How To Best Utilize Machine Translation Post-Editing For Your Traveling Platform

Does Machine Translation Post-Editing benefit the international expansion of Traveling Platforms? The answer to this is rather complex. Since Machine Translation Solutions are slowly but surely growing more sophisticated, most industries out there want to take advantage of this method that promises speedy and cheap results.

That being said, the fact that these methods are on the market doesnâ€™t mean they would produce beneficial results for every area of your Traveling Platforms. In this blog, we would like to expand on where Machine Translation and especially Machine Translation Post-Editing, fit into your business model. How should you use them? Where should you apply them and where not? And how can you use your own business intelligence to commit to smart Translation Solutions and make your Traveling Platform speak to a global audience?

Secure Consistent Translations With Linguistic Tools

Machine Translation is in full swing, with technological innovations working towards a more natural-sounding output. But while MT can certainly help streamline your translation solutions and reduce costs and TAT, you still need a solid Translation Strategy to take advantage of these benefits with certain content types, while also acknowledging its shortcomings in other areas. To aid in obtaining the best possible quality output, take the following into account:

Create a style guide, featuring preferences for content formatting such as writing tone, style, punctuation, spelling, and linguistic preferences.
Implement a glossary with key terms and instructions on how to manage them.
Make use of a Translation Memory (TM) so that quality and speed can improve over time.
Select the right MT-Engine to be integrated into your Translation CAT-Tool to fit for the language pairs you are working with.

Pro Tip: Check out this blog post to learn more on Which Machine Translation Engine Works Best For Your Content?

Use MTPE To Help Build Trust And Manage Scalability

The benefit of using Machine Translation for Traveling Platforms is that you can build a connection with your clients through immediate user engagement in their native language, and can help streamline your workflow through:

Internal multilingual communications
Data collection
Online Assistance
Chats with international clients translated in real-time and e-mail support
Lead generation (translating client e-mails and Social Media interactions to understand market demands)

But, exactly when will you need the Post-Editing Process? Post-Editing refers to the method of adding a human level of Quality Assurance to the Machine Translation, for which only translators with specific training can qualify. We would honestly recommend that when you choose to apply Machine Translation, you also apply Post-Editing. Exceptions can be made in case of the above-mentioned situations, but when it comes to handling the bulk of product-related descriptions, speed should really be matched by quality if you want to maintain credibility with your audience.

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For example, letâ€™s look at Booking.com. With over 660,000 hotels and around 2.5 million properties in general, this market leader has a lot of content to manage. Combining both Statistical and Neural Machine Translation Engines, Booking uses MTPE for its property descriptions, room descriptions, and property names in 43 languages, allowing the translators to keep on eye on tweaking their content to benefit specific locales, while raw MT is applied only to instant messaging and client reviews.

Want to learn more about how to execute the Post-Editing Process? Read all about the MTPE best practices and the benefits of Post-Editing!

Transcreation: Making Travel Personal

So, while MT and MTPE can help play on the marketâ€™s need for speedy interactions and help manage huge amounts of content, Transcreation is the Translation Solution to commit to if you want to take your content to the next level. Think of Transcreation as â€œTranslation Plusâ€, where a quality translation meets a creative adaptation to suit your target locale. You can connect to your clients more deeply, build a loyal user base, and develop a reputation as a brand that truly understands its audience.

By way of illustration, letâ€™s ask ourselves the following question. How should a countryside Airbnb market itself internationally? To answer this, we should:

Determine what every specific locale values in terms of information and imagery.
Ask ourselves if there are any cultural and linguistic references that could prove effective or perhaps even offensive.
Keep a keen eye on shifting travel trends and play on them.

According to a study by Expedia Media Solutions 1, travel trends can vary greatly according to both timing and cultural context, shaping alternate traveling needs. For example, if we have a look at the German, French and British markets, the study shows that 62% of German travelers favor a relaxing holiday, while 53% of Brits and 46% of French tourists, attribute greater value to sightseeing. Additionally, French travelers were revealed more likely to require family time (35%).

So, the German content could highlight the therapeutic effect of the natural surroundings along with HQ images exploiting that asset. The content geared towards the British and French markets would still display the splendor of the countryside, of course, but a list of interesting attractions should catch the eye more quickly. For the French audience specifically, the added ability to enjoy attractions as a family could prove beneficial, all perfectly fitted within linguistically and culturally sculpted content.

When Is Machine Translation Appropriate For Traveling Platforms?

While MTPE is gaining traction fast, it is always key to keep the User Experience Expectations in mind when planning your Content Strategy.

Machine-aided translations will benefit you greatly with some types of content while it will fall short with others. For example, remember that these days, travel is becoming part of a lifestyle choice rather than just a quick getaway. Instead of companies, individuals (such as Instagram Influencers) are determining how we travel and where to. Social Media has opened the doors to everyday people applying their own kind of marketing strategies which has moved the power from businesses to the average person we can relate to.

You may not be an Influencer, but you can use some of their traits and successes to your benefit. And this is where Transcreation becomes absolutely indispensable. Because when it comes to content such as newsletters, travel guides, web pages, blogs, or any kind of marketing, people need more than the comfort of reading in their own language. They need to relate before they buy.

Conclusion

The travel industry is reinventing itself and Travel Platforms need to make sure to adapt so this evolution can become a strength. The most effective strategy you can adopt is one that uses suitable services for each specific content type and can be easily altered according to time-sensitive demands, trends, and linguistic and cultural preferences.

At Laoret, we offer high-end Transcreation Solutions provided by native, in-country translators, marketing specialists, and localization experts highly experienced within the Travel Sector. Our MTPE Services come with Post-Editors trained in providing the most cost-effective, high-quality translations within the shortest time-frame. While we also specialize in MT-Engine integration and training, we can offer Localization consultations and training for those looking to expand their own knowledge and expertise regarding Top Translation Solutions.