Post-editing of machine translation: applied and theoretical research perspectives

Abstract

The article, based on reference documentation, professional standards, and translation studies research, examines the applied and theoretical-methodological aspects of studying post-editing in machine translation. The requirements of professional standards for a specialist’s readiness for this type of activity are analyzed, and the key competences of a translator-post-editor are identified. Particular attention is given to the types of post-editing and their functional characteristics. The article highlights the problematic situation in the scholarly research of machine translation post-editing. It states that despite the large array of data accumulated by applied translation studies, there is a clear lack of theoretical and methodological substantiation of the universal principles of machine translation post-editing, as well as an absence of general theoretical models of its quality. The author discusses the need to consider the process and outcome of post-editing from a descriptive-normative perspective in translation studies and proposes a descriptive-normative framework for conceptualizing a full post-editing of machine translation. This framework reveals the essence of four interrelated aspects of a post-editor’s activity in relation to the translation norms implemented and the actions taken to ensure the appropriate quality of the edited text. In conclusion, prospects for further research are outlined, including the use of cognitive methods in translation analysis of post-editing of machine translation.

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