t Get It Right.
Why Do Machine Translations Struggle in Some Content?
Machine translations are perfect when used for simple, repetitive, and low-risk content. However, it does struggle with some content due to the following reasons:
- Idioms, cultural references, and expressions do not translate directly into different languages.
- False friends, or faux amis, are words that look similar in different languages but have different meanings. AI tools often face difficulties in identifying them. For example, embarazada in Spanish means pregnant, while embarrassed in English means ashamed.
- Complex technical, legal, and medical terms that need consistency and high accuracy during translations.
- Some marketing content needs to replicate the brand voice in translations.
Relying on automation while translating any of the above text increases the cost of machine translation over time. However, MTPE services go a step further by assigning native human linguists who can look at the content and make the necessary changes.
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Where Does Machine Translation Become Dangerous?
Some content simply cannot afford the risks of using machine translations.
This includes:
- Legal contracts, certificates, and compliance reports.
- Medical reports, healthcare communications, and clinical research documents.
- Financial and accounting records, trade deals, and MOUs.
- Marketing snippets.
A single mistranslation in these documents can cause heavy damage, which could lead to legal troubles.
Side Note: Automation Also Fails Multilingual SEO
Multilingual SEO is another domain where machine translations fail. As search patterns and the behavior of consumers change, so do the regional keywords. A keyword that has high search volume in one region won’t necessarily have the same result in another region. AI translations often miss optimizing these keywords while translating. As a result, the translated content won’t rank as high as expected, despite accurate translations.
Hence, business translation needs a proper strategy, like MTPE services, and not just speed.
So, When to Use Machine Translations?
Machine translations are not all bad. When used wisely, they can be used efficiently.
It works well for:
- Quick drafts
- Corporate emails and memos for multilingual workforce High-volume, low-stakes content
Interestingly, around 30% of translation providers already use AI tools as part of their process. The key is what comes next: human review and quality checks.
Hidden Costs of Machine Translations Explained
Today, due to the risks associated with AI translations, machine translation post-editing has become a useful and effective solution in the language industry. Some of these risks or “costs” of solely using machine translations are:
- Hidden Cost 1: Damage to Brand Image
Awkward phrases, unnatural and unclear sentences, or culturally inappropriate messages can damage a brand’s reputation in a region. And this damage further turns into loss of trust. - Hidden Cost 2: Revenue and Conversion Drop
Poorly translated content can also make a customer walk away. Research suggests that companies lose a huge chunk of their revenue when their content does not emotionally connect with the customers. - Hidden Cost 3: Legal and Compliance Risks
In foreign markets, translated content needs to comply with regional laws and regulations. Mistranslation can lead to fines and lawsuits. This is a domain where machine translations’ “close enough” is not good enough, making professional translation services with human linguists essential. - Hidden Cost 4: Cultural Missteps
The language of a region also reflects the culture. A phrase that sounds appropriate in English may feel offensive in a different language. Machine translations, however, cannot identify these subtle changes, while humans can. - Hidden Cost 5: Cost of Rework
Did you know that the cost of fixing poor translations is often more than the initial translation itself? Teams end up spending hours rewriting, clarifying, and correcting content that should have been accurate in the first place.
Best Practices: The MTPE Model
The smartest organizations don’t choose between humans and machines; they combine them to provide MTPE services.
MTPE services use the speed and scale of machine translations, followed by expert human linguists who refine and localize the content.
The result:
- Faster Turnaround
- Controlled Costs
- Consistent Quality
- Cultural and Contextual Accuracy
Choosing the right translation partner matters as much as the right method. Somya Translators helps global businesses with expert MTPE services, where we review machine-translated drafts using native linguists.
We believe that clarity, accuracy, and trust matter more for a business when it communicates with foreign customers.
Are you someone looking to translate content with speed and efficiency?
Feel free to reach out to us!
Call: +91-9990094796
Email: info@somyatrans.com