Are there machine translation (MT) options for DITA content?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

Machine translation (MT) options for DITA content offer a convenient way to quickly translate documentation into multiple languages, making it accessible to a broader audience. While MT can be a time-saving solution, it’s essential to understand its capabilities and limitations when applied to DITA XML content.

Machine Translation Engines

Several machine translation engines and services are available that can be integrated into your DITA content translation workflow. Some popular options include Google Translate, Microsoft Translator, DeepL, and more. These engines can be accessed through APIs, allowing you to automate the translation process.

Considerations for Quality

When using MT for DITA content, it’s important to note that the quality of machine translations may not match that of human translators, especially for complex technical content. While MT can provide a quick draft translation, it often requires post-editing by human translators to ensure accuracy, consistency, and adherence to industry-specific terminology. Additionally, it’s crucial to be aware of privacy and data security concerns when using machine translation services.

Example:

Here’s an example of how a DITA document can be prepared for machine translation:


<topic id="dita_translation_example">
  <title>Machine Translation Example</title>
  <body>
    <p>This is a sample DITA topic that can be machine-translated into multiple languages using an MT engine.</p>
  </body>
</topic>

In this example, a DITA topic is ready for machine translation. After translation, the content can be post-edited and reviewed for quality assurance.