CAT Tools

What are CAT tools? 

Computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools help translators and linguists increase their productivity. The software organizes translatable text into smaller segments, which can be recalled later during the process to maximize re-use, thereby increasing consistency and efficiency. Originally desktop-only, recent CAT tools have been deployed via the cloud. The most modern take a hybrid approach that enables translators and translation project managers to work seamlessly online or offline, using desktop tools or browsers, or even work on the go using mobile apps. 

A typical CAT Tool provides the following capabilities: 

• Translation memory 
• Terminology management 
• Machine translation access 
• Custom dictionaries

Example Use Cases

CAT tools have many use cases, including: 

• Standardizing translation work 
• Managing linguistic assets and data 
• Repurposing previous translation effort

Key Benefits

CAT tools benefit translators in a variety of ways, allowing them to: 

• Translate more content 
• Manage projects easily 
• Increase consistency and quality

Related Terms

• Machine translation 
• Translation management