Segments: a brief introduction

We’re thrilled to introduce a brand new type of task that we call segments. In this article, we’ll take you through the basics of what this task is and go over some of the most frequently asked questions. For more detailed explanations, please check out the segments section of our FAQs.

As a starting point for learning more about this new type of task, please take a few minutes to watch our video about what to expect when working on segments tasks.

What are segments and what are they used for?

If you’ve been working with us for a while, you’ll know about High Confidence segments. These are parts of a task that we’re confident are correct, so in order to save you time and so that you can focus on the bits that really need your expert attention, we make these unavailable for editing (you can read more here). 

Segments tasks are part of the same kind of process - it’s where we use our highly skilled editors to work on frequent sentences (or segments, as we call them) so that when editors work on tasks that have these segments in, they will have already been pre-approved by someone in our community. This is a win-win for everyone - it means that Unbabel produces higher quality translations and our community has more work to do!

How do I work on these tasks?

Essentially, you need to take your time and make sure that every translation is absolutely perfect - but also they need to work in any context. For more information see this article.

What is the time limit for these tasks?

You’ll have 72 hours to complete these tasks, but bear in mind you can’t work on other tasks while a segments job is in progress - for more information see here.

How do I access these tasks?

If you’ve been selected as a segments editor, you can find these tasks on your dashboard under “Get Tasks”. You’ll be paid according to a fixed hourly rate set in your dashboard and this will be credited to your Unbabel account.

Segments is still in the testing phase and we currently only have a handful of editors working on it at this stage. When we launch, much like review tasks, there will be requirements to meet in order to become a segments editor. You can find out more about this here.