Translating tools
Machine translation (MT)
A lot of research has been performed into the possibility of having computers make translations. Up until now computers still cannot generate adequately translated texts. Also they cannot compete with the precision and quality of professional translators. They can however be of assistance when it comes to speed. A machine translation can be sufficient for instance when you require a quick overview of a document in a language that you do not understand. A machine translation will not solve your language issues, but the processing time is very short. Moreover a computer-generated translation is probably better than no translation at all or a translation that is too late. Sometimes a machine translation can be the starting point for a translator to write an excellent text. This is for instance the case in texts with many specialized terms such as (the drawing up of) EU directives.
CAT Tools (Computer Assisted Translation)
Next to the so-called machine translations there are also translation tools. During translation these database applications continuously verify whether the source texts contain phrases or parts of phrases that have already been translated. As soon as such a programme can match a text with the database – also referred to as the translation memory – it suggests a translation to the translator. The translator can then choose to (partially) adopt or ignore the suggestion. This can result in higher productivity when translating texts with many repetitions, such as instruction manuals. An additional benefit is that the new translation will consistently contain the right terminology based on existing translations. Translation tools do not take work off translators’ hands, but can be considered a substitute for the drudgery of translators in the past who had to manually review old translations to check for passages that had already been translated.