New and advanced technologies have candidly transformed the way brands localize their content. One such system is translation memory. Many types of translation memory software are available, which mostly form a part of a larger Translation Management System (TMS). Translation memory technology is a blessing to today’s translators.
What is Translation Memory?
A translation memory is a glossary that records sentences, paragraphs or segments of text that have been translated before. Translation memories help the localization process, improving the quality, speed, consistency and efficiency of every translation job.
How does TM work?
TM does not work on its own – it should be incorporated into CAT tools. Based on earlier translations saved in the TM, the system offers recommendations.
Depending on the similarity of the source and target segments, the system provides matches with different percentages (fussy matches).
Why TM is beneficial?
Translation Memory is not used to restore the human translator, but rather to accelerate the translation process by taking up some tasks. While TM helps the work of the translators, it can be advantageous to clients as well!
- Speeds up the translation: Previous translations are saved so that they can be reused later.
- Reduces cost: Since translators have minimal to translate, the client has to pay less.
- Saves time: Repeated segments get inevitably translated saving the translator and clients time.
- Increases quality: Translation Memory records the correct phrases and sentences and this can be extremely beneficial when more than one translator work on the same project.
- Consistency in Translation: When the same segments have to be translated over and over again, Translation Memory helps the translators to maintain consistency throughout the whole content.
It is important to note that translation memory is more advantageous for keeping the consistency of whole sentences and less so for consistent terminology usage. Glossary management is usually a much better solution to sort out terminology inconsistency. This is due to the fact fuzzy string matching algorithms take into account entire sentences and are not great algorithms surrounding terminology differences when comparing two sentences.
Some translation service providers will offer a concession on sentences already in a translation memory when asked. Concessions are often provided based on the similarity of the sentences translated to a match in the translation memory. 100% matches are sometimes called ICE (in-context exact) matches, and anything below 100% is called a fuzzy match.
Translation Memory vs. Glossary: What is the difference?
A glossary is also a browsable database, but it works on a different level. While a Translation Memory is all about recovering similar translation units of texts, a glossary is focused on particular terms and is best compared to a dictionary. A glossary may identify the translation of a given word, its definition, and its usage rules.
A glossary is beneficial for:
- Technical terms—translators can make sure they are using the accurate translation across all languages.
- Acronyms—a similar acronym may stand for something different from one industry to another. A glossary gives the information they need to the translators, so there are no translation issues.
- Product names—they are particular to your business and must be translated in a particular way, or sometimes should not be translated at all. There again, the glossary helps the translator make the correct decision.
Final Thoughts
The more time you save using a translation memory, the more time your translators get to work on other translation projects, thus improving the profitability. With Translation Memory, you get an efficient localization platform that helps you translate and localize text into your desired targeted language. The best outcome will be delivered.
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