Translator use of Computer-Aided Translation (CAT) tools
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Overview
During the last virtual event for members of the Certified PRO Network, attendees were invited to discuss practical and economic aspects of CAT tools. The discussion contained several points in favor of the use of CAT tools in translation.
But, why would be the use of CAT tools a requirement for professional translators? Or better, why should a professional translator learn how to use a CAT tool? Let's try to answer this question by addressing a set of points that have in turn their own questions and answers.
FAQ questions about the use of CAT tools
What percentage of projects require the use of CAT tools?
In the last 4 years, the use of CAT tools as a requirement or a preference grew 39.5%. In 2007, 10,881 jobs were posted at ProZ.com with at least one CAT tool as required or preferred by the job poster. This number grew slightly in 2008 and 2009 with 11,393 and 11,315 jobs respectively. However, in 2010, the number of jobs that required or preferred the use of a CAT tool raised substantially to 15,188.
It is worth noticing that these numbers correspond only to posted jobs. This means that direct offers sent via email --which are actually the main source of jobs at ProZ.com-- are not being accounted for.
We also find that the results of a recent quick poll support the idea that an important percentage of projects require the use of CAT tools. From 1,802 votes, 23.8% state that 91-100% of their projects require the use of CAT tools.
Members of the Certified PRO Network that participated in the discussion agreed that, while clients that require the use of CAT tools tend to be translation agencies (because they provide and request back specific TMs depending on the project, and may have several translators working on the same project with a single TM), it may also be very effective to use CAT tools when translating projects for end clients since these help to improve productivity and quality.
Do CAT tools improve productivity?
When asked if using a CAT tool improves productivity, a member of the Certified PRO Network replied: "if the tool is appropriate, and if it is used appropriately, it certainly does". But before learning how to use a CAT tool appropriately, we should first define what "being more productive" means, and how productive we are now to be able to measure any productivity increase with the use of a CAT tool. For this, translators are encouraged to know their own capacity. This means knowing the average of words per month, day, week and hour they can translate. Productivity in translation can be defined then as the ratio of what a translator produces to what s/he is required to produce.
How do CAT tools improve productivity then? As informed in the presentation "State of the industry: freelancers in 2010" offered during the 2010 Freelance Translator Virtual Conference, translators working with TMs report they work, on average, between 20-30% faster than without TMs, saving 20%-30% of their time, representing in turn 20%-30% more income per hour.
Just as we cannot deny that the jump from a typewriter to a word processor was a noticeable jump in productivity, we cannot deny the existence of CAT tools as productivity tools then.
Do CAT tools improve quality?
Another practical aspect discussed by members of the network was quality. While opinions seem to be diverse, no one denied a possible connection between the use of CAT tools and quality. Professional translators in the network agreed that the use of CAT tools improves consistency and some of them took this idea further to assure that if consistency improves, so does quality, an idea which does not seem too far-fetched.
On the other hand, 56.3% of the participants in a recent poll on the relationship between CAT tools and quality agreed that the use of CAT tools does not necessarily improve translation quality.
All in all, some professional translators say that the use of CAT tools goes hand in hand with specialization. The use of CAT tools to create and keep TMs in specific fields of expertise certainly improves productivity (translators do not need to search for the term online or in a dictionary for a second or third time, not even browse a glossary, since the TM will suggest the most appropriate term using the field of expertise as context). This type of productivity, in which the chances of using the right term in a given context are high, should have an immediate impact on quality.
How long does it take to learn how to use a CAT tool?
Most professional translators will agree in that the amount of time needed to learn how to use a CAT tool will vary depending on the level of computer knowledge the translator has. Nonetheless, a recent poll shows that learning to use a CAT tool takes less than a week. This time may be reduced if a course is taken.
Professional translators are encouraged to start by learning the basics of CAT tools and then move forward to learn about specific features offered by the different CAT tools available in the market. Mastering the use of CAT tools --and taking productivity and consistency to the next level-- is just a matter of time and practice.
How many CAT tools does a translator have to know how to use?
It has been suggested that every translator should know how to use at least one CAT tool, and in fact another recent poll suggests that about 75% of translators have mastered at least one CAT tool (22.4% can offer their services in 2 CAT tools, while 30.5% can work with 3 or more).
Starting with one CAT tool is recommended. Once the concepts of MT, matches, repetitions, etc. are clearly understood, translators will find it easier to acquire knowledge of other CAT tools in less amount of time.
Summary of benefits
Let's summarize now the benefits of using CAT tools and answer our initial question: "why should a professional translator learn how to use a CAT tool?":
- because, since an important number of clients require or prefer the use of CAT tools for their projects, by using at least one CAT tool we make sure we are not missing out the chance to get new projects.
- because the correct use of CAT tools increases productivity and with it, your income.
- because CAT tools improve consistency and with it, quality.
- because learning how to use a CAT tool takes less than a week (not to mention that it may take a day if learned by taking a specialized course).
- because by learning to use just one CAT tool your business may improve substantially.
Conclusion
Now, are CAT tools worth the investment? This depends on the service being offered, the amount of time available to learn how to use them, as well as on personal choice. However, giving CAT tools a try before deciding the benefits they offer could be a good start.
