How does specialised machine translation ensure precision in industry-specific translations?

Machine translation is an indispensable tool in the fast-paced world of global communication. However, a nuanced and specialised approach becomes imperative where industry-specific translations are required. Specialised machine translation is emerging as the solution, catering to the unique terminologies of various sectors.

In this article, we explore the intricacies of specialised machine translation, shedding light on its significance in achieving sector-specific accuracy.

Understanding Neural Machine Translation (NMT)

Having a thorough understanding of Neural Machine Translation (NMT) is essential if we are to comprehend specialised machine translation. NMT represents a transformative leap in machine translation technology, powered by artificial neural networks inspired by humans.

Unlike traditional approaches, which translate content phrase-by-phrase or word-by-word, NMT excels at understanding context, language style, and intricate industry-specific terminologies. NMT operates by learning patterns and relationships from extensive bilingual data, allowing it to grasp the intricacies of language much like the human mind. This capability makes NMT particularly effective in capturing the contextual subtleties of various sectors, including the legal, medical, and financial domains.

While NMT has revolutionised language services with its ability to provide rapid translations, challenges still exist, especially with regard to the complexity of context, language nuances, and specialised terminology.

What makes a specialised translation specialised?

The crux of specialised translation lies in industry-specific terminology. The legal, medical and financial sectors, and many other sectors besides, all  possess their own unique jargon that demands expert knowledge and understanding of the subject-matter.

Specialised translations require a nuanced understanding of context and accuracy, making engaging translation and post-editing experts in the field imperative. A cookie-cutter translation approach falls short of capturing the intricacies of highly specialised content.

Challenges and limitations of specialised machine translation

While NMT has significantly improved translation efficiency, it encounters challenges in understanding context accurately and handling specialised industry terminology.

Legal translations, for instance, must navigate through country-specific legal systems and terminologies, making one-to-one translation impractical and potentially incorrect

Specialised machine translation involves a meticulous process, including training the machine with sector-specific data. However, it still needs post-editing by a human expert to ensure the highest level of quality and accuracy.

Quality assurance in specialised translations

Quality assurance is paramount in specialised translations, given the critical nature of content, particularly in the legal, medical, and financial sectors.

Language service providers (LSP) implement rigorous methods and best practices to ensure the accuracy and reliability of machine translations.

This includes a thorough post-editing process by human experts, addressing nuances, context, and industry-specific terminologies. The goal is to eliminate errors and guarantee that the final translation meets the highest standards.

Examples of sectors requiring specialised translation

Medical sector

In medical translations, accuracy is paramount, as mistranslations in prescriptions, treatment plans or diagnoses could have severe consequences.

Professional human translators with expertise in medicine navigate the intricacies of medical terminology, ensuring precision and eliminating the margin for error. A specialised approach ensures that the translation aligns seamlessly with the latest medical developments.

Legal sector

Legal translations involve navigating through diverse legal systems and terminologies. Laws and regulations vary between countries, making machine translations susceptible to errors.

A specialised legal translator ensures that the translated content aligns with the specific legal nuances of the target jurisdiction, preventing legal complications and ensuring compliance with local laws.

Financial sector

Data protection is a focal point in financial translations, where confidentiality is paramount. Relying solely on machine translation may compromise sensitive information.

A LSP specialising in finance offers secure solutions, ensuring that financial documents are accurately translated while maintaining the highest level of confidentiality and data security. This approach is crucial for maintaining trust, especially when large sums of money are involved.

The evolution of machine translation

Despite initial scepticism, machine translation (when used correctly( has proven to be a powerful tool. Machines learn from data, and their ability to understand context and specialised texts is improving as technology advances. Using machine translation for industry-specific texts can be effective when coupled with the right LSP, offering a blend of cutting-edge technology and linguistic expertise.

Choose the LSP best suited to your industry-specific needs

Partnering with a LSP that offers advanced and secure machine translation solutions is critical if you need efficient, high-quality, specialised translations.

Combining NMT and expert post-editing ensures accurate and nuanced specialised translations across various sectors.

In a world where efficiency meets high standards, the right LSP for you can bridge cutting-edge technology and precise linguistic expertise.

SwissGlobal Language Services, which is certified to ISO 18587 standard, is a reliable partner in achieving the delicate balance of efficiency and precision in specialised machine translations.