CAT tools

What is a CAT tool or a computer-assisted translation tool? It is a software application which facilitates the work of translators around the world by automating certain processes during the translation project. But is a CAT tool enough to deliver impeccable translations? Of course not, but it could be. With a little help from the translator who contributes to improve the end result through linguistic rules and his own voice.

Since the beginning of the educational journey, we learned that a word may have several meanings, and it cannot be reduced to only one. And, of course, each meaning lends itself to a context. How can we use these meanings correctly? Well, with the help of glossaries, which underlie the terminological bases (termbases).

Glossaries

Glossaries represent a collection of terms, usually made up of two or even three columns: the source column, the target column and the column describing the meaning in a particular context or other comments that may be helpful. The last one is useful for the understanding and the right framing of a word within a text. With the help of glossaries, we can build termbases that can be used in CAT tools (computer-assisted translation software) to facilitate our work. Glory to technology!

Termbases

Termbases are basically glossaries created specifically to be used in a CAT tool. Among the best known CAT tools are Trados Studio, Smartcat, MemoQ, Phrase (previously known as Memsource), and Wordbee (integrated into a translation project management software). One of the most useful tools for creating a termbase is SDL MultiTerm, the resulting format being .sdltb. Other formats may be: .tbx, .xml, .csv etc. If the client sends from the beginning a file with the used terms, but it cannot be opened, you can use Glossary Converter, developed by SDL Studio, in order to convert it to a readable format. (e.g., Excel).

The creation and the use of a termbase assures the uniformity of terms in a translation, facilitating the translator’s research work, as the CAT tool automatically suggests the respective term. A well-done termbase from the beginning helps to prevent potential problems that may arise after the project has been delivered. The dialogue with the client and checking whether he has such a file or not are crucial steps in a translation process – this does not undermine the professionalism or the abilities of the translator, but on the contrary, underlines the capacity to understand the process of translation and the need for certain information given by the client. In case the client does not have a terminology base available, one can be created from scratch by selecting certain terms and entering their respective translations. It is sent to the client afterwards for validation. A lot of clients appreciate the increased care and effort for the quality of the delivered material, so do not be afraid to ask questions regarding the preferred terminology. It should be noted that termbases may be general, suitable for most projects or may be specific for a particular project or client.

Specific terminology bases (termbases) are designed and used just for certain projects, but this is an aspect that must be clarified before the translation process begins. For example, we can refer to a translation project that includes the content of an ecommerce website and a translation project of a platform interface. In the first case, the client prefers that the term “fulfilment” is used as such, while the second one requires to be translated as “completion” in the context of completing an order, head to tail. There is a difference here between the two termbases provided or built by us from scratch. Of course, we can create a single term file with more entries for the same term, but with a column describing the context of use of each variant: for the first one we will write “site content site”, and “platform interface” for the second one.

Style Guides

And because we’ve got the terminology right, we can raise the level of the text to make sure it presents the voice and the approach the client wants. Style guides represent the starting point when it comes to understanding, capturing and presenting the voice of a brand. Besides providing indications, a style guide contains certain language-specific rules: punctuation rules, such as using the right quotation marks in case of quotations or quotation within quotation, code writing, correct use of commas, writing of data, capitalization guidelines, writing certain words in a bold or slanted font (usually from a different source than the target language of the translation project), abbreviations of units of measurement, use of one term to the detriment of another, and many others.

So, in the majority of cases, the style guide is drawn up and provided by the client and represents a significant starting point to help us get familiar with the client’s preferred rules and writing style in order to match the target audience. On top of the style guide, the consultation of similar translation material to the respective project is recommended, materials provided by the client or available texts from his website, in order to get more and more familiar with the brand’s tone of voice.

The voice preferred by the client depends on the type of text, the text framing in a certain domain. For example, technical texts do not necessarily have a voice (e.g., user manuals),  but they have a heavy tone, and are formal – this cannot be otherwise, because they must  be clear, understandable, and on point, as they have to guide a user through a step-by-step process. On the other hand, the translation of marketing texts should have a resonant and catchy voice, because that is their goal: to get our attention. A marketing translation should sound natural and should be adapted to the market/audience, in such a  way that makes you think it has been initially written in that language. In this case, we use an informal approach (you and me – for English), which can be full of expressions, metaphors and word games, while keeping in mind the strict writing rules. The tone of voice of the source text will dictate the tone of voice of the translation as well, while taking into consideration local cultural aspects, stylistic guidelines or any orientations offered by the client.

For a CAT tool, the translation memories are just as important as the above, , but we will detail them in a future article.

So, these would be among the first elements that form the basis of a translation. Carefully picked and put together, these contribute to an impeccable text, no matter the field. Technology and communication bring us one step closer to earning the client’s trust.

We have a small collection of blog articles that you can find here.

.

Published: 07.02.2023

The post CAT tools, termbases, glossaries, style guides: what are they and how do they help us. appeared first on The Department.