The initial translation output that serves as a starting point for further refinement.
Baseline translation often refers to:
This preliminary version establishes the basic meaning and structure but typically requires additional work to meet final quality standards.
This is especially true for machine translations, which often capture the general meaning but miss context, cultural references, or industry-specific terminology that human translators then refine.
In localization workflows, baseline translations are particularly important because they provide a consistent starting point for translation teams. Rather than starting from scratch, translators can build upon the baseline to add cultural nuance, improve tone, and ensure technical accuracy.
Baseline translations are not meant to be the final product, but rather a stepping stone that makes the overall localization process more efficient, quick, and consistent. They give translators a head start while still allowing room for the human expertise that makes translations truly effective in their target markets.