From manually translated strings to automated translations, localization has indeed come a long way. Find out how translating has changed with time, how CAT tools work, and how they make a translator’s life easier.
What are CAT tools? CAT tools are softwares or platforms that make a translator’s work easier and efficient. Before they existed, translators had to manually translate using a pen and paper, or later on use two different Word documents, shifting from tab to tab. But the problem here is that they would get lost in translation. ‘Am i translating this sentence, or this one?’
CAT tools had solved this problem; typically these tools would have two columns, one for the source, and the other for target language. Then the strings would be uploaded into the CAT and processed, where the translator can go easily string by string, without getting lost in the translation.
It gets even better, because CAT tools can be connected to a TM. Therefore, if there is a string that has already been translated before, it can automatically be populated from the TM. This is one of the key things in translation: a CAT tool that works seamlessly with TM enables translators to work correctly and efficiently, always focus on the right string, and with QA checks to automatically check errors that get introduced during translation.
