Comparing Post-editing based on Four Editing Actions against Translating with an Auto-Complete Feature

This article describes the results of a workshop in which 50 translators tested two experimental translation interfaces, as part of a project which aimed at studying the details of editing work. In this work, editing is defined as a selection of four actions: deleting, inserting, moving and replacing words. Four texts, machine-translated from English into European Portuguese, were post-edited in four different sessions in which each translator swapped between texts and two work modes. One of the work modes involved a typical auto-complete feature, and the other was based on the four actions. The participants answered surveys before, during and after the workshop. A descriptive analysis of the answers to the surveys and of the logs recorded during the experiments was performed. The four editing actions mode is shown to be more intrusive, but to allow for more planned decisions: although they take more time in this mode, translators hesitate less and make fewer edits. The article shows the usefulness of the approach for research on the editing task.