Computer-Aided Translation (CAT) tools have an interesting history that dates back to the late 20th century. These tools were developed to assist human translators in their work by providing a range of features to streamline and improve the translation process.
The concept of CAT tools emerged in the 1970s and 1980s when computers became more accessible and capable of handling language processing tasks. One of the earliest pioneers in this field was IBM, which developed a system called Candide in the late 1970s. Candide was designed to assist translators by storing previously translated texts in a database for reuse, helping to improve consistency and efficiency.
In the 1990s, the development of CAT tools gained momentum with the advent of Windows-based software and the internet. Companies like Trados, which introduced their Translation Memory (TM) software, played a significant role in popularizing CAT tools. Translation Memory allowed translators to store and reuse previously translated segments of text, enabling greater consistency across translations and saving time.
Over time, CAT tools evolved to offer a variety of features beyond just Translation Memory. They began incorporating terminology management, glossaries, machine translation integration, quality assurance checks, and collaborative capabilities, among other functionalities.
CAT tools have continued to advance, integrating artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to enhance translation quality, improve productivity, and streamline workflows for translators and localization professionals.
Today, CAT tools are an essential part of the translation and localization industry, used by freelance translators, translation agencies, and multinational corporations to handle multilingual content efficiently and accurately. They have become indispensable tools for managing complex translation projects in various domains, contributing significantly to the field of language translation and localization.
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See our previous blog post on “Getting to Know Four Types of Machine Translations”.
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