Metwally Galal

Why using Translation Technologies & CAT Tools?

In the contemporary world, technology has entrenched itself in virtually every aspect of our lives, impacting both large and small spheres. Illiteracy or ignorance in today’s age no longer signifies an inability to read and write but rather denotes a deficiency in proficiency with technological tools. The field of translation is no exception to this pervasive influence. Despite occasional errors stemming from the improper application of translation technologies, several compelling factors are driving translators to adopt CAT tools:

(1) Aspiring for Professionalism

Embracing translation technologies augments a translator’s professional standing. When taking on a specific project, it becomes easier to calculate word counts, detect recurring phrases, and align terms with your translation memory. Furthermore, you can provide more precise time estimates. Leveraging databases enriched with terminology from past work or client-provided glossaries bolsters your reputation, casting you as an expert rather than an ordinary translator. This enhances client satisfaction by ensuring translation quality and precision.

(2) Enhancing Productivity:

The typical output of an average translator hovers around 250 words per hour, equating to roughly 2,000 words per day. However, this rate quadruples when translation technologies come into play. Whether you operate as a freelance translator or within an organization, the need to elevate productivity is paramount in today’s competitive job market.

(3) Keeping Pace with Industry Trends

Both local and global translation companies now heavily depend on translation technologies to execute their projects. Gone are the days of translators flipping through dictionaries and scribbling notes. Colleagues armed with translation technologies can outperform their peers with a simple click. To stay relevant, translators must adapt to these tools; otherwise, companies might incur the cost of training their workforce in modern translation technologies.

(4) Enhancing Translator Market Value

Naturally, translators aspire to financial success, professional growth, and recognition within the translation realm. Embracing translation technologies facilitates advancement on both fronts. Your experiences become more extensive, and your interactions more professional thanks to your tech-savvy skills. Your output increases significantly, especially when compared to peers who have not yet adopted these technologies.

(5) Accumulating Specialized Expertise

Translation technologies grant tangible, cumulative expertise that proves invaluable in future projects. You can build a personalized translation memory categorized by specialization. This may empower you to translate over 50% of a given project with high-quality results solely using your accumulated memory from past assignments, eliminating the need to start from scratch each time. This not only saves time and effort but also accrues specialized, cumulative expertise.

In essence, these advancements usher in a new era, enabling participation in large-scale projects that would be impractical for an individual effort. Translation technologies facilitate online collaboration with fellow translators, while client involvement and work progress monitoring transform into systematic, step-by-step processes.

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