Computer assisted translation tools are widely used in translating documents or websites with repetitive sentences or terminologies in order to efficiently save time and effort when doing translations. It works with a translation memory that saves previously translated sentences that may be used in future translations. Thus, translations done with the help of CAT tools may effectively reduce translation costs.
Why are computer-assisted translation tools widely used today?
Customers these days rely on the advantages they get from the World Wide Web. Basically, there is an ongoing rise in the number of internet sites that you can find on the World Wide Web that provide their goods and services to customers. And also, since consumers would go in a way that can give them advantages like waiting for the products to be shipped to them, shopping online became a fact. However, you want to get these translation services affordable right? You do not want to get the same message paid over and over again when it has already been translated. That makes sense, right?
In this situation, using the so-called Computer Assisted Translation tools comes into play. CAT tools are support tools for translators and clients that save the already translated text by a human translator in a database. This database can be pulled up when there is a new document for translation and is updated and saved every time you, as a client, have a new document for translation. We analyze the document against this translation memory and determine what is new for translation, or partly for translation or what is fully matched with the database. In order to maintain the quality of the database, the analysis is not done per word but per sentence. In this way, if a part of the sentence is already in the database, the CAT tools will show that to you.
Some terms used to define similarities found in the translation memory
No match
No match means that there is no word/nothing to be found in the database which we call a translation memory that has been translated before.
Fuzzy match
This means that there is a part of the sentence that has been translated before, which you can use in your next translation.
100 percent match and repetitions
100 percent match and repetitions mean that there are or are sentences that match 100 percent with the sentence we have in the translation memory. And there could be sentences that are the same.
So, you can imagine that translation agencies offer reduced rates when they use CAT tools for your documents for translation. The calculations are based on the no match, fuzzy match and 100 percent repetitions, and each analysis offers lower rates. Ask for it when you contact us for your price. Note that for scanned documents an analysis cannot be made as the document is not digital.
CAT Tools and Translation Memory
CAT tools save translation units (TUs) in a translation memory (TM). The translation of each section is stored concurrently with the source content. Whwenever a new project comes in from the same client; CAT tools perform searches in the database and give matches to the translator in a useful way to help the translation process making it simpler and quicker.
TM is a database file or set of data. They require a software interface to be used and adjusted. This software is generally introduced to in the industry as a CAT tool and can be a separate web-based application. These tools allow human translators to re-use past translations from the translation memories. Universal Translation Services employs CAT Tools and translation memories to enhance quality and lower costs, but only when the client specifically asks for such tools to be used.
Various essential terms are used in conjunction with translation memories. Some of the general names involve Repetitions, Full Matches, Fuzzy Matches and No Matches. When a translator utilizes the translation memory to the new text, there is a range of potential results. One possible result is a “No Match,” which means that there are no matching sections in the memory. This expression requires to be translated from scratch by an expert translator. Similarly, fuzzy matches mean that a part of a sentence has been found in the memory, but the translator needs to check it and complete the translation. Full matches are shown when an entire part of a phrase has been found in earlier translations, and the translator can use it in the current task.
Benefits of using CAT tools
CAT tools have some advantages besides cutting down on expenses for translations, which include:
- Faster turnaround time at a lower price
- Uniformity in terminologies and styles in all documents
- Ease in the formatting of documents
Added features for computer-assisted translation tools can greatly improve the whole translation process. These features include:
- A terminological dictionary is integrated directly to the CAT tool and translators can work cooperatively with this dictionary to save time in checking every term from the terminological dictionary of the client.
- Server deployment for CAT tools can ease translation burdens due to a unified and updated terminological dictionary or translation memory accessible for all translators, particularly when working on a large project.
- Quality assurance ensures small but important details that are sometimes overlooked by translators such as missing digits, punctuation, and spaces, are handled using CAT tools.
Those are the common perks that computer-assisted translation tools have, which can be of great help in reducing translation costs. You may ask us to use CAT tools for your translations so you can save time and costs. And if possible, employ the same translation agency or company in all your translation needs as with every project the translation memory will grow and provide more and more savings in time.
So, what is Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) and why do Universal Translation Services insist upon it when our clients are discussing terms of translation?
A Computer Assisted Translation is the translation that is conducted while using computer software designed to help translators conduct the translation in an easier way.
This software is basically a series of software designed to make translation a simpler process for the translators. How does software achieve that? The software will keep a record of all the phrases that were translated by the tool and keep them in its database. These phrases will be compared against all the content that comes into the software again. They will provide the translation of phrases that sound familiar or are a one hundred percent match. This helps translators translate the content much faster than usual.
Why should you use them?
Because when CAT software is allowed for the translators they charge comparatively much less for the translation. If the translator will spend less time conducting the translation, the translator will, of course, charge less money for it.
When should you use them?
When you need translations for large business documents and you often need to translate documents, then we highly recommend the CAT software option. Future documents that are translated using existing memory will, of course, be much easier to translate and the translation will cost less. Birth certificates, marriage certificates, passports, and various other legal documents can’t be translated by using computer assisted translation tools.
How Do I Trust the Tools?
We understand that translations conducted by computers are not reliable in official settings which is why you might doubt this software too. But the way it works is different. It won’t be interpreting your document but only saving phrases for future use. Think of it as the translator’s companion.
Can I Use Them Myself?
The software is designed in a way that only professionals can work with it. Just like you cannot buy Photoshop and start editing pictures to your liking because you don’t know how to operate it, you can’t interpret documents with the help of CAT tools.
A possible scenario where CAT tools are needed
Doing business with customers of various nationalities can be a difficult task that you have to succeed in. This can be crucial for online businesses to be successful; therefore, real human translation is a must. You have to provide quality translated texts and that is only possible when you use professional translation services.
Setting up your own business can be claimed to be lucrative by using the right set of resources. You have to reveal your website in a way that people can realize what you are trying to inform them. You have to build up a relationship with your audiences if you want to convince them to purchase your products and obtain your services. It only implies that your website should be convenient enough to find customers from all over the world and that can only be possible through human translation services.
Looking at the circumstances, customers expect that placing their own company online can give them exceptional earnings. Though a part of this is accurate, you still need to do something to make it happen. You have to work on your internet site and determine the issues that can help it attract clients. In order for you to conveniently get the message through to the people you are talking to, using CAT tools can be awesome to save money as well as purchasing human translation services.
You can even improve the advantages you can get from professional translation services if you think of connecting it with a professional translation agency. There will be uniformity and effectiveness in how your internet site will be translated into various languages. If you can run the translation process as fast as possible, then you can expect to be more successful, thus earning more revenue. No need to be reluctant to a business expansion because you know that there is a chance for you to make a sale.
Thus, there can be a need for cutting down on translation costs through computer-assisted translation tools when dealing with website and/or vital document translations for businesses or employment and immigration-related processes.
With recent advancements in technology, the roots of modernization have proliferated everywhere, even into the translation industry. CAT tools are an enhanced form of translation tools ensuring quality assurance through the effective use of previously translated materials in current projects. Through this feature, numerous benefits in using computer assisted translation tools are attained, of which the most important is consistency. Consistency is ensured with the constant use of these tools which also help the translator in an efficient way. Another beneficial factor is quality assurance; various built-in features of the respective tools, such as grammar check and autocorrect, help the translators save time with revisions. Adding the above to lower costs due to using already translated content, it is obvious that using such tools is highly beneficial for some clients, which is why we are able to use translation memory whenever the client wants it.
