{"id":424,"date":"2016-03-25T18:34:00","date_gmt":"2016-03-25T13:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ulatus.com\/translation-blog\/?p=424"},"modified":"2024-12-06T01:10:36","modified_gmt":"2024-12-05T19:40:36","slug":"the-case-for-translation-memory-and-termbases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ulatus.com\/translation-blog\/the-case-for-translation-memory-and-termbases\/","title":{"rendered":"The Case for Translation Memory and Termbases"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the world of translation, there are three main ways to move text from one language into another. The first is by way of computer translation software (machine translation<\/a>), the second in computer-assisted translation (where the computer translates the document and a human edits the translation), and the third is good, old-fashioned human translation.<\/p>\n

Each translation method has its advantages and disadvantages. Most of these are are related to time, expense, and accuracy. While there is simply no comparison to human translation<\/a> when it comes to accuracy, the computer models are making great strides and, in many simpler languages, can come close to human translation in basic, highly repetitive texts. These advances are directly related to advances in translation memory and termbases.<\/p>\n

A Translation Memory and Termbase Primer<\/h2>\n

A termbase is basically just like it sounds: a list of terms. You might equate it to a bilingual glossary. Whenever a word is translated from one language to another, it gets added to the termbase. Blue is azule, green is verde, red is rojo, and so forth.<\/p>\n

Termbases are built not only from one language to another but from language to language to language. This is why you can Google “love in 50 languages” or “hello in 100 languages” and receive translations for these words instantaneously. Granted, these translations do not explain the cultural nuances<\/a> associated with them, the etiquette necessary to use them properly, or the contextual elements of the translation. After all, they are just words from a termbase.<\/p>\n

Translation memory goes a step further. This is an element of a more advanced translation system that identifies word use, syntax, grammar, and so forth. A termbase could identify the word heart, but if you needed to translate “pulling the strings of my heart” you would not want a termbase response. Instead, you would want the computer to reference the last time this phrase was and translated into the target language and do the same thing again. This is using translation memory.<\/p>\n

English is rife with homonyms and homophones, metaphors, and similes. These are often quite difficult to translate because of the many ways in which they are used. Thanks to complex context and syntax models, advances are being made in translation memory each day, and, when used consistently, even these difficult language patterns can be translated accurately by computer.<\/p>\n

Benefits of Translation Memory<\/h2>\n