I was thinking about machine translation (which seems to be a popular blog topic) and it occurred to me that having something translated is a bit like getting a suit.
You could buy one off the rack (machine translation) and maybe take it to a tailor (post-editor) to improve the fit. It'll never be perfect but if it will only be used once or it's not that important to you, this is probably sufficient.
Or, you could get one made to measure, which is usually made using a machine (CAT tools) with a pattern (100% and fuzzy matches). It'll fit pretty well and it's relatively cheap using the pattern. If you're looking to get a lot of use out of it but don't have a big budget, this is a good way to go.
Of course, there is also bespoke. It's more expensive but you get what you pay for. Every stitch (word) is a labour of love (or possibly anal retentiveness) and you get something more personal and customised to your needs. This is for when quality is more important than cost.
I'm not really sure where I'm going with this, but as analogies go, I think it's pretty good.
You could buy one off the rack (machine translation) and maybe take it to a tailor (post-editor) to improve the fit. It'll never be perfect but if it will only be used once or it's not that important to you, this is probably sufficient.
Or, you could get one made to measure, which is usually made using a machine (CAT tools) with a pattern (100% and fuzzy matches). It'll fit pretty well and it's relatively cheap using the pattern. If you're looking to get a lot of use out of it but don't have a big budget, this is a good way to go.
Of course, there is also bespoke. It's more expensive but you get what you pay for. Every stitch (word) is a labour of love (or possibly anal retentiveness) and you get something more personal and customised to your needs. This is for when quality is more important than cost.
I'm not really sure where I'm going with this, but as analogies go, I think it's pretty good.
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