Post-editing in Modern Translation Studies: Linguistic and Cognitive Perspectives

Abstract

The development of artificial intelligence and Neural Machine Translation (NMT) systems has caused fundamental changes in the field of translation studies. This article analyzes the transition of the translator's traditional role from a "text creator" to a modern "strategic editor" and "post-editor". The main objective of the research is to define the essence of the process of "polishing" the initial machine translation output by the human mind and to identify the linguistic challenges encountered in this process. The article notes that while machine translation can process vast amounts of data in seconds, it urgently requires human intervention to restore the connotative nuances, stylistic subtleties, and cultural codes of the text. The author evaluates this new mission of the translator as a cognitive control mechanism. The study explores the concept of Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE) through the prism of two levels: "Light" and "Full" post-editing. In the practical section, "gaps" of artificial intelligence in literary texts are demonstrated based on examples from Azerbaijani (J.Mammadguluzadeh, H.Javid) and Russian (F.Dostoevsky) literature. The analysis shows that when machine translation literally renders phraseological units, metaphors, and individual stylistic elements, the pragmatic potential of the original is lost. The translator's role here is to restore these "lost meanings" and polish the text to fit the natural syntax of the target language. In conclusion, it is emphasized that technology does not replace the translator but rather elevates their activity to a new level. The translator of the future must work in synergy with artificial intelligence, acting as both a technologist and a cross-cultural mediator. Keywords: translator, technology, editing, creativity, quality