Which Is Important: AI or Human Translations?

AI and human translations are equally important in translations. However, depending on the complexity and the scale of work, one might supersede the other. Also, there are instances where both are essential for accurate results.

Translations are important for both individuals and businesses. For individuals migrating to a different country, translating the important documents is essential for visa approval and other official purposes. Similarly, businesses planning to expand to new are need to translate and localize their offerings to be relevant in the new market.

In this blog, we will take you through the key differences between AI and human translations, how they work together, and which is best for what.

The Key Differences between AI and Human Translations: An Overview

Before looking at how they work together and when to choose which, let’s understand the key differences between them:

Aspect	AI Translation	Human Translation
Accuracy	70-85% struggle with idioms and context	95-100% handles nuances and legal terms
Speed/Cost	Instant, low prices per word	Takes days and higher costs
Best for	High-volume, time-sensitive drafts	Certified, marketing, compliance

The translation services mostly use a combination of both to ensure speed and accuracy of the translations. Moving on, let’s understand the importance of each in translations, starting with human translations.

When Is Human Translation Essential? Understanding Human Translations

Human translations play a crucial role in various aspects. In case of high-case, nuanced content like legal documents, medical records, marketing/creative materials, and technical texts, where accuracy, cultural context, emotional tone, and brand voice are essential, human translations are important. Here’s where human translations are essential:

• High-Stakes Content – Legal documents, such as driving licence translation, medical records, contracts, or technical manuals, where a minor error can lead to severe consequences.
• Cultural and Emotional Nuance – Marketing, literature, or creative content needs cultural sensitivity, tone, and emotional impact. Human translators are essential to ensure the translations are done accurately.
• Rare Languages – Rare languages are not easy for AI to translate. This is one of the aspects where human translations come out as a better option than AI. Humans’ understanding and knowledge of various languages make translations accurate for rare languages.
• Confidentiality – Professional human translation services ensure more secure data handling compared to AI. The secure handling of sensitive data makes human translators better in this aspect.

The next section will take you through the ways AI is important in translations.

Where Is AI Translation Better? Understanding AI in Translations

AI is bringing forward a lot of transformations in every field. Its fast disposal of work and instant answers to questions have made things easy for many. So, when do you use AI for translations? Let’s take you through the aspects:

• High Volume/Low Stakes – AI plays a pivotal role in translating large volumes of content quickly. These include user interfaces, internal docs, or product descriptions.
• First Drafts – Artificial Intelligence can be very useful to generate rapid initial translations that a human can edit. This is the best way to deal with bulk content that needs quick translations with accuracy.
• Cost-Effectiveness – Using AI for translations is comparatively cheaper compared to basic needs.

The importance of AI cannot be denied. However, there are areas where human translators are essential to ensure the accuracy of translations. Now that you know the importance of each in translations, let’s take you through the ways they are combined to ensure quick and accurate results.

The Combined Workforce: AI and Human Translations

AI and humans can work together to make translations quick and accurate. While some of you feel that AI can be of no help when it comes to understanding context and nuances, combining it with human translators can get the job done.

In fact, research shows AI’s efficiency with human expertise can help create a scalable model that boosts UK translation services by 30-40% without compromising on quality. However, you might not want to use AI for a driving license translation or any other document translation. The reason here is that while AI can translate a document, it will not be able to meet the requirements set by DVLA or other authorities.

So, how do AI and human translators work together? Let’s understand that:

• Step 1: AI Pre-Translation – Neural MT generates 80% accurate first passes for routine content like websites or emails.
• Step 2: Human Post-Editing (MTPE) – Experts fix nuances, idioms, and legal terms, achieving 98% final accuracy.
• Step 3: Quality Assurance – Humans validate for tone, compliance, and client specifications. This is a standard in 70% of UK translation agencies.

There are several UK firms that have reported a good revenue growth from MTPE. It is a good way to combat risks related to e-commerce localisation and certified services. AI does the hard work of translating in bulk, and the human translators help add nuances and cultural contexts.

That brings us to the end of the discussion. The solution to quick and accurate translation lies in combining both AI and human translators. It is impossible to say one is better than the other since they are dependent on each other.

That being said, it is equally important to understand that not all translation service providers are good enough at translating documents, service offerings, and other things. You must check if the service provider has the necessary tools and certified translators to help you with your project. Further, you must check if the service provider has the knowledge and experience to handle different projects.

Endnote:

The combined strengths of AI and human translators is the future. While there are quite a few differences and aspects where one supersedes the other, it is essential to understand how both together can solve a bigger problem.

The MTPE approach combines speed and precision, thus making translations easier for all. However, you need to ensure that you find the right translation service provider to get accurate results. Go through the various websites, their reviews, and proof of experience before you trust anyone with your projects. Understand what you need and who is the best to fulfil your requirements before making a decision.