Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE)
ISO 18587 certified MTPE services combining AI speed with human expertise. Light and full post-editing available in 150+ languages. Get a free quote today.
You need to translate a high volume of content — quickly, cost-effectively, and without cutting corners on quality. That's a tough combination to pull off with traditional translation alone.
At Ampere Localization, our ISO 18587 certified MTPE service helps businesses, publishers, and organisations process large content volumes at scale — without sacrificing accuracy or readability. Whether you're working with technical documentation, e-learning modules, internal communications, or knowledge base articles, we tailor the post-editing level to your content and your goals.
Machine translation post-editing (MTPE) is built for exactly this challenge: it pairs the raw speed of AI translation with the precision and judgement of a professional human editor, giving you the best of both approaches.
What is Machine Translation Post-Editing?
Machine translation (MT) engines have improved dramatically in recent years. Tools like DeepL and other leading AI translation platforms can produce surprisingly fluent output — especially for common language pairs and straightforward content types. But even the best MT engine makes mistakes. It misreads context, misses idioms, gets terminology wrong, or produces text that's technically correct but awkward to read.
Not every project has the same quality requirements. That's why our service offers two distinct levels of post-editing, each suited to different content types and goals.
That's where post-editing comes in.
Post-editing is the process of reviewing and correcting machine-translated output to bring it up to the required quality standard. A trained post-editor doesn't start from scratch — they work with the MT output as a first draft, fixing errors, improving fluency, and ensuring the content reads naturally in the target language.
The result: faster turnaround times and lower costs than full human translation, with quality levels that meet professional standards. For the right content types, MTPE is not a compromise — it's simply a smarter workflow.
Light Post-Editing vs. Full Post-Editing
Not every project has the same quality requirements. That's why our service offers two distinct levels of post-editing, each suited to different content types and goals.
Light Post-Editing
Light post-editing focuses on making the MT output accurate and comprehensible. Your post-editor corrects outright errors — mistranslations, omissions, factual inaccuracies — and fixes anything that would confuse or mislead the reader. The goal is not to achieve a polished, publication-ready style, but to ensure the content is clear, correct, and fit for purpose.
Light post-editing
is a strong fit for:
- Internal communications and staff-facing content.
- Knowledge base articles and FAQ pages.
- Technical documentation used by specialists.
- High-volume informational content with a short shelf life.
- Content where speed and cost are the priority over stylistic refinement.
Full Post-Editing
Full post-editing goes further. The post-editor refines not just accuracy, but also fluency, tone, and style — bringing the text up to a standard comparable to a professional human translation. Terminology is checked against glossaries, sentence flow is improved, and the final text reads naturally to a native speaker.
Full post-editing
is the right choice for:
- Customer-facing content such as product descriptions, website copy, and support materials.
- Marketing and communications material where brand voice matters.
- Training content and e-learning modules.
- Official or regulatory documentation that requires a high degree of precision.
- Any content where the reader’s experience is a direct reflection of your brand.
Not sure which level suits your project? [Get in touch] and we'll help you decide.
ISO 18587 Certified Quality
When you choose Ampere for MTPE, you're working with a team that meets the ISO 18587 international standard — the globally recognised framework specifically developed for machine translation post-editing. ISO 18587 sets out clear requirements for post-editing competence, process, and quality management.
For you as a client,
this means:
- Your project follows a documented, auditable quality process — not an ad hoc workflow.
- Your post-editors meet defined competency standards for both translation and MT evaluation.
- Quality assurance checks are built into every stage of the workflow.
- You receive a consistent standard of output, regardless of language pair or content type.
In a market where many providers offer "post-editing" with no defined standard or process, ISO 18587 certification is a meaningful differentiator. It means you can trust the output — and verify the process behind it.
When to Choose MTPE (and When Not To)
MTPE is a powerful tool, but it's not always the right tool. Part of working with Ampere is getting honest advice about which approach suits your content.
MTPE works well for:
- High-volume content where turnaround speed is critical.
- Content with repetitive or formulaic language (product specs, technical manuals, data sheets).
- Internal or operational content not intended for a public audience.
- Projects with tighter budgets where full human translation isn’t feasible at scale.
- Content types where established MT engines perform strongly in your language pair.
Full human translation is the better choice for:
- Creative, literary, or highly persuasive content where nuance and tone are everything.
- Legal, medical, or regulated documents where precision is non-negotiable.
- Marketing and brand content in new markets where voice and cultural resonance matter.
- Content involving rare language pairs or highly specialised terminology where MT quality is unreliable.
At Ampere, we'll always recommend the approach that genuinely suits your project — even if that means suggesting full [translations] over MTPE. Our goal is the right outcome for your content, not the easiest sale.
Our MTPE Process
Our workflow is designed to be seamless from your end, while maintaining rigorous quality control throughout.
1. Project assessment.
We evaluate your content type, language pair, volume, and quality requirements to recommend the right post-editing level.
2. MT engine selection.
We select the most appropriate machine translation engine for your content and language combination.
3. Post-editing.
Qualified, experienced post-editors work through the MT output, applying light or full post-editing as agreed.
4. Terminology and consistency checks.
We align the output with any glossaries, style guides, or reference materials you provide.
5. Quality assurance review.
A second reviewer checks the post-edited text for errors, consistency, and compliance with your brief.
6. Delivery.
We deliver in your preferred format, ready for use or publication.
For ongoing projects, we build and refine translation memories and termbase resources over time, which improves MT output quality and reduces post-editing effort — meaning better quality and lower costs as the project matures.
Industries We Serve with MTPE
Our MTPE service supports clients across a wide range of sectors. We regularly work with companies in technology, manufacturing, life sciences, financial services, retail, and more.
- Need technical documentation or user manuals translated at scale? Explore our technical translations service.
- Working with e-learning content that needs to reach global learners quickly? See our e-learning translation services.
- Managing legal or compliance documentation across multiple jurisdictions? Find out about our legal translations.
- Looking for a complete localization solution that includes MTPE as part of a broader workflow? Learn more about localization.
With over 15 years of experience and coverage across 150+ languages, we have the resources and the expertise to handle high-volume multilingual projects of any complexity.
Industries We Serve with MTPE
Ready to process your content faster without compromising on quality? We'd love to hear about your project.
Tell us about your content volume, languages, and timeline, and we'll put together a tailored MTPE proposal for you.
Related services
Prefer a direct conversation?
Schedule a meeting with our team and discuss your project requirements in a short, focused call.
Need a quote?
Tell us about your project and we will get in touch with you.