Most Used CAT Tools
With the development of technology and its great importance in our lives, there has been change and innovation in the field of translation. It was enough to use paper, pencil and dictionaries to translate before technology came into our lives and even computers were not invented. Today, however, the number of people using dictionaries is negligible. Of course, in this case, the development of technology and the benefits of technological devices in translation play a major role. Translators need to follow technological developments and invest in these technological developments in order to adapt to the conditions of the sector. CAT tools are the most important technological developments.
CAT tools means computer-assisted translation. Translators use a variety of software to make their translations easier. These are also called CAT tools. So, what are the most used CAT tools? Here are the answers…
- SDL Trados
- Wordfast
- Memo@
- Deja Vu
- Across
- SDLV
- OmegaT
- Idiom
- Transit
The above CAT tools are the most preferred CAT tools by translators. So, how to use cat tools?
How to Use CAT Tools?
Translators generally use Microsoft Word during their translation. However, writing tools developed by other companies, including the Microsoft Word program in question, may not be sufficient for translators today. In addition to ordinary writing tools, translators need a variety of software that can create their own storage space, provide features such as terminology management and project management, that they can prepare their own terminology dictionaries or use ready terminology dictionaries. These tools are CAT tools. It is possible to describe the CAT tools in the simplest way as writing tools that are produced specifically for translators. It is possible to use CAT tools just as easily as Microsoft Word. CAT tools provide translators with different experiences and benefits beyond writing. So, what are those experiences and benefits?
Benefits of CAT Tools
CAT tools are primarily developed for translators, especially unlike traditional writing tools such as Word. Therefore, it is possible to reach all kinds of services and features that will facilitate the needs, requests and works of the translators through CAT tools. The main purpose of the CAT tools is to apply terminology dictionaries belonging to or used by the translator to the source text and to transfer the identified matches from the terminology dictionary to the target text by translating them. With this feature of the CAT tools, the translator can easily see how s/he has used certain terms or expressions before and how the terminology dictionary owner has used those expressions. This enables the translator to produce a consistent and regular translation text. In addition, with the CAT tools project management feature, form control is done in the translations. In this way, it provides the ability to translate online over the internet, enabling translators to be active in online translation.