Skip to content

 

Human translation without AI

Human Translation

No AI in the file. The people who sign it are the people who wrote it.

 

We offer two fully human workflows. Quality can be assured through different workflows depending on the content, purpose and level of risk. While additional quality steps can be added when required, we generally recommend two core approaches:

  • Human Translation (HumanExpert)
    Translation by a qualified professional translator, including the translator’s own quality checks.

  • Human Translation + Independent Review + Final QA (HumanExpert Pro)
    Translation by a qualified professional translator, followed by an independent review by a second qualified linguist, and a final quality assurance check. This workflow follows the translation and revision steps of ISO 17100:2015.
    Where independent revision is on by default
    • Contracts, arbitration files, regulatory submissions
    • Safety-critical technical documentation
    • Medical and pharmaceutical content for regulatory use
    • Certified and sworn translation
    • Any content where an error becomes a legal, safety or reputational cost


▮How Human Translation Works

1. Briefing and asset preparation
Your glossaries, style guides and existing translation memories are loaded before the first segment. If you have none, we build them from your reference material and hand them back to you.
 
2. Translation by a subject specialist
Assigned by working history in your field, not by availability. Our records cover 484 specialists with completed projects since 2009, across 6,135 recorded projects.
 
3. Translator's own check and automated QA
The translator checks the full text against the source. Tags, numbers, units, terminology adherence, omissions and formatting are checked by tool pass.
 
4. Independent revision and final QA (HumanExpert Pro)
A second specialist revises against the source and can reject and return the work. A project manager then releases the file: revision comments resolved, instructions followed, delivery complete. This is the two-person structure ISO 17100:2015 requires. The same revision step is available in our AI-assisted workflow.
 
5. Delivery and asset return
Delivered in your working format. Updated TM and glossary returned with every project, so the second project costs less than the first.
 
Other checks exist and we use them where the content calls for it: in-country review, proofreading after DTP, client terminology sign-off. These two configurations cover most of what we deliver as human translation. Where your content can go through an AI service, the same structure runs as AI-assisted translation (SmartEdit and SmartEdit Pro) at a lower rate, and we will tell you which of your files belong there. If your content needs more than either covers, it is on the quote by name.
 
▮What "No AI" Means in Practice
This applies to both levels. We say it precisely, because procurement teams ask precisely:
  • No machine translation engine is applied to the source file
  • No LLM API is connected in the CAT environment for this workflow
  • Your files, translation memories and glossaries stay on our EU servers
  • Nothing is submitted to a third-party AI provider for training or processing
  • Every linguist works under a signed confidentiality agreement
If you want AI drafting for part of your content to reduce cost, we will tell you which parts are suitable and quote it as AI-assisted translation (SmartEdit) instead. We will not apply it quietly inside a human workflow.

What we quote most

  Steps HumanExpert HumanExpert Pro
  Briefing and asset preparation ● ●
  Translation by a subject specialist ● ●
  Translator's own check ● ●
  Automated QA ● ●
  Independent revision, second specialist ●
  Final QA before release ●
  Domain review on request on request
  Proofreading before publication on request on request
  Translation and revision steps of ISO 17100:2015 ●


▮Questions We Hear Before Every Project
 
What is the difference between HumanExpert and HumanExpert Pro? The second specialist. In HumanExpert, one translator translates and checks their own work against the source. In HumanExpert Pro, a second specialist with domain experience in your field revises the translation independently and can reject and return it. Both are fully human. Neither uses AI.
 
Why is revision not included every time? Because it is a real cost and it is not always the right one. On a 40,000 word internal maintenance manual that will never leave your engineering team, a second full pass is money spent on risk that is not there. On a 4,000 word supply agreement it is the cheapest insurance you will buy that quarter. We tell you which one your file looks like, and you decide.
 
Does HumanExpert Pro follow ISO 17100? Yes. It follows the process steps of ISO 17100:2015: a qualified translator, revision by a second person, defined competence records and asset management. Human translation without revision does not meet the standard, and we do not describe it that way.
 
When should I choose human translation instead of AI-assisted? When the file cannot go to a third-party AI service at all. That is the question this page answers. Quality is a separate decision, and it is the one between HumanExpert and HumanExpert Pro.
 
Do you provide certified or sworn translation? Yes. Sworn translator declaration and signature, with notary certification and apostille where required. All sworn work runs as HumanExpert Pro with independent revision, and this is not optional.
 
How do you select the specialist for my project? By record, not by profile. Our vendor database holds working history rather than self-declared CVs: which domains a linguist has actually delivered in, how their terminology handling was assessed, and how they performed on deadline. We have been building this since 2002 and we remove people from it.
 
Can you work in our CAT or TMS environment? Yes. We work natively in memoQ and Trados and can adapt to your environment. Your existing TM and glossary are applied from the first segment, and CAT match discounts are applied as standard.