Sometimes, even if your job has nothing to do with translating, now, and then you have to look up a few words. There are many programs to help with this now. When choosing the right one for you, you should pay attention to its functionality, cost, coverage of different dialects, and other parameters. This is where the difficulties begin because choosing software that is right for your specific needs is a tricky task. Having that in mind, how does one choose appropriate software?
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Things To Keep In Mind When Choosing Software For Translation
Picking the right software may seem like a pretty straightforward process, but, considering the amount and broad variety of available programs and applications that exist nowadays, one should narrow down possible choices based on their immediate personal needs.
No worries, we will help you choose! First, answer some questions:
- What type of software do you need? Maybe it is a program for machine translation, a dictionary, software with translation memory, translation management software, or something entirely different? It depends on your purposes, needs, and the task at hand.
- Do you need an online or an offline program? Many search for interpretation programs for traveling and such use often requires the program to be available without an internet connection. If you intend to use software for work, this requirement might not be as relevant for you.
- Are you willing to invest in your software? There are countless great translation software options out there, and some of them are paid. However, if you are not inclined to spend money on such a program, you will be pleased to know that plenty of free programs are in no way inferior in features and quality to their chargeable counterparts.
- Do you need help in a specific field? There are programs for general interpretation, but you may require one that is designed specifically for technical, medical, legal, business, or other types of translations. If so, it is best to use an appropriate program for optimal results.
- What do you need to translate? Once this question is answered it may turn out that your best option is not software at all, but professional service. Check out some of the best translation websites by PickWriters if you don’t know which agency to turn to. After all, if you need help with official documentation, papers for VISA application, medical or legal documentation, programs often won’t cut it.
Time-Tested Software
The market is filled with heaps of programs and applications that promise to make your life easier, but unless one knows their way around them, many hours can be spent testing different software and options still may prove unsatisfactory. However, experienced translators have a good idea of which programs can be trusted and which should be avoided.
Here are 5 translation programs that one can’t go wrong with:
- Lokalise. Helps to interpret applications, websites, games, etc.
- Phrase. A platform that facilitates localization. Facilitates teamwork, project management, allows API integration, and supports numerous file formats.
- Smartcat. CAT (Computer-assisted translation) tool that includes translation memory, machine translation, glossary management, and many more.
- SDL Trados Studio. CAT tool that offers neural machine translation, glossary and project management, translation memory, and other useful features.
- MemoQ. Provides machine translation, translation memory, glossary management and has other useful features.
Picking the right program is not easy – you must make sure its functionality matches your needs but isn’t overpowered with features you have no use for. Luckily, in our time everyone can find software suited for their needs. We hope this article helped you make an informed decision!
Author BIO: An unchallenged specialist in her field, Elizabeth analyzes modern trends and proven solutions regarding translation. An extensive background in linguistics and software development makes her a go-to professional for everything related to localization. Elizabeth is eager to contribute to other people’s knowledge, so she writes articles covering various relevant topics. Besides work, she is a huge movie lover and aspiring guitar player.
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