esikääntäminen

Esikääntäminen, often translated as pre-translation or reuse, is a practice in the field of translation where previously translated texts are utilized as a starting point for new translation projects. This approach is particularly common in localization and technical translation, where terminology and phrasing tend to be standardized across multiple documents and projects. The core idea is to leverage existing translation memories (TMs) or databases containing past translations to increase efficiency, ensure consistency, and reduce costs.

When a new document is to be translated, it is first analyzed for segments that match existing entries in the translation memory. These matching segments are then "pre-translated," meaning the existing translation is automatically inserted into the new document. The human translator then reviews these pre-translated segments, making any necessary adjustments to ensure accuracy and context appropriateness. Segments that do not have a match in the TM are translated from scratch.

The benefits of esikääntäminen include significant time savings, particularly for large projects with repetitive content. It also promotes terminological and stylistic consistency across a suite of related documents, which is crucial for brand identity and user comprehension in technical manuals or software interfaces. Furthermore, by reducing the amount of new text that needs to be translated manually, esikääntäminen can lead to cost reductions. However, it requires careful management of translation memories and a thorough review process to avoid propagating errors or outdated information.