Smartling offers several ways to generate translations, including neural machine translation (NMT) engines, large language models (LLMs) with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and Smartling-managed AI translation workflows.
Quick answer: Choose AIT or AIHT for a fully managed translation workflow backed by a quality guarantee. Use LLM translation if you want to choose the model and manage your own prompts, or Auto Select LLM to let Smartling select both for you. Choose NMT if your organization prefers traditional MT engines or has specific requirements that make them a better fit.
Key terms
Tip: In Smartling, machine translation or "MT" is a broad term for any machine-generated translation, including output from both NMT engines and LLMs.
Term | What it means |
MT (machine translation) | General term for any machine-generated translation, from an NMT engine or an LLM. |
NMT (neural machine translation) | A traditional MT engine, such as Google Translate. |
LLM (large language model) | An AI model that generates translations from a prompt, such as Google Gemini or GPT. |
RAG (retrieval-augmented generation) | A method that provides an LLM with relevant context from your Smartling linguistic assets and related data, such as translation memory, glossary terms, style rules, file types, and string instructions. This context helps the LLM produce higher-quality, on-brand translations. |
A saved set of settings that defines which MT engine or LLM Smartling uses to translate your content and how it is configured, such as provider settings, language-specific rules, and prompts. | |
Auto Select (Auto Select LLM, Auto Select MT) | A Smartling-managed option that picks the best provider for your content. For LLMs, it also picks the model and prompt, so you don’t need to choose a provider or write prompts yourself. |
BYOK (bring your own key) | Connecting a translation provider with your own API key. In Smartling, this is managed through credentials. |
Smartling's AI translation workflows
These acronyms refer to workflows managed by Smartling Language Services (SLS).
Term | What it means |
AIT (AI Translation) | A preconfigured, Smartling-managed workflow that uses AI to generate and enhance translations. |
AITv (AI Translation Tier 2) | The AIT variant for lower-resource (Tier 2) target languages, which adds a light human post-edit step. |
AIHT (AI-Powered Human Translation) | A preconfigured, Smartling-managed workflow that uses AI, followed by human post-editing and validation. |
Note: If you prefer to work with your own vendors or manage your own workflows but want access to AI features, use Smartling’s AI Toolkit. It’s a collection of AI features that improve the quality and efficiency of MT and LLM translations.
Translation options at a glance
Smartling offers four main approaches to generating translations.
Option | Description | Best for |
AI Translation (AIT) | A preconfigured, Smartling-managed AI translation workflow. AIT includes light human post-editing for lower-resource target languages. | You want a managed solution with a translation quality guarantee and minimal setup. |
AI-Powered Human Translation (AIHT) | A preconfigured, Smartling-managed workflow that combines AI translation with human post-editing and validation. | You want human-reviewed translations without managing the translation workflow yourself. |
LLM translation | Uses a large language model to generate translations. You can configure the provider, model, prompts, and linguistic context, or use Smartling Auto Select LLM. | You want to customize how an LLM translates your content or let Smartling select the model and prompt. |
MT engine translation | Uses a neural machine translation engine, such as Google Translate, to generate translations. You can configure a provider or use Smartling Auto Select MT. | You want to use a traditional MT engine with configurable provider settings. |
Which option should you choose?
Use the following general guidance to find the best approach for your needs.
You want a hands-off, managed solution with translation quality guarantees: Use AIT or AIHT.
You want to choose the exact LLM model and write and manage your own translation prompts: Use LLM translation with an LLM Profile.
You want to use LLMs without writing and managing your own translation prompts: Use Smartling Auto Select LLM, which automatically selects the best model and prompt for your content.
You want to provide the LLM with additional context, such as linguistic assets, to improve translation quality: Use RAG in an LLM Profile.
You want to enhance output from an MT engine or LLM you’ve configured yourself: Enable AI Toolkit features in the translation step of your workflow.
You need to generate translations on demand, outside a translation workflow: Use Instant Translation with your preferred translation provider through any MT or LLM Profile.
For a quick reference, the options also differ in who manages the setup, whether a human reviews the output, and whether the Translation Satisfaction Guarantee applies.
Option | Who manages setup | Human post-editing | Translation Satisfaction Guarantee |
AI Translation (AIT) | Smartling Language Services | Light post-edit for Tier 2 languages (AITv) | Yes |
AI-Powered Human Translation (AIHT) | Smartling Language Services | Yes | Yes |
LLM translation | You | Optional, depending on your workflow | Not included |
MT engine translation | You | Optional, depending on your workflow | Not included |
AIT vs. AITv vs. AIHT: AIT is fully automated with no human review. AITv is simply AIT applied to Tier 2 (lower-resource) languages, with a light human post-edit step added. AIHT always includes human post-editing and validation, regardless of language tier.
AI Translation (AIT) and AI-Powered Human Translation (AIHT)
AIT and AIHT are preconfigured translation workflows managed by Smartling Language Services (SLS). They combine AI translation with Smartling’s AI capabilities, so you don’t need to configure the underlying translation providers, prompts, or workflow yourself.
