January 30, 2025 / by Margarita Núñez Estimated read time: 4 minutes
Understanding the different ways you can get your content translated using the latest translation tools and technologies, will help you create a more accurate localization budget.
As companies expand globally, continuous localization becomes essential to maintain engagement and relevance in diverse markets. A well-planned localization budget allows businesses to deliver consistent, high-quality translated content to their audiences without overspending.
Below is a summary of translation methods that can assist you in creating a successful localization budget.
1. Human Translation
Human translation provides the highest quality, making it ideal for marketing content, important customer-facing information, or anything requiring cultural nuance. Although more costly, it’s a crucial investment for markets where authenticity and precision are paramount.
Pro Tip: Figure out how many words, the number of projects, or the amount of languages approximately will need human translation in a year. Then, allocate a portion of your entire translation budget for this type of translation method.
2. Machine Translation and Post-Editing
Machine translation (MT) is fast and affordable but can lack accuracy. However, combining MT with human post-editing (PE) is a cost-effective solution for content that requires speed with quality. This translation method could suit internal documents, product descriptions, or FAQs. This method is less expensive than pure human translation but delivers accuracy when reviewed by a professional translator. This hybrid approach is a great middle-ground for frequently updated content, especially if a translation memory is generated, so translated and reviewed content can be reused.
3. Artificial Intelligence Translation with Human Review
AI-generated translation models, often more sophisticated than standard MT, learn from large datasets to produce high-quality output. However, human review remains essential to catch subtle errors and adapt language to cultural context. This method works well for technical content or customer support material and helps streamline budgets without sacrificing quality.
4. AI-Generated Content
AI generation (such as using AI to create entire content in a language rather than translate it) can dramatically reduce localization costs. It requires a quick review to ensure cultural relevance and alignment with your company's brand voice. This method is still emerging but can be useful for lower-stakes content like social media or blog posts.
Budget
Now that you know the different translation methods, you should be able to start building your localization budget more accurately for continuous localization.
What you need to know to create a localization budget:
- Volume of words: Talk to product managers to learn if there are new products/ big updates
- Number of languages: Check if new countries are being targeted and what language(s) are spoken. Also don't forget to check if some languages are being dropped
- Make a list of the types of content for localization (marketing, product, FAQ, Blog, etc.)
- Choose a translation method for each type of content, depending on turn-around, complexity, etc.
- Calculate how much each different method will cost
- Discuss your translation cost with your team to get budget approval from stakeholders
Contact us to get a cost-effective, scalable, and quality-driven translation method to suit your company's international expansion goals.
Here is another related blog article on machine translation and human post-editing.
