AI + Human review
AI + Human review means a professional linguist checks and corrects a translation that was first drafted by AI. It is the service also known as machine translation post-editing (MTPE). On ProZ.com profiles and in the directory it is shown as AI + Human review (MT post-editing).
How AI and the linguist work together
- Brief. The client describes the purpose of the text, the audience and the quality needed, and shares any glossary, style guide or earlier translations.
- AI draft. A machine translation or AI system produces a first draft. The linguist chooses or agrees the tool with the client and only uses tools the client has allowed for their content.
- Human review. A professional linguist compares the draft with the source sentence by sentence and corrects meaning, omissions, terminology, numbers, tone and style. Anything the AI got wrong is fixed by a person who knows both languages and the subject.
- Quality check. The linguist checks consistency, formatting, names and figures across the whole text, and flags anything that needs the client's decision.
- Feedback into the next job. Corrections go back into the glossary, translation memory and instructions, so the next AI draft starts better and each round needs less fixing. The client's feedback goes into the same loop.
The AI makes the work faster. The linguist makes it correct and is responsible for the final text.
Two levels of review
- Light review: the meaning is correct and nothing is missing, but the style may still read like a machine. Good for internal documents, support content and getting the gist quickly.
- Full review: the result reads as if a professional translated it from scratch. Good for anything published or sent to customers.
Agree the level before work starts; it changes the time needed and the price. The international standard for this work is ISO 18587 (post-editing of machine translation output).
For clients
- When it fits: large volumes, repetitive or technical content, tight deadlines and tighter budgets.
- When to choose full human translation instead: legal, medical and safety texts where every word carries risk, and marketing or creative copy, where transcreation usually works better.
- Confidentiality: tell the linguist whether your content may be processed by AI tools, and which ones. Ask how your data is handled.
- Finding linguists: on any directory language pair page, choose "Show only translators who offer AI + Human review", or post a job and say which level of review you need.
For linguists
- Offer it on your profile: add "MT post-editing" to your services and to each language pair you review, from Services & offerings in your profile updater. It then shows as AI + Human review on your profile, and clients filtering the directory can find you.
- Quote for the effort: look at a sample of the AI output before quoting. Poor drafts can take as long as translating from scratch; agree a per-word or hourly rate that reflects that.
- Keep the loop going: send your corrections, terminology and notes back to the client, so the next job starts from a better draft.
- Protect the client's content: use only the AI tools the client has approved, and never paste confidential text into public tools without permission.
Questions
Is AI + Human review a new service? No. It is the same MT post-editing service, shown under the name clients search for. Nothing changes in your profile data. For anything else, please contact support.
