What’s all the fuss about translation technology?

Outside the translation and language industry little is really known (understandably perhaps) about translation technology. Machine translation is a type of this technology, for example Google Translate and Babelfish, of which many people have heard of. But, tools used by translators, translation companies and the people who require translations are another kettle of fish.

We’re always keen to emphasize the fact that humans are not going to be replaced any time soon by machines or the technology they use. Just as robots are not going to take over the world, develop emotions etc. within our generation at least. But, as with the technology and robots we use on a daily basis, these tools can certainly assist and improve the quality of not only our lives, but our translations too.

Alexander Pope once said: ‘To err is human, to forgive, divine.’ Human nature and the human brain are all error prone, as such, despite thorough checking, double and triple checking mistakes do slip through the translation net. Forgiveness for these mistakes is hard to swallow, so to reduce the need for divinity technology can be used to reduce human error.

Using translation memory and terminology tools means that translation agencies and individual translators can leverage the use of technology to assist their work, increase consistency and speed without compromising on quality. These tools also mean that clients can leverage savings if they consistently use the same provider and build up a ‘bank’ in their translation memory.

Does this all sound like Double Dutch? Well let us give you a guided tour of translation technology and the tools out there that assist (and some may say, hinder) the translation process.

What is translation memory?

A translation memory (TM) is a store of all previously used ‘segments’ (these can be individual words, phrases or chunks of text) that have been ‘aligned’ to their correct translation in a piece of software (we’ll come to the types of software out there in a later post). A translator can then subsequently run certain types of documents through the memory to see whether there are any matches. These may be 100% matches, or matches that the tool suggests (fuzzy matches) as they look similar/contain similar words. The translator can look through these highlighted matches as they translate in the tool and either accept them (if they agree with the match) or alter them so they are correct, thereby updating and building up the memory.

From a client perspective, for example, if there is a project of several similar documents the ideal would be to have one translated and a TM created from this translation. The subsequent documents are then ‘fed’ into the software and analyzed, it’s possible that 50-75% of each document will not need to be retranslated in full if the matches with the first document are 100%. This will save money as translations are usually charged per word.

As a translator, having your previously translated material in one place as a bank of translated segments not only speeds up the process as you can often ‘pre-translate’ files if you have decent matches. But, it also increases consistency, as you don’t have to rely on your own memory to recall how you have translated a certain term or phrase earlier in a text or in a related document.

This is what translation memory is at its most basic level. There is a software for every type of translator, free and very expensive, all come with various features geared towards making life easier (albeit more complicated whilst you figure out how to use it!) and to assist with producing with consistently high quality translations.

Terminology management is an integral part of translation technology and these tools are important to translators and clients alike. First of all, how do we define terminology? We can define it as “the body of terms used with a particular technical application in a subject of study, theory, profession, etc.”

Most translators specialize in a specific industry, field or subject so they will know many different sets of terminology in their area of specialization.

Having a tool that can store your preferred translations for specific terms, for example for a user manual, means that a certain part or piece of equipment will be consistently translated (where there may be several different translations of that specific term in the target language).

Being able to store, manage and consistently leverage how terms are translated within your documents is a great way to increase consistency, particularly in terms of technical translations. Translators can add to their ‘termbase’ (a searchable database of different terms) and use this alongside their existing translation methods to improve their work.  Terminology management tools can be standalone tools or can be integrated with TM software. They are in essence a glossary, and can include many languages. At a click of a mouse you can see the terms you have entered into the tool and the translated language equivalents. You can even enter definitions and notes so you have more context about the use of the translated term.

From a client perspective having a defined term base means that you will consistently have the same approved translated terms in your documents, so if a different translator works on your documents you can be guaranteed the same terminology. This central repository of terms means that there aren’t several different versions of file or paper based glossaries floating around. These types of files lead to confusion, inconsistency and ultimately are not scalable in the long term. Where multiple parties are involved in a translation project they can all feed into this centralized termbase.

Software options

The biggest name out there (arguably) for CAT (Computer Assisted Translation) software is SDL Trados and Multiterm. SDL Trados Studio is a translation memory software and Multiterm a terminology management tool. At Rosetta these are tools we have invested in and are using to leverage all of the aforementioned benefits for our clients and translators.

This is by no means a cheap option, however, and requires investment (though there should be a return on this in the long run), training and continued updates so you remain compatible with different software versions. As such it is a big decision to make for any translator or company.

There are free versions out there, SDL Trados do a free trial and WordFast (another big name) has a free version with limited features, as well as a fully paid option. Fusion, MultiCorpora, Déja Vu, OmegaT and LionBridge are also names to look out for, for both free and paid options.

So hopefully by now you will have a little more understanding about the benefits translation technology offers (namely increased consistency, quality, centralized terminology management, cost savings and reduced turnaround times). If you’re in any doubt about how these tools could assist you and your translation project get in touch to speak with one of our experienced project managers today!

About the Author

Alison Tunley

Alison is a seasoned freelance translator with over 15 years of experience, specialising in translating from German to English. Originally from Wales, she has been a Londoner for some time, and she holds a PhD in Phonetics and an MPhil in Linguistics from the University of Cambridge, where she also completed her First Class BA degree in German and Spanish… Read Full Bio