Yes, I often hear professional translators preaching that translation software should never be used.

From a small business perspective this does not reflect reality. All reasonably competent businessmen know they need native language content to get more sales. And if they don’t, they learn this quickly.

It would be refreshing to hear a professional translator give guidelines on how small businesses should use translation software if they cannot afford their professional services. I’m sure the small business owner would also turn to this same person for “human” translations when they had the budget to do so.

Don’t forget, there are ways to use the software tools to make sure that your translation is reasonably accurate. For example, translating from the original language to the target language. Then translate back. If the returned translation is wrong, you can assume that the translation is not good enough. This provides translations that are good enough for market research. If the subject matter is complicated and there is a glitch, this can go through “human” translation. This is a practice successfully used by many companies.

As I’m sure you know, many translators use translation software to work faster and remain competitive. This is why there is something false when translation professionals demonize translation software only to sell their own services.