Post-editing: which approach suits your translation?

Translating a text with the help of AI is now faster and more accessible than ever. But a translation straight from the machine is rarely perfect. This is where post-editing plays a crucial role. Post-editing involves a human expert checking and improving the text after a machine translation. Depending on your needs, you can choose from three levels: light, medium and full.

In this blog, I explain what each level entails, when to choose which level, and how Mave ensures your translation always meets your expectations.

Why is post-editing necessary?

Machine translations have many advantages: they are fast, consistent, and affordable. Yet, a machine translation often remains a rough draft. The text may be grammatically correct, but it sometimes lacks nuance, context, or a personal touch.

Post-editing ensures that your translation is not only understandable but also professional and suitable for your target audience. Depending on the content and purpose of your text, you can choose different final checks.

Light post-editing: It’s all good.

With light post-editing, it’s about the essentials. This level is ideal if you need a quick and error-free text without the importance of style or tone.

What is checked?

• Spelling and grammar.
• Punctuation and word breaks
• Layout, identical to the source text

Light post-editing is perfect for internal documents, simple reports, or texts where a quick turnaround is more important than detail. It ensures that the translation is functional and readable, without in-depth content revisions.

Medium post-editing: Mave steps up a gear

Do you want just that little bit extra? Then medium post-editing is the right choice. Here, the text is checked not only for linguistic accuracy but also for content and terminology.

What do you get with it?

• Verify subject-specific terminology
• Correct any missing or additional information
• Adjust inappropriate content
• Ensure content consistency with the source text

This level is ideal for documents such as manuals, marketing materials, or customer-focused communications. The result? A text that is not only error-free but also accurate in content and professionally presented.

Full post-editing: Outstanding

When only the very best will suffice, choose full post-editing. At this level, the text is refined, reworked, and tailored to the target audience down to the last detail.

What does full post-editing add?

• Restructuring unclear sentences
• Adapting the style to the target audience
• Final quality check by an extra pair of eyes

Full post-editing is perfect for high-profile documents such as legal texts, publications, or important marketing campaigns. It is an investment, but the result is a text indistinguishable from a human translation.

How do you choose the right level?

The choice between light, medium, or full post-editing depends on the following questions:

• How important is the quality of the text?
• Who is the target audience?
• Is the content simple or complex?

For a simple internal memo, light post-editing is often sufficient. For a manual or marketing text, you would choose medium post-editing, and for a publication with your name attached, you go for full post-editing.

Post-editing is indispensable to get the most out of machine translations. Choose the level that suits your needs, and let Mave do the work. Together, we ensure top-quality translations. Get in touch today!