4 translation tools for translators

Companies are requesting increasingly tighter delivery deadlines, which requires translators to work at top speed. There are now computer assisted translation tools available (CAT) to help translators.

How do translation tools work?

CAT tools help translators carry out the translation process faster and allow them to store terms in translation memories for use in future translations when they find repeated content. Thus, these tools permit:

Faster translation, by extracting total or partial suggestions from your translation memory when required.
Rigorous coherence in terminology and style.
Translation by segments or sentences that makes the process more visual, faster and easier.
Saving translations that have already been done in the translation memory.

Let's have a look at three of the leading tools on the market and their characteristics.

Tools for translators

There are a wide variety of tools for translators. Here are some of them:

Trados

This is one of the most popular computer-assisted translation tools on the market, with over 185,000 users worldwide. Created by SDL, a company specialising in customer experience management. The following are some outstanding features of the tool:

Simplified project management system, which permits the administration of languages, files and dates in a single place.
A system that recognises the location and the context of words and sentences with a view to providing the best translation.
Independent or integrated terminology management system.

Déjà vu

This software is used by more than 3,000 companies specialising in translation as well as private companies, and more than 8,500 independent translators worldwide. The most important characteristics of this CAT tool are:

The tool extracts the largest amount of information possible from its terminology databases and translation memory.
Multiple formats, using a single, clear interface to be able to manage many types of files: HTML, XML and InDesign.
Multilingual databases, which permit the use of different languages at the same time for a single project.

AT Flow, the ATLS CAT Tool

To this list, we can add AT Language Solutions (ATLS)'s very own CAT tool. A useful online tool at the service of our professional translators which helps them to work faster and more directly.

What features can we highlight?

Free for our collaborators.
It allows you to upload your own translation memories.
It allows you to carry out language quality assurance.
It allows you to add your own glossaries and style manuals to the translation.
It facilitates translation by allowing you to combine segments for translation, in line with the context.
It offers translation alternatives, detecting segments where a high proportion of source words coincide with the segments stored in the translation memory, which are shown as an alternative when required during translation.
Access to online language resources.
No need to download and update software.