Would you choose a freshly prepared tiramisu from a chef, a decent dessert from the café or a cheap option in plastic packaging? The choice depends on budget, quality requirements and the time available – and the same applies when translating technical documentation. Here, too, you have three options: human translation, machine translation (MT) with post-editing (MTPE) or pure MT. While the cost savings are tempting, they also bring risks.

Almost regardless of the economic situation, making savings on translations is a topic that comes up time and again. The translation industry is under cost pressure because companies want to minimise their costs associated with multilingualism. Many make do with machine translation or enter new territory using large language models, ignoring quality in the process. You do not always have to use new technologies to save money. We show you the potential savings that can be achieved with translation memories, a well-established translation tool, how their use can be supported effectively and why high value should be placed on the language data they generate.