Reap the rewards - Translation Memory explained
Monday, April 21, 2008 at 11:34AM Translation Memory
What TM is -
For a professional translator, it's an indispensable tool that improves consistency of terminology and, with proper management, can speed up the translation process.
From a client's perspective, the benefits are two fold - it's an efficient and effective method of ensuring that preferred terms are used consistently, and over time, significant savings on your translation costs are possible.
What TM is not -
TM, also known as computer-aided translation, should never be confused with automatic machine translation which, in spite of many years of development, is still completely unusable in any professional capacity.
What savings can I expect from TM?
Translation Memory (TM) tools can offer savings in a similar way to a high street shop reward scheme. With each translation, the TM database grows. As the database grows, its capacity to identify repeat text increases. Because Creative Translation offers a 50% discount for repeated text, over time your translations become significantly cheaper, which can only be a good thing.
Not all agencies offer TM discounts.
You can only benefit from TM discounts if;
1. Your translation agency actually offers a repeat text discount.
Creative Translation offers a 50% discount!
2. You stay with the same translation agency.
(Agencies don't share their TMs. If you keep changing agencies the TM never gets a chance to grow).
3. Your agency manages the TM centrally
(Critical to ensure the TM is fully up-to-date).
Why manage the TM centrally?
Most translators have TM tools, they are an essential requirement for any professional translator. However, some agencies leave it to the translator to update their TM databases. Updating the TM can be a lengthy process; a translator may be under pressure to get on with the next translation rather than spend time updating their TMs. Agencies who do not manage the TM centrally will have no idea whether their translator's TM is up-to-date. This not only reduces their efficiency but also means you will very likely pay full price for translation every time.
Because we offer a 50% discount on repeat text and manage our TMs centrally, you benefit from the maximum discount possible.