Both options are backed by the SLS Translation Satisfaction Guarantee.
AI Translation (AIT)
AIT uses AI to generate, select, and enhance translations. It delivers quality comparable to traditional machine translation with post-editing (MTPE) at half the cost, with near-immediate turnaround for high-resource languages.
Smartling classifies target languages into two tiers based on AI translation performance:
Tier 1 languages: AIT is fully automated, without a human review step.
Tier 2 languages: A light human post-editing step is included. This variant is called AIT Tier 2, or AITv.
Additional details:
Available for English source content only.
Supports 60+ languages.
Turnaround is based on API processing speeds, with most requests delivered nearly instantly. Lower-resource languages include a light human post-edit step, so turnaround is not near-instant.
Uses multiple translation providers and AI to select and enhance translation output.
Requires no translation provider setup.
AI-Powered Human Translation (AIHT)
AIHT uses AI to generate and enhance translations, followed by human post-editing and validation managed by Smartling Language Services. It delivers quality comparable to traditional human translation at half the cost and twice the speed.
Additional details:
Supports 250+ languages.
Includes human post-editing and validation.
Uses a preconfigured workflow managed by Smartling Language Services.
Requires no translation provider setup.
Info: To enable AIT or AIHT for your account, or to learn more about these services, contact your Customer Success Manager.
LLM translation
LLM translation uses a large language model to generate translations. Smartling supports several ways to connect to an LLM provider, depending on how much control you want over the configuration.
Choose how to use an LLM provider
Bring your own key (BYOK): Connect a supported provider using your own API key.
Smartling-provisioned key: Use a supported provider through a key provided by Smartling.
Smartling Auto Select LLM: Let Smartling automatically select the LLM model and prompt for your content. You don’t need to choose a model or write and manage prompts yourself.
Customize LLM translation
If you want more control over translation behavior, you can configure an LLM Profile. LLM Profiles let you select a provider and model, customize translation prompts, configure translation parameters, and enable features such as hallucination detection.
You can also use retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) to provide the LLM with relevant context from Smartling. Depending on your configuration, this context can include:
Translation memory examples
Glossary terms
Style rules
String instructions
String roles
File types and project labels
This context helps the LLM generate translations that better reflect your terminology, style, and content requirements. RAG is the recommended way to give an LLM additional context for your translations.
For details, see LLM Profiles and Prompt Tooling with RAG for LLM Translation.
MT engine translation
MT engine translation uses neural machine translation (NMT) engines to generate translations.
Choose an MT provider
Bring your own key (BYOK): Connect a supported MT provider using your own API key.
Customize MT engine translation
MT Profiles let you configure your preferred engine and any supported provider-specific settings, such as formality levels for DeepL. You can also define language-specific rules and enable features such as profanity masking for supported providers.
You can also enhance MT engine output with AI Toolkit features, for example to insert glossary terms or adapt translation memory matches. For details, see AI Toolkit.
Where you can use MT and LLM translation
You can use MT and LLM translation in two main ways: within translation workflows or on demand through Instant MT.
In translation workflows
In Smartling, content moves through a workflow within a project. A workflow consists of steps such as translation, review, and publishing.
You can select an MT or LLM Profile for the translation step. The generated translations then continue through the remaining workflow steps, such as review by a linguist.
This approach is useful when translations need additional processing, human review, or other workflow steps before delivery.
On demand with Instant MT
Instant MT generates translations on demand and returns them immediately, without sending content through a translation workflow in the Smartling dashboard. You can use whichever Profile you want, and the Profile you select determines which provider generates the translations.
You can use Instant MT through several Smartling features and integrations:
Smartling MT API: Generate translations programmatically.
Instant Translation for Connectors and Plugins: Translate content on demand through supported connectors and plugins.
Smartling Translate: Translate text or files directly in Smartling.
Site-wide MT for the Global Delivery Network (GDN): Automatically translate website content.
MT suggestions in the CAT Tool: Provide machine-generated translation suggestions to linguists as they work in Smartling’s translation editor.
For details, see Instant MT and the documentation for the relevant integration.
Smartling also offers a preconfigured Instant AI Translation Profile for supported connectors, plugins, and the Smartling MCP server. Because it does not create a job or workflow, the Translation Satisfaction Guarantee does not apply. To learn more, see Smartling Instant AI Translation.
Profiles: configuring MT and LLM translation
Profiles store the settings Smartling uses to generate translations. They let you configure translation providers and customize output to meet your requirements.
Smartling offers three types of profiles:
Profile type | Purpose |
Configure MT engines and supported provider-specific settings. | |
Configure LLM providers, models, prompts, and other LLM-specific settings. | |
Preconfigured profiles | Use Smartling-managed configurations with no provider setup or prompt management. |
Preconfigured profiles include: