Human Translation Services in the Age of AI

GTS only sells human translation services. No AI or machine translation (like Google Translate) is used in our workflow. When you order a translation project from GTS, rest assured that you will get a top quality result. We use a stringent quality process which is certified as compliant with the ISO 17100:2015 standard.

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Human Translation vs AI Translation

Human translation services remain the preferred choice for content where accuracy, accountability, and subject-matter expertise are essential. Unlike AI or machine translation, professional human translation involves linguistic judgment, contextual understanding, and domain-specific knowledge that automated systems cannot reliably replicate. This is particularly important for legal, medical, financial, and technical documents, where errors can carry legal, regulatory, or safety risks.

When Is Human Translation Required?

Human translation is required whenever translated content must be accurate, defensible, and suitable for official or professional use. Common examples include certified translations, legal contracts, court filings, medical records, regulatory submissions, financial documents, and patient- or consumer-facing materials. In these cases, professional human translators ensure linguistic accuracy, terminological consistency, and appropriate tone for the target audience.

Quality Assurance in Human Translation

Professional human translation services follow defined quality assurance processes, including qualified translators, subject-matter expertise, and independent review. This ensures consistent, reliable translation quality across projects and languages.

Translation Service Service Levels

When ordering professional translation services, keep in mind that translation companies offer various service levels. The highest service level is a professional human translation process, where the entire workflow is handled by professional translators (such as the process we use at GTS). A good professional human translator has excellent knowledge of both the source and target languages. Good human translators are also trained in a specific industry and have a suitable academic background for the task at hand. Translation is not only matching words  between languages: it requires a good understanding of the subject matter so that the translation can be written in an understandable language which is at the appropriate reading level for the target audience.

There are companies that offer a second service level: an integrated software and human translation process. The initial translation is done by software (also referred to as machine translation or MT) and the result is post-edited by professional translators. This type of workflow can yield good quality, however it is usually not as high as a pure human process. An integrated workflow is usually less expensive than a pure human process. Translations can also be delivered faster with this type of workflow.

A lower service quality is a totally automated solution, using machine translation. Companies that offer this kind of service customize an MT engine for the customer’s use. They do this by training a translation server on a very specific subject matter. Custom translation engines can yield much higher quality than untrained translation servers (like Google Translate). The advantage of this process is that it can be cheaper than human translation if the volumes of work are very large (at least several hundred thousand words). But the training process is very complex and needs to be done by experts with training in computational linguistics and computer science. Additionally, the quality of such a solution tends to be much lower than professional human translation.

Note: Using a free  machine translation solution (like Google or Microsoft Translator) is not recommended for any mission critical translation projects. The translation quality of the free applications tends to be inconsistent and often poor. Use of free applications is only recommended for gisting, when you want an idea of what the foreign text is saying.

Professional Human Translators Worldwide

Our human translation services are delivered by a global network of professional translators working in their native languages. These translators are carefully vetted, certified, and selected based on subject-matter expertise, ensuring consistent quality across more than 100 language combinations. When you need quality you can rely on-order translation services from GTS.

Human Translation Services – FAQ

Is human translation better than AI translation?
For mission-critical, professional, or regulated content, human translation consistently delivers higher quality and reliability than AI translation.

Do human translation services use machine translation?
Pure human translation services rely exclusively on professional translators and do not use machine translation or automated output.

When should I choose human translation instead of MTPE?
Human translation is recommended when accuracy, liability, or audience comprehension are more important than speed or cost.