Translation can sometimes be a tedious process, covering a multitude of topics that require not only extensive research but also contextual knowledge. But thanks to the digital revolution, professional translators now have access to creative tools, software, and resources that can help lighten their load and improve their efficiency, consistency, and overall quality.
Besides their professional experience and skills, translators also use trusted resources like online translation tools, terminology lists, dictionaries, and reference books to ensure they deliver high-quality translations.
Here’s a look at some of the best online tools that our team of professionals at Day Translations recommends:
Linguee
Linguee is a crowd favorite that combines a dictionary with a search engine. The tool makes searching for bilingual texts, words, and expressions in various languages easier, ensuring contextual translations are accurate.
The Free Dictionary
The Free Dictionary is, as the name implies, a dictionary that also doubles up as a thesaurus and encyclopedia. From medical to financial and legal dictionaries, there are many great resources here for translators to use. It also features a plethora of idioms, acronyms, and quotes across several languages.
SDL Trados Studio
SDL Trados is a computer-assisted translation (CAT) tool that boasts TM, machine translation, software localization, and terminology resources. You can use the 30-day free demo version to give this tool a run for its money if you’re not quite sure whether it’s the right fit for your needs.
MemoQ
MemoQ is a piece of translation software developed for freelance translators and offers a range of functions to improve your efficiency and accuracy. It can also help you ensure the use of correct terminology.
Translators Café
Translators Café is much more of a community forum than a tool, but it’s a great place to get advice from other experienced translators when you need it most. Registering as a member is free and also allows you to bid on and land translating jobs at no cost. With no escrow accounts, payments for jobs found on this platform are paid directly to freelancers.
Fluency Now
Fluency Now is a premium CAT tool that features translation memory functions. Compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems, this tool can help freelance translators provide accurate translations by giving them access to terminology and checking for accuracy in contextual translations.
Zanata
Zanata is an online workflow tool for anyone working with translation and localization projects. Zanata’s TM finds and suggests the best translation matches across the system, and the Editor can be used in your browser, no installation necessary.
Microsoft Language Portal
Translators that specialize in IT and software highly recommend Microsoft Language Portal for searching for crucial Microsoft terms and general IT terminology. The glossary comprises more than 25,000 defined terms, including their English definitions translated into 100 different languages.
OmegaT
OmegaT is a free translation memory open-source software that translators use to work through computer-assisted translations and automatic match propagation. It uses multiple translation memories simultaneously and allows you to process various file projects at the same time. With Unicode support that can be used with non-Latin alphabets, a spell checker, and the fact that it’s compatible with other TM apps make this a great translation tool!
WordFast Pro
As a standalone, multi-platform TM tool, WordFast Pro, it’s suitable for anyone from freelance translators to project managers. The tool allows you to import and export TMs, a functionality most other CAT tools do not feature.
SmartCAT
SmartCAT is a collaborative CAT tool that streamlines the translation process by allowing all contributors of a translation project to collaborate in real-time. The software is cloud-based and features multilingual TM and glossary creation functionality.
Magic Search
If you want access to terminology at your fingertips, try Magic Search. This multilingual search engine will give you one-page results of multiple dictionaries and other helpful resources for language pairs. From Word Reference to TAUS and IETA, Magic Search dives deep into numerous resources to give you the results you need.
IATE
IATE (Interactive Terminology for Europe) was launched in 1999 and serves as the European Union’s inter-institutional terminology database. It’s a valuable resource to ensure you’re delivering consistent quality when working with EU region language pairs.
Choosing the Right Translation Tool for Your Needs
If you’re planning to purchase translation tools, you absolutely have to consider the tool’s ability to improve productivity and efficiency. Translation tools should be able to create translation memory, and they should be inter-compatible with your existing CAT tool.
At Day Translations, we guarantee the quality and accuracy of our translations because our team of professional translators has decades of combined experience across a multitude of languages and uses top-of-the-line software to ensure consistency on all projects.