What even is a CAT tool?
The acronym “CAT” has nothing to do with our felines friends but instead stands for “computer-assisted translation”. A CAT tool is piece of software that supports human translators with a wealth of useful functions and tools, such as terminology databases and translation memories. CAT tools are therefore an entirely different entity to machine translation tools.
What does a CAT tool consist of?
A CAT tool is made up of several subsystems that are essential to the translation process. The three main components are:
- Translation memory (TM)
- Terminology database
- Quality assurance
Translation memory
The translation memory is the powerful heart of every CAT tool and is essentially a translation database in which the source text and its respective translation are saved together as a sentence pair (translation unit). This powerful digital memory allows previously translated and approved translation units to be reused in subsequent translations. In other words: translated once, translated forever.
Terminology database
A terminology database or termbase is a kind of dictionary that ideally contains all the technical terms defined in your company as well as the corresponding foreign-language equivalents.
The CAT tool can analyze the source text during translation and compare it against the termbase. If a technical term is recognized, the tool makes the foreign-language equivalent available to the translator, who can then insert it into the target sentence with a single click. This feature saves translators time and ensures that corporate terminology is applied correctly and consistently.
With correct and consistent terminology being key to a successful corporate language, termbases are a valuable tool in helping companies to improve the quality of their internal and external communication.
Quality assurance
Quality control of translated content is also in the best hands with a CAT tool. The translation is checked against a set of configurable parameters at the push of a button, allowing even those errors that are easily overlooked by the human eye to be identified and corrected.
The following items are checked as standard:
- Missing or incorrect numbers
- Double or missing spaces
- Inconsistent translations (identical source segments)
- Punctuation marks
- Length limits
- Formatting
Terminology verification
A terminology check is also carried out as part of the QA check, whereby the software checks for the correct and consistent application of the defined terminology. An essential prerequisite for the term check is, of course, a well-maintained terminology database.
At Eurocom, we use a terminology verification tool developed by our parent company Kaleidoscope: Checkterm.
Additional functions of CAT tools
In addition to the main features already mentioned, CAT tools are also capable of performing a range of other functions, such as:
- A project management and workflow component for efficient project delivery
- Document alignment: Content that has been translated without a CAT tool can be imported into a translation memory
- Converters: Handle a variety of file types without any time-consuming and error-prone conversion work
- Dictionaries that can be created on a project-specific basis
- Interfaces to machine translation systems
Benefits of CAT tools
CAT tools are creative all-rounders and have long been an integral part of the daily workflow of professional translators. The most obvious advantages of CAT tools are:
- Significant cost savings through the use of translation memories
- Significant cost savings due to accurately calculated wordcounts and repeated sentences in the source text
- Fast and accurate cost calculation
- Increased translator productivity
- Faster delivery times
- Stylistic and terminological consistency
- Strengthening of the corporate identity
- Compatibility with many different file formats
- Possible connection via interfaces to other systems, such as content management systems
CAT tool as an interface to a machine translation system
In addition to the familiar resources of a translation memory and terminology database, NMT (Neural Machine Translation) is now one of the components of leading CAT tools. Technically speaking, what is actually contained in the tool is an interface to a machine translation system that can even be trained using translation memories.
This allows the advantages of the different systems to be combined: reusing previously translated content from the translation memory as far as possible, while using machine-generated translations for new content.
Post-editing: Because the human expert can never be replaced
Although machine translation (NMT) is now exceptionally good for certain languages, a machine-translated text should always be post-edited by a human expert. The post editors are usually experienced translators who check the text not only for errors, but also for adherence to project-specific terminology.
What types of CAT tools are there?
From a technical point of view, there are three types of CAT tool:
- Server-based CAT tools
- Cloud-based CAT tools
- Hybrid CAT tools
The first systems were desktop-based, and later, cloud-based solutions were increasingly launched as a result of the latest technological advances and the breakthrough of cloud computing.
A CAT tool can therefore be available in the form of a desktop or a browser application, but there is barely difference between the two variants when it comes to the most important functions of a CAT tool.
Cloud-based CAT tools
Where cloud-based CAT tools do steal a march on their competitors is in terms of flexibility:
- They are collaborative (shared use of central translation memories, termbases, and project files in real time)
- They provide a seamless transition between online and offline work
- They enable cross-platform use (different end devices)
Hybrid CAT tools
The most innovative tools offer a hybrid approach that combines the cloud-based and desktop-based ways of working. With “Trados Live”, RWS – the world market leader in the production of translation software – has also embraced the hybrid way of working and opened up new horizons for its users. Enjoy seamless online or offline work, desktop or browser applications depending on your mood, or “work on the go” with the mobile “Trados Team” app.
