What do we actually mean by translation software?

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Bernardo: Well, if you have it in Word format, that would be perfect, so I can put it into my translation software.

Client: What? If I wanted Google Translate I could do it myself!

Yeah… I get that a lot. What some people may not know is that there are many translators to whom Google Translate is the archenemy, because it’s going to steal their jobs. On the other hand, there are some who have learnt to live with it in different ways, and others are still in denial of its existence.

The first group – the bearers of bad news, rant about how machine translation platforms will steal our jobs and how they will not even consider using them. For them, translation software certainly has nothing to do with Google Translate.

For the second group, who may just use, or abuse, machine translation, the Silicon Valley giant’s toy may just be used (or abused) alongside their translation software.

The ones who are still in denial… Well, they may still not use translation software at all.

I can understand all these ideas, but what is translation software, after all?

Well, to answer this question, I should start with a history lesson on the creation of this type of software and its evolution. However, I think I’ll cut to the chase: we call them CAT Tools (Computer Assisted Translation Tools) and they store translations. That’s it. Bye.

Ok, I’ll elaborate: They use a thing called “translation memories” to store segments (sentences) that we translate. This way, if, for example, a sentence appears at the beginning and the end of a document, we only need to translate it once. The second time said sentence appears, the translator gets a warning saying: “hey, you’ve already translated this as X, do you want to translate it the same way?” Nothing special, but it helps a lot with technical texts.

And then, things start to get funny. You see, translation software also tells the translator what the match rate of a sentence is when compared to a previous translation, and even including the context around it. So, it can tell us that sentence X, that the we translated 2 years ago, is 75% equal to the one we want to translate now. Or, on some translation tools, it can even be 101% equal if the following and previous sentences are also equal – this is a “context match”. If we have translated a sentence once and the sentences around it are the same, the chances are that we will want to translate it the same way. If we do, we don’t have to write it all again. Translators usually create one of these “memories” per client or per area (or both). This also helps the translator to be sure that their translations are consistent.

Of course, this is a very condensed idea of what a translation tool can do. It also has quality control methods, concordance searches, revision tools, a comments function, chat between translators, and, in some cases, it can be used to split a document and assign it to different translators, or a translator and a proofreader, in a workflow. These are just some of the more important features of translation tools, but there are many others to help the translator in his trade. Now, is this Google Translate? No, but it can be…

One of the functions translation tools usually have is integration with Google Translate (or others like it). That means that they can suggest machine translation entries for certain sentences or terms. Then, it’s up to the translator to use them or not.

At this point, you may be wondering: have I been spending my money on Google Translate translations? Well… Only if you have chosen the wrong translators.

Back when I was a freelance translator, I used one of these translation tools connected to a machine translation algorithm for some time, and I realised it was only slowing me down. The process consisted of reading the source text, reading the Google Translate version, and then creating my own translation. I found myself glued to the Google Translate version a lot of the time. Having read the MT (machine translation) translation, it was difficult for me to find better options, even knowing that those weren’t the correct ones. And then, during proofreading, I could clearly tell that the translation had not been done by me. It came to the point that I totally disabled MT on my translation software.

So, rest assured: most translators either use MT just as a reference for some terms, or they don’t use it at all (and actually want to kill it with fire before it lays eggs). However, if you’re still not sure, there are ways to check if the translator or translation company you’re hiring have used MT. Try copying and pasting some sentences from the source text into Google Translate. If you get the exact same result for… say… 10 or 20 sentences… Well then, I suggest asking your translator what’s going on (note: it may still be a good translation, so be sure to ask before you shoot an innocent man/woman).

To sum up:

Is the translation software that most translators use the same as Google Translate? NO

Do translator’s use Google Translate? Some do, most don’t, I believe.

When a translator uses Google Translate, is the translation infected with a deadly virus? No, it can be a good translation, if properly proofread.

Can you detect whether Google Translate was used: If it was used properly, I would say no.

Can you detect if the translator ONLY used Google Translate: Most probably, yes.

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