The Impact of Machine Translation Post-Editing on Translation Project Management in Spain: A Study of MTPE Implementation in Project Managers’ Workflow
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/hjlcb.vi65.150616Keywords:
translation project management, machine translation post-editing, machine translation post-editing integration, translation industry trends, project manager, quality insuranceAbstract
The globalization of markets, coupled with digital convergence and the rapid expansion of the translation sector over the last two decades, has significantly transformed the professional translation market. Once an artisanal profession, translation has evolved into a structured industrial sector, shaped by technological advancements and the integration of machine translation post-editing (MTPE). Although MTPE is now widespread in the translation industry, its impact on translation project management (TPM) remains largely understudied—especially in terms of how project managers incorporate this service into their workflows. This study investigates how MTPE affects project managers’ practices in Spain, where research on TPM processes is limited. Through an online survey of 61 project managers, the study examined their experience with MTPE integration, focusing on service implementation, quality assurance (QA) procedures, and perceived workload changes. The findings provide insights into how project managers navigate these changes and contribute to redefining professional practices within the translation sector. Consequently, even as MTPE becomes a standard service within TPM, there is still a clear need for standardized QA procedures and specialized project manager training to manage MTPE projects effectively.
References
Asociación Nacional de Empresas de Traducción e Interpretación (ANETI). (21 January 2022). ¿Cuántas empresas de traducción existen en España? https://aneti.es/cuantas-empresas-de-traduccion-existen-en-espana/
Arevalillo Doval, J. J. (2004). A propósito de la norma europea de calidad para los servicios de traducción. In L. González & P. Hernúñez (Coords.), Las palabras del traductor (pp. 89-100). ESLEtRA.
Bento, S., Pereira, L., Gonçalves, R., Dias, Á., & Lopes da Costa, R. (2022). Artificial intelligence in project management: systematic literature review. International Journal of Technology Intelligence and Planning, 13(2), 143-163. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJTIP.2022.126841
Borges, A. F. S., J. B. Laurindo, F., M. Spínola, M., F. Gonçalves, R. & A. Mattos, C. (2021). The strategic use of artifi-cial intelligence in the digital era: Systematic literature review and future research directions. International Journal of In-formation Management, 57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102225
Castilho, S., Moorkens, J., Gaspari, F. Sennrich, R., Sosoni, V., Georgakopoulou, P., Lohar, P., Way, A., Miceli-Barone, A. & Gialama, M. (2017). A Comparative Quality Evaluation of PBSMT and NMT using Professional Translators. Proceedings of Machine Translation Summit XVI: Research Track, 116-131.
Díaz-Millón, M. & Gutiérrez-Artacho, J. (2020). Nuevos perfiles profesionales en traducción: Competencias necesarias para la transcreación. In S. Martínez Martínez (Ed.), Nuevas tendencias en Traducción e Interpretación. Enseñar, aprender e investigar en la Revolución Digital, (pp. 115–130). Comares.
Dorst, A. G., Valdez, S. & Jongste, D. (2023). Professional translators’ and project managers’ perceptions of machine translation and post-editing: a survey study. Proceedings of the New Trends in Translation and Technology Conference – Nett 2022, 50-59. https://handle.net/1887/3590063
Drugan, J. (2013). Quality in Professional Translation: Assessment and Improvement. Bloomsbury.
Dunne, K. J. (2012). The industrialization of translation: Causes, consequences and challenges. Translation Spaces, 1(1), 143-168. https://doi.org/10.1075/ts.1.07dun
Dunne, K. & Dunne, E. (Eds.). (2011). Translation and Localization Project Management: The Art of the Possible. John Benjamins.
ELIS. (2023). European Language Industry Survey 2023. Trends, expectations and concerns of the European language industry. In ELIS Repository (https://elis-survey.org/repository/). https://elis-survey.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ELIS-2023-report.pdf
ELIS. (2024). European Language Industry Survey 2024. Trends, expectations and concerns of the European language industry. In ELIS Repository (https://elis-survey.org/repository/). https://elis-survey.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ELIS-2024-Report.pdf
ELIS. (2025). European Language Industry Survey 2025. Trends, expectations and concerns of the European language industry. In ELIS Repository (https://elis-survey.org/repository/). https://elis-survey.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ELIS-2025_Report.pdf
Esselink, B. (2020). Multinational Language Service Provider as User. In M. O’Hagan (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Translation and Technology, (pp. 109-126). Routledge.
Foedisch, M. (2017). Managing Translation Projects: Practices and Quality in Production Networks [Thesis, University of Manchester]. https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/managing-translation-projects-practices-and-quality-in-production
Fuentes-Pérez, I. (2023). Translation Project Management: Duties, Competences and Training. What is the scenario like in Spain? L10N Journal, 2(2), 36–61. https://l10njournal.net/index.php/home/article/view/14/29
Fuentes-Pérez, I. & Cano Fernández, C. (2025). La industria de la Traducción y la Interpretación más allá de la Traducción y la Interpretación: las nuevas profesiones emergentes y el impacto de la tecnología en el bienestar de los nuevos perfiles profesionales. Sendebar, 36, 209–234. https://doi.org/10.30827/sendebar.v36.32396
Fuentes-Pérez, I. & Plaza-Lara, C. (in press). Assessing the impact of artificial intelligence on translation project manage-ment competences. An exploratory study. In A. Schmidhofer, A. Petrova & B. Prandi (Eds.) (in press), The influence of new technologies on translator and interpreter education. Peter Lang.
Grotjahn, R. (1987). On the Methodological Basis of Introspective Methods. In C. Faersch & G. Kasper (Eds.), Introspec-tion in second language research, (pp. 54-81). Multilingual Matters.
Guerberof Arenas, A. & Moorkens, J. (2019). Machine translation and post-editing training as part of a master’s pro-gramme. Jostrans The Journal of Specialized Translation, (31), 217-238. https://www.jostrans.org/issue31/art_guerberof.php
Hashfi, M. I. & Raharjo, T. (2023). Exploring the Challenges and Impacts of Artificial Intelligence Implementation in Pro-ject Management: A Systematic Literature Review. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applica-tions, 14(9), 366–376. https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:263728771
Hernández Sampieri, R., Fernández Collado, C., & Baptista Lucio, P. (2014). Metodología de la investigación (6th Edition). McGraw-Hill España.
ISO. (2017). ISO 18587:2017: Translation services—Post-editing of machine translation output. https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/en/#iso:std:iso:18587:ed-1:v1:en
Jáñez, M. (2020). La figura del gestor de proyectos en la agencia de traducción: entrevista a Joan Corrons i Figa. AETI. http://aetioficial.es/es/la-figura-del-gestor-de-proyectos-en-la-agencia-de-traduccion-entrevista-a-joan-corrons-i-figa/
Matcha Abombo, J. E. (2015). La gestión de proyectos (project management) y su implementación en los estudios de Traducción e Interpretación [Doctoral dissertation, Universidad de Alcalá]. http://hdl.handle.net/10017/22713
Mellinger, C. & Hanson, T. (2016). Quantitative Research Methods in Translation and Interpreting Studies. Routledge.
Nevmerzhytski, I., Karpenko, V. & Povoroznyuk, R. (2021). Translation support model of the Ukrainian Armed Forces under the ongoing hybrid Russian warfare. Sciendo, 27, 95-101. https://doi.org/10.2478/kbo-2021-0015
Plaza-Lara, C. (2018). Las competencias del gestor de proyectos de traducción: Análisis de un corpus de anuncios de traba-jo. Meta, 63(2), 510-531. https://doi.org/10.7202/1055150ar
Plaza-Lara, C. (2020a). Competencias en traducción del gestor de proyectos: análisis desde la perspectiva de los traductores. Sendebar, 31, 133-157. https://doi.org/10.30827/sendebar.v31i0.11301
Plaza-Lara, C. (2020b). How does machine translation and post-editing affect project management? An interdisciplinary approach. Hikma, 19(2), 163-182. https://doi.org/10.21071/hikma.v19i2.12516
Plaza-Lara, C. (2023). La gestión de proyectos de traducción automática: análisis del flujo de trabajo. In C. Rico Pérez & M. M. Sánchez Ramos (Eds.), Traducción automática en contextos especializados (pp. 163-181). Peter Lang.
Quijano Peña, P. (2022). La gestión de proyectos de traducción: una tarea pendiente en los planes de estudio del Grado en Traducción e Interpretación en España. Hikma, 21(2), 287–319. https://doi.org/10.21071/hikma.v21i2.14327
Rico Pérez, C. (2021). Fundamentos teórico-prácticos para el ejercicio de la traducción. Editorial Comares.
Rico Pérez, C. & García Aragón, Á. (2016). Análisis del sector de la traducción en España (2014-2015). Universidad Europea.
Risku, H., Rossmanith, N., Reichelt, A. & Zenk, L. (2013). Translation in the Network Economy: A follow-up Study. In C. Way, S. Vandepitte, R. Meylaerts & M. Bartłomiejczyk (Eds.), Tracks and Treks in Translation Studies (pp. 29-48). John Benjamins.
Rodríguez Castro, M. (2013). The Project Manager and Virtual Translation Teams. Critical Factors. Translation Spaces, 2, 37-62. https://doi.org/10.1075/ts.2.03rod
Rothwell, A. & Svoboda, T. (2017). Tracking translator training in tools and technologies: findings of the EMT survey 2017. The Journal of Specialised Translation, 32, 26-60. https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa48012
Sharma, G. (2017). Pros and Cons of Different Sampling Techniques. International Journal of Applied Research, 3(7), 749-752. https://www.allresearchjournal.com/archives/2017/vol3issue7/PartK/3-7-69-542.pdf
Taboada, I., Daneshpajouh, A., Toledo, N. & de Vass, T. (2023). Artificial Intelligence Enabled Project Management: A Systematic Literature Review. Applied Sciences, 13(8), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13085014
Tirry, R. (8-10 November 2023). The Translation Industry and Profession – Past, Present and the Future [Conference session]. Translating Europe Forum 2023, Brussels, Belgium. https://2023tef.b2match.io/
Torres-Hostench, O., Presas, M. & Cid-Leal, P. (Coords.) (2016). El uso de traducción automática y posedición en las empresas de servicios lingüísticos españolas: Informe de investigación ProjecTA 2015. Bellaterra. https://ddd.uab.cat/record/148361
UNE, Asociación Española de Normalización. (2015). UNE-EN ISO 17100:2015. Translation Services – Requirements for translation services (ISO 17100:2015). UNE Normalización Española.
Vasconcellos, M., & León, M. (1985). Spanam and Engspan: Machine Translation at the Pan American Health Organiza-tion. Computational Linguistics, 11(2-3):122–136. https://aclanthology.org/J85-2003/
Vihonen-Peuranen, I. (23 October 2024). ELIS Study: Market Situation in Europe [Conference session]. Situación de mer-cado en España y Europa, y futuro de la profesión, Madrid, Spain.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Irene Fuentes-Pérez, María del Mar Sánchez-Ramos
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
a. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
b. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
c. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
