CAT Tools

What are CAT tools and how do they work?

Computer-assisted translation software encompasses a range of professional tools that have become standard in the localization industry. CAT tools require a fundamental component – one that’s maybe a little dated but not yet outdated – to deliver the final product: human creativity. CAT software is able to analyze the original file and segment it, i.e. divide it into units of varying lengths according to a specific logic. This makes it possible to identify and isolate:

• Parts that are very similar to one another, for example phrases where there is only a small change in some of the words, the order of the prepositions, or a punctuation mark

• Repetitions, such as the headers and footers of a document or presentation

• Content that may not be translatable, such as numbers, placeholders, or hyperlinks

To take advantage of these features, CAT tools save the segments completed by the translator in a database to suggest them again later. Let’s say that this phrase appears on the second page of a brochure:

Novilinguists provides a range of language services

The translator translates it, saves the segment in the database, and moves on to the next one. Then this phrase appears 50 pages later (or in another file in the same project):

Novilinguists provides translation and localization services

In this case, the CAT tool notices that there is a very similar segment in the memory and suggests it to the translator, who only has to change “a range of language services” to “translation and localization services.” With the assistance of these tools, translators can work faster and ensure better internal consistency. In turn, this also benefits you, too: Thanks to CAT tools, we can offer you high‑quality translations at a cost that fits your budget.

To make the most of the benefits of computer-assisted translation, leave your content up to us from the start: We’ll take care of the preparation, localization and desktop publishing processes, so all you’ll have to do is distribute it once you get it back.

Which CAT tools do we use?

We know how to work with:

If your company uses a different CAT tool or proprietary translation software, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us: We like learning to use new tools and we can do it very quickly.