by Andres Heuberger, ForeignExchange Translations, Inc.

Why do technical writers need translators and translation companies? With all of the advances in computer technology, can't I just use a software application or online translation tool instead?

The past decade has seen significant advances in machine-translation (MT) technology. While MT is still a ways off its goal of replacing human translators, today it is used successfully in several industry sectors (incl. automotive, aerospace, defense) with lots of documentation to be translated.