Businesses and everything that goes around building a great business are transforming at a fast pace. Companies have to continuously face challenges related to globalization, technology adoption, expansion, and localization. If there is one thing that can help global businesses effectively navigate through all the challenges, it is Automation.
Talking about globalization and business expansion, translating your content into native languages is crucial to building a global brand identity. Managing your global translation project is quite a headache for businesses, especially when you are targeting multiple regions at once. CAT tools are known to make your translation processes super-fast and smooth, making it easier for project managers to handle various translation projects simultaneously.
What are CAT Tools?
CAT tools are computer-assisted translation tools that help you generate automated translations and support your translators in managing translation operations. It speeds up your translation management operations and simplifies task management. It is a web-based translation management system that not just helps you with translation generation and management but also allows you to do document editing and QA testing from one place. Moreover, the demand for CAT tools is continuously increasing in the translation industry for localization project management.
Type of CAT Tools
There are different variations of computer-assisted translation software available in the market. They come under different names and have different specifications to help you get away with translation project management challenges. Following are some common types of CAT tools.
Translation Management System
A web-based translation management system is a type of CAT tool that automates your translation workflow and allows you to work on multiple translation tasks simultaneously. These systems come with MT features and enable remote translation team collaboration in real-time. You can customize your TMS software based on your business localization needs.
Machine Translation Engine
Professional machine translation engines are in high demand to create quick translations. You may find many paid and free-to-use MT tools online to help you produce instant translations. However, it is not recommended to use an open-source MT engine to translate your business’s technical documents and marketing copies.
Online Translation QA & Editing Tools
Tools to proofread and edit the translated document and ensure the quality of translation also fall under the category of CAT tools. These automated editing and QA tools use AI algorithms to detect errors and provide suggestions to improve your translation’s quality. Your professional localization platform may also contain CAT editing and QA features.
Translation Memory and Glossary Management Tools
CAT tools may also comprise features to create and manage your translation memory and brand glossaries. Through your CAT tools, you can effectively manage your translation resources. They provide you with features to create brand terminologies, maintain translation consistency, and maintain your translation databases effortlessly.
Top Benefits of Using CAT Tools
More businesses are welcoming the advanced CAT tools in their localization project for their translation project management cost-effectively and faster. Let’s have a look at the key advantages of CAT tools you should be aware of.
Seamless Translation Workflow
You don’t have to worry about complicated manual translation management because CAST tools make your translation operations automated and well-organized. It significantly reduces the excessive workload of translators and lets the machine handle the most operational tasks. It also saves the time and effort required to fulfill your translation operations.
Maintain Translation Consistency & Quality
CAT tools provide you with all the tools that you may need to improve your translation quality. From features to create and manage your translation glossaries to QA tools, it allows you to effectively go about your translation project execution without compromising the quality aspect.
Effective Resource Management
It will be less waste and mismanagement of resources when you have a reliable and professional CAT tool in place. It allows you to make the best use of your localization project management resources and monitor the resource usage in real-time. Better resource management helps you effectively govern your finances and put your money on the right stuff.
Cost Effective Translation
Adopting an automated approach to your translation project management has a direct impact on your overall project budget. It reduces your need for professional translators, and you can get most of your translation work done by machine translation tools. Moreover, it prevents the wastage of resources, so you can make good use of investment.
Reduced Time to Market
How quickly you can manage your translation project and make your global brand available in the market, have a huge impact on your ROI. Reducing the time to launch, update or market your product in a new market is going to decide your brand’s destiny in that particular marketplace. So, the less time you take to deliver the translated content, the more quickly you can launch your brand.