What is a translation memory?
A translation memory is a linguistic database that continually captures your translations as you work for future use.
All previous translations are accumulated within the translation memory (in source and target language pairs called translation units) and reused so that you never have to translate the same sentence twice. The more you build up your translation memory, the faster you can translate subsequent translations, enabling you to take on more projects and increase your revenue.
How does a translation memory work?
Using SDL Trados Studio as an example, you would open the source file and apply the translation memory so that any "100% matches" (identical matches) or "fuzzy matches" (similar, but not identical matches) within the text are instantly extracted and placed within the target file.
As you work through the source file, the "matches" suggested by the translation memory can be either accepted or overridden with new alternatives. If a translation unit is manually updated, then it is stored within the translation memory for future use as well as for repetition in the current text. In a similar way, all segments in the target file without a "match" would be translated manually and then automatically added to the translation memory.
When would I use a translation memory?
Translation memories should be used by anyone who localizes content from one language into another. They are most effective when translating documents with a high level of repetition.
Translation memories are also very helpful when translating content out of context. An increasing number of organizations rely on Content Management Systems (CMS) to manage their information. A CMS allows individual blocks of text, rather than entire documents, to be created/edited and then published in a variety of different formats. A translation memory helps to make this process quicker and more consistent.
Furthermore, even if a translation memory is not being used, the dedicated translation environment would allow you to extract text from the source file and focus on localizing the text without worrying about the tags. For example, with an HTML file, all of the coding will be hidden so you do not have to waste time searching through unnecessary lines for the text that requires translation.
What are the benefits of using an SDL translation memory?
- Helps you to translate quicker so that you can take on more projects and increase revenue
- Ensures consistency and quality within translations for customer satisfaction
How does a translation memory tool differ from a terminology tool?
A translation memory tool stores segments of text as translation units (in source and target pairs). A segment can consist of a sentence or paragraph.
A terminology tool, on the other hand, is a searchable database that contains a list of multilingual terms and rules regarding their usage.
Terminology is typically used in conjunction with a translation memory.
How does translation memory software differ from machine translation?
Machine translation automatically translates a document without any human input.
These kinds of tools are fast, but result in a poor quality translation as a machine cannot understand the subtleties or contexts of language. As a result, quality and accuracy tend to be around 50% - 70%, therefore it is not advisable to send the raw form directly to your customers. In addition, machine translation can only be used for a limited number of supported languages.
With translation memory software, such as SDL Trados Studio, the number of supported languages is unlimited, and the actual translation is performed by a professional translator. The translation memory assists by presenting "100%" and "fuzzy" matches from the legacy translation database, so that you can work with increased efficiency, consistency and quality.
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