Most translators and translation agencies use translation software. By this we do not mean machine translation or machine translation, such as Google Translate. Translation software, also called CAT tools (Computer-Aided Translation), is software that assists the translator in translating. Although machine translation can play a role in this, the translation is still done by the translator himself and not by the software. Whether and if so which translation software is useful to you depends on your project. Of course, you can leave this decision entirely up to the translator or translation agency, but it is good to know what is possible. Many of the advantages that translation software offers translators are also benefits for you. Here you can read about what functions and features the best translation software has.
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Translation software helps translators work more efficiently, and you can benefit along with them. One of the most important features of translation software is translation memory (also called TM, Translation Memory). This stores all the sentences in your text plus their corresponding translations. When you create a new project and link the translation memory to it, the translator gets to see similarities automatically, allowing them to work faster. Professional translation agencies usually offer discounts based on the overlap with the memory. So it's a win-win situation!
Even if you haven't built up a translation memory yet, translation software can save time and money. Firstly, repetitions within the same text are recognized and automatically filled in with the translation made. In addition, it is possible to integrate machine translation. This can be edited by a professional to achieve the desired result faster and cheaper.
For good quality translations, it is important that the translation software offers different segmentation options. Your text is automatically split into segments by the software. Often a new segment starts after each period in the translation tool. But full stops do not always indicate the end of a sentence: think of abbreviations, for example. It is useful for the quality of your text and your translation memory if translators can merge segments. In addition, segmentation by sentence is not always ideal. If you need a creative marketing translation, the translator will have more freedom to create a pitching translation if the source text is segmented at the paragraph level. The best translation software offers this capability.
Another important feature translation software should have is a built-in quality control or QA checker. This automatically generates a list of potential errors that the translator can then review. Think of typos, double spaces or punctuation, formatting that does not match the original text and so on. All things that are easy to overlook, but also easy to avoid.
Translation is not something you can only do right or wrong. A translator must continuously choose: between a certain style or sentence structure, between synonyms, and so on. Often multiple options can be good, but consistency is desirable. A consistent style makes for a more enjoyable reading experience. Moreover, it can be important to always translate certain words the same way. Think of product names or other key terms for your company. If you're talking about jeans one time and denims the next, there's not much of a problem. But if you refer to your app's Settings tab in a Help article, when that tab is called Configuration in the app itself, you're making things unnecessarily slightly more difficult for your users.
In addition to the aforementioned translation memory, a glossary is an important function to ensure consistency. You can add terms, desired translations and any additional information or comments to such a glossary. The best translation software offers the option to attach a built-in glossary to a project. This function automatically checks whether terms from the list appear in the translation segments. Those terms are highlighted so that the translator does not miss them, and the corresponding translation is shown.
Already have a good idea of what your project needs? Don't hesitate to mention TMs, segments and glossaries when you make a translation request. If the translation partner cannot offer these functions, it may be wiser to look further. Do you receive an enthusiastic response with additional suggestions and possible additional services? Great, then the first step towards an efficient translation has been taken. Scriptware Translations has experience with various translation tools and we would be happy to tell you more about our working method. Curious about how we use translation software? Feel free to contact us.
