The world has become extremely interconnected in the 21st century, and humans have achieved unimaginable progress within the last 40 years or so. We can communicate on long distances, work without leaving our bedrooms, and substitute all leisure and activities with digital counterparts. Yet, despite such vast advancements, some challenges of the past seem to pursue us to the present day. One of such challenges is the language barrier. While being a somewhat less serious threat than it was 20 years ago, people around the world still speak hundreds and thousands of languages and have to travel a lot. Thankfully, technology can be helpful here as well.

 Lifesaver Tech

A translation exists in a number of different forms and can be performed by a variety of specialists or technology. Interpretation, for example, can be done only by a human specialist so far while different kinds of written translation should be performed by different kinds of equipment. If you just need to get a general sense of what’s going on in a blog post, song, or a paragraph from the article that interests you, you can confidently use basic machine translation software.

When things get more serious, however, the translation gets correspondingly more complex and multifaceted. Without a doubt, you can and should check the Translation Report to find human translators for such matters. Yet, sometimes, things might be somewhat different from the typical and easy situation. What if you feel like your business does not need a freelance human specialist for translation? Or, on the contrary, you actually have a full-time translator in your team? Is there any possibility that translation software can be used for business purposes? In fact, there is, and it’s quite a big one.

 H2: 6 Translation Apps to Help Your Business in 2021

For people who are not specialists in languages, machine translation might likely be associated with a rather sloppy (although quite powerful at times) Google Translate or similar platforms. Yet, at the same time, you might have heard that lots of professional translators use machine translation as well. 

So, why are things so confusing? That’s because there’s a category of machine translation designed particularly for professional purposes. Such software serves language professionals to simplify their routine and monotonous processes in order for them to concentrate on the essence of translation. And that’s exactly the kind of translation you should consider seriously for your business. Here are some of the best examples of such equipment.

1. SDL Trados. 

A classic software complex that includes most of the things to make the life of a professional translator much easier. Favored by professionals, translation services, and businesses employing translators, this office solution offers translation memory tools, lots of customizable professional dictionaries, and cloud services. At the same time, this powerful translation machine works offline, so your translators will not have to bother too much with the internet connection all the time.

1. memoQ. 

Designed primarily as a translation memory tool, this desktop solution for professional translators is very similar to SDL Trados’ product. With a few powerful professional dictionaries, cloud services, and team organizers, memoQ is also somewhat more user-friendly. While SDL Trados can sometimes get a bad rap for being exhaustingly hard to understand, the developers of memoQ appear to have a more relaxed attitude, thus, creating and updating memoQ to be an accessible, yet still powerful modern alternative.

1. Déjà vu. 

Somewhat similar to memoQ, this solution works well both online and offline, has similar functionality to the previous tools on the list, and is generally considered very reliable. On top of that, it’s somewhat cheaper than the previous examples. Its particular competitive advantage is its broad vocabulary and terminology database, which can be updated by users, thus, constantly evolving. The downside of this solution can be a somewhat limited function of other components like translation memory, yet, if you don’t have a large team of translators, that will not be a problem at all.

1. Memsource.

Another example of a powerful computer-assisted translation tool, which works both online and offline, yet designed primarily as a cloud-based service. On the upside, Memsource is reasonably