Hybrid translation lets you combine AI-powered translations with human review only where it adds value. The result? Faster localization, lower costs, and human effort focused on what really matters.
Best of all, you can implement this approach directly in Transifex using tools already included with your subscription.
What is hybrid translation?
Hybrid translation is a well-established localization approach that combines machine translation with targeted human review. Hybrid translation is a workflow where:
- Machine translation is the primary source of translations
- Human reviewers focus only on translations that need improvement
Instead of reviewing everything, humans step in only when the quality is below your standards.
In a hybrid workflow:
- Some machine translations are good enough to ship as-is
- Others are routed to human translators or reviewers
- Not every AI-generated string requires post-editing
The result
- Faster turnaround times
- Lower localization costs
- Human effort focused where it matters most
How Transifex enables hybrid workflows
1. Use translation statuses to define quality
Transifex provides translation statuses that help structure your workflow:
- Translated → content that still needs review
- Reviewed → content that meets your quality standards
This makes it easy to track what’s done and what still needs attention.
2. Reuse high-quality translations with TM Fill-up
When new content is uploaded:
- Translation Memory ™ Fill-up automatically reuses existing translations
- You can configure your project to include only allow reviewed translations into the Translation Memory.
- Enable review status propagation so reused TM translations are automatically marked as reviewed
This ensures you can reuse translations you already trust without additional work.
3. Fill the gaps with Transifex AI
For strings that haven’t been translated before:
- Transifex AI provides high-quality automated translations
- You can enable AI Fill-up to translate content automatically (no need to click the AI button string by string)
- Your Translation Memory
- Glossary
- Style Guide
- String Instructions and Developer Notes (if enabled)
4. Decide what needs human review with TQI
This is where the Translation Quality Index (TQI) comes in.
TQI is a quality scoring system that helps you assess AI-generated translations at a glance:
- 0.85–1.00 → Good
- 0.70–0.85 → Fair
- 0.50–0.70 → Poor
- < 0.50 → Unusable
- Not available → Not saved or reviewed yet
You can configure Transifex to:
- Automatically review AI translations that meet or exceed your TQI threshold
- Once they are reviewed they will be added to your Translation Memory
No manual intervention needed.
5. Route the rest to humans
For translations with lower TQI scores:
- Create a Review task
- Assign it to your human reviewers
This ensures human effort is focused only on content that requires it.
Hybrid translation, done right
By combining TM reuse, Transifex AI, TQI, and targeted human review, you get a scalable localization workflow that balances speed, cost, and quality without unnecessary manual work.
Let us know in the comments if you’re already using hybrid workflows or planning to try them out! 
References
- Hybrid Translation – Machinetranslate.org