Machine Translation, Human Post-Editing, and the Professionalisation of German-English Translation in Nigeria

This study examines the emerging professionalisation of machine translation combined with human post-editing in the German-English translation industry in Nigeria, developing an original professional competency framework for Nigerian German-English translators operating in the machine translation era. The rapid advancement of neural machine translation systems, particularly for the German-English language pair, is reshaping the professional landscape of translation globally, and Nigerian translators who work between German and English are navigating significant transitions in their professional roles, skill requirements, and economic positioning. The study employs a mixed-methods professional practice inquiry design, combining surveys of 80 professional translators in Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt with in-depth interviews with 20 senior practitioners and training institutions. Translation quality assessment exercises are administered to evaluate post-editing competency levels and identify common post-editing challenges specific to German-English translation in Nigerian professional contexts. Findings reveal that the majority of Nigerian professional German-English translators lack formal post-editing training and are not systematically integrating machine translation into their workflows, representing both a challenge and a developmental opportunity. The study develops a competency framework for German-English post-editing practice in Nigeria and recommends curriculum revisions for translation training programmes. Keywords: machine translation, post-editing, German-English translation, Nigeria, translation professionalisation.