AI-generated translations: why they don't actually save time (or money)

A telling analogy: the DIY haircut

Picture this: you book an appointment at the hairdresser, but before going, you decide to cut your own hair... thinking it will save your hairdresser some time. Sounds absurd, doesn't it?

And yet, this is the perfect example of what many translation professionals experience when they are handed a translation generated by a public artificial intelligence (AI) tool, under the assumption that they just need to “polish it up”.

The illusion of saving time and money

Behind this reflex lies a common misconception:

“It's not perfect, but it's a good starting point. And it will cost me less!”

In reality, quite the opposite is true. Because in 100% of cases, the quality of translations generated by tools that are accessible to the general public is insufficient to serve as a reliable starting point for professional revision. These texts often need to be completely redone, or even started from scratch.

AI is not the problem. Its proper use is.

Let's make this clear: AI is not the enemy. In fact, it's a fantastic tool, which is profoundly transforming our profession. At AbroadLink, we have been integrating artificial intelligence into our processes for many years now. Coupled with our CAT (computer-assisted translation) tools, it allows us to produce high-quality content, tailored to the specific needs of each project.

Read: our article on CAT tools

The difference? Professional technology

What sets a professional translation agency apart from free AI generators is the power of the models used and the working environment in which they are integrated. Our tools allow us to:

• Leverage the latest generation of linguistic AI models
• Train these models according to specific fields or projects
• Incorporate glossaries, translation memories, style guidelines, etc.

The result? The translation quality produced by our professional tools is incomparable to that of public AI tools.

Why your AI translations waste our time

When a client sends us a text that has been pre-translated with AI, our first task is to assess whether this content is usable. Most of the time, it isn't. We then have to ask for the source text, to start the work from scratch using our own tools.

In other words, not only do these automatic translations not help us, but they often delay the overall process.

The good news: when used correctly, AI can optimise costs

When correctly integrated into our production flow, artificial intelligence allows us to offer significant savings on the final cost. On average:

• The generation of the automated translation by us accounts for 20 to 30% of the total project cost.
• The rest covers human revision, or “editing”: a crucial step that involves comparing the source text and the translated version, checking grammar, spelling, style, accuracy, and consistency.

Ultimately, a project combining AI translation + human revision costs on average 30% less than a 100 % human translation.

Read: our article on AI translation rates

Conclusion: to save time and quality, send us the source text.

The lesson is simple: if you really want to optimise your budget and delivery times, entrust us directly with the text to be translated. We will make the most of it by combining the power of the best AI tools on the market with the human expertise of our native translators.

Because in translation as in hairdressing: it's best to let the professionals do their job, from start to finish.