Get your source text ready for translation
Our source text analysis and pre-editing services give you faster, easier, better translations. Got large, multi-language documents? Using AI or machine translation to translate them? We’ve got you covered.
Create better translations from the start
Source text analysis identifies where your document is difficult to translate. Pre-editing fixes these problems before translation begins. Now you can publish or submit your translation and your source text with confidence.
Identify source text problems
Source text analysis identifies ambiguous sentences, double meanings or inconsistent terms. This shows you exactly where your source text is ready for translation, and where it needs to change.
Get better translations, faster
Pre-editing eliminates errors to give you the best possible human or machine translation. With fewer queries and edits to handle, you can keep your regulatory submission or product launch on track.
Why add source text analysis or pre-editing to your translation process?
Because the better the source, the better the translation.
If you’ve a problem in your source text, you’ll have it in your translation, too. This isn’t such a big deal if you want to translate a 1-page press release into a single language. But think of the time it takes to fix problems in a 100-page technical document. And now imagine this document is being translated into 25 languages. It’s not a minor problem you have now. It’s a major headache.
Ensure your translation comes out right with source text analysis and pre-editing.
The biggest names in healthcare come to us for our translation knowledge
The medical translation people
Eliminate translation problems before they happen. We’ve been medical translators for nearly 30 years. We know (almost) everything there is to know about this profession.
Niche knowledge
Ensure your readers get the translation they need. How do we know what your reader needs? Because we’ve translated for them hundreds of times.
Tried-and-tested quality
Generate better translations, faster. Tap into our proprietary knowledge of medical translation to pre-tune your source text for optimal translation output.
Your needs, first
Technology is changing fast. But MediLingua remains a constant. It doesn’t matter what text you have, who you’re writing for or how you intend to translate it. We adapt to you.
Get better translations from the start.
FAQs
I’m not sure whether I need source text analysis or pre-editing?
It depends on how comfortable you feel about editing your text.
During source text analysis, we identify issues with your source text that will interfere with human or machine translation. You can then use this analysis to prepare your text for translation.
During pre-editing, we eliminate issues from your source text so that they don’t interfere with translation. In other words, we take the hassle out of editing your source text by doing it directly for you.
If you have more questions, just ask our project managers.
Are source text analysis and pre-editing standalone services?
Yes, they are both available as standalone services. But you can also use them together or as part of the full MediLingua treatment. For more about our full multi-step quality control process, check out our quality page.
How long does source text analysis or pre-editing take?
It depends on the length and complexity of your document. For example, when we do a source text analysis, it takes us about 1 hour to analyse 5 pages of text. But please note that this is an approximate figure.
For an estimate on timelines, ask one of our project managers.
Should I always use source text analysis and pre-editing?
Source text analysis and pre-editing are always useful. That’s why we developed these processes in the first place. But they are most useful for big documents and multi-language translation projects. An example would be regulatory documents for a marketing authorisation application. Another would be instructional documents for a multi-country launch of a medical device.
But remember, we are MediLingua. We pride ourselves on being honest. If source text analysis and pre-editing are not critical for your project, we won’t suggest them.
Difference between pre-editing and post-editing
Pre-editing comes before translation. It’s when we prepare a text to make it as easy to translate as possible.
Post-editing comes after machine translation. This is when a human translator revises a machine translation against a source text to check for errors of meaning, consistency or formatting. (And to make sure the machine translation software hasn’t done anything crazy!)
Would you like more information about post-editing? It’s all on this page.
Is pre-editing only for AI or machine translation?
Definitely not. Pre-editing machine translation is a common request from clients. But pre-editing is also useful before a human translation. The difference lies in the problem it solves.
A human translator uses research and experience to solve problems with your source text. But this slows the translator down. Pre-editing solves these problems so the human translator can work faster and more accurately. It also means you have less queries to answer during and after delivery.
Machine translation software and AI regurgitate the errors in your source text into the translation. Pre-editing stops this from happening. You have fewer edits to make after translation. And you’ve less risk of a translation mistake that causes you delays or damages your reputation.
If you pre-edit my machine translation, will it be as good as a human translation?
The truth is that nothing beats a human translation. A human translation may take longer. It may cost more. But the quality is always better – often far better.
But we do believe that one size does not fit all. If your source text is amenable to AI or machine translation, we can prepare it to give you the best possible translation output.