Machine Translation and Human Review for Business Websites
By George Nicolaou
Translation needs to preserve what the page means, not simply replace each word. A navigation label, product specification or contractual statement can become misleading when translated without context.
Use tools for the right stage
Machine translation can provide a draft or help you understand a source. It does not remove the need to review important public content. Match the level of review to the consequences of an error.
Review in context
Ask a fluent reviewer to check terminology, tone, names, prices and any legal or safety information. Let them see the rendered page so they can identify text that fits linguistically but fails in the interface.
Test the website too
Check menus, form errors, email notifications and links. Longer text may change line breaks or button sizes; right-to-left languages need their own layout checks. Keep a glossary and a record of updates so one language does not become an outdated copy of another.
A language switcher is only the beginning. The customer’s complete journey should remain understandable in the language you offer.
0 Comments