How To Become a Translator - 5

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4.2) Computer Aided Translation (CAT)

What is a CAT Tool?

CAT stands for "Computer Aided Translation Tool". The terms "Translation Memory" and "TM" are sometimes used to refer to the same type of tool. A CAT tool is a computer program that helps a translator to work efficiently.
This is achieved through three main functions:
A CAT tool breaks texts into segments (sentences or sentence fragments) and presents the segments in a convenient way, to make translating easier and faster. In some tools, for example MetaTexis, each segment is presented in a special box, and the translation can be entered in another box right below the source text.

The translation of each segment is saved together with the source text. Source text and translation will always be treated and presented as a translation units (TU). You can return to a segment at any time to check the translation. There are special functions which help to navigate through the text and to find segments which need to be translated or revised (quality control).

The main function of a CAT tool is to save the translation units in a database, called translation memory (TM), so that they can be re-used for any other text, or even in the same text. Through special "fuzzy search" features the search functions of CAT tools can also find segments which do not match 100%. This saves time and effort and helps the translator to use consistent terminology.
Besides these main functions many other functions may be included in CAT tools, to make translating easier and increase productivity.

There are a few "CATs" on the market. In the order of use:

SDL/Trados $1,253
Déjà Vu X
Wordfast $ 394
Transit
Felix (the cat) $ 350
MemoQ
There are other CATs but I do not recommend them.
(Those prices are approximative as they may change any time)

4.2.1) SDL/Trados

I have been using Trados since 1997 and bought every new version coming out each year. I am now working with SDL/Trados 2007.

There used to be 2 CAT tools: SDLX and Trados. SDL is a big British based translation agency which developed its own CAT after Trados was launched on the market. Trados is a German based company which became very famous among the translators for many reasons.

SDL being a successful translation with its own CAT tool decided to buy TRADOS, its biggest competitor. TRADOS and SDL are two softwares acting very differently and you use either one or the other. Before I was using both but I had a net preference for TRADOS. Thousands of translators were using TRADOS and thousands of translators were using SDL. The only way to keep them all was to make a software that could use both. That's what SDL did. Hence the name SDL/TRADOS.

How does it work?

On the bottom part you have the text to be translated in Word. You will see that the text in the source language is in the top frame and the bottom frame is where you input your translation.

The top part of the screen is occupied by the Translator's Workbench, aptly named by TRADOS as it is really the main tool you are using. You see in the top frame, the text in the source language and in the bottom frame the same sentence with, just under it, the translation in the target language.

The Translation Memory

What is a translation memory?

A translation memory is a linguistic database that continually captures your translations as your work for future use.
All previous translations are accumulated within the translation memory (in source and target language pairs called translation units) and reused so that you never have to translate the same sentence twice. The more you build up your translation memory, the faster you can translate subsequent translations, enabling you to take on more projects and increase your revenue.

How does a translation memory work?

Using SDL Trados 2007 as an example, you would open the source file and apply the translation memory so that any "100% matches" (identical matches) or "fuzzy matches" (similar, but not identical matches) within the text are instantly extracted and placed within the target file.

As you work through the source file, the "matches" suggested by the translation memory can be either accepted or overridden with new alternatives. If a translation unit is manually updated, then it is stored within the translation memory for future use as well as for repetition in the current text. In a similar way, all segments in the target file without a "match" would be translated manually and then automatically added to the translation memory.

When would I use a translation memory?

Translation memories should be used by anyone who localizes content from one language into another. They are most effective when translating documents with a high level of repetition.

Translation memories are also very helpful when translating content out of context. An increasing number of organizations rely on Content Management Systems (CMS) to manage their information. A CMS allows individual blocks of text, rather than entire documents, to be created/edited and then published in a variety of different formats. A translation memory helps to make this process quicker and more consistent.

Furthermore, even if a translation memory is not being used, the dedicated translation environment would allow you to extract text from the source file and focus on localizing the text without worrying about the tags. For example, with an HTML file, all of the coding will be hidden so you do not have to waste time searching through unnecessary lines for the text that requires translation.

What are the benefits of using an SDL Trados translation memory?

- Helps you to translate quicker so that you can take on more projects and increase revenue

- Ensures consistency and quality within translations for customer satisfaction

How does a translation memory tool differ from a terminology tool?

A translation memory tool stores segments of text as translation units (in source and target pairs). A segment can consist of a sentence or paragraph.

A terminology tool, on the other hand, is a searchable database that contains a list of multilingual terms and rules regarding their usage.

Terminology is typically used in conjunction with a translation memory.

How does translation memory software differ from machine translation?

Machine translation automatically translates a document without any human input.

These kinds of tools are fast, but result in a poor quality translation as a machine cannot understand the subtleties or contexts of language. As a result, quality and accuracy tend to be around 50% - 70%, therefore it is not advisable to send the raw form directly to your customers. In addition, machine translation can only be used for a limited number of supported languages.

With translation memory software, such as SDL Trados 2007, the number of supported languages is unlimited, and the actual translation is performed by a professional translator. The translation memory assists by presenting "100%" and "fuzzy" matches from the legacy translation database, so that you can work with increased efficiency, consistency and quality.

4.2.2) Wordfast

Wordfast 5.5 is the fastest Translation Memory tool on the market. With advanced features and a simple design, Wordfast has become the TM software of choice for over 13,000 translators, language service providers, corporations, and educational institutions worldwide

It is the only major TM software designed to work on Macintosh. Most value for a fraction of the cost of competitors

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