The ‘Saint-Coloured’ Dress?! Why Machine Translation Still Needs Humans

Machine Translation can't differentiate the two different meanings of the word "sage" - "sage green" vs "a saintly person"!

While working on a recent machine translation post-editing (MTPE) project for a fashion client – English to Chinese – I came across a (hilarious) error that perfectly illustrates the risks of relying on machine translation without human intervention.

The task involved reviewing a product brochure for a new collection. In the machine-translated draft, one of the dress colours was rendered as “圣人”, which literally means “saint.”

The source text was a single word: “Sage" (think [Style name of the dress]: Sage – no context within the segment at all!)

Now, if you’re familiar with fashion terminology – or even just looked at the accompanying product image – it’s immediately clear that “Sage” refers to the soft green colour, not a wise figure from ancient times. The correct translation in this context would be “鼠尾草绿” (sage green).

This might seem like a relatively "minor" slip, but it’s exactly the kind of mistake that can easily go unnoticed – and could have made it all the way to print or email release if no one had checked.

Imagine browsing a brand’s new collection only to see a dress described as “Saint"...

It’s a detail that instantly undermines professionalism and confuses the customer – especially in high-end fashion, where every word is chosen with care to reflect the brand’s identity.

I share this not to dismiss machine translation – far from it.

I work with MT regularly and recognise the speed and convenience it offers, particularly for high-volume content. But this example reinforces why a human-in-the-loop approach is so important.

Machines can process vast amounts of text, but they don’t interpret meaning in context the way humans do.

They don’t cross-reference with visuals.

They don’t understand brand tone or customer expectations.

And they can’t always spot when a word has multiple meanings and only one of them fits the situation.

That’s where professional translators and editors come in – to ensure the final output is not only linguistically correct, but contextually appropriate, culturally sensitive, and aligned with the brand’s voice.

In a world where automation is becoming the norm, thoughtful human oversight remains essential – especially when it comes to customer-facing content.

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➡️ If you’re looking for reliable support with Chinese translation — especially in fashion, marketing, or brand-sensitive content – I’d love to help.

I’m a fully certified translator, a Chartered Linguist (CIOL), and hold official MTPE certification.

With over 15 years’ experience and a strong track record working with global fashion brands, I specialise in striking that all-important balance between linguistic accuracy, cultural nuance, and brand tone.

Whether you need post-editing of machine translation or fully human, premium-quality localisation, feel free to get in touch to discuss how I can support your next project.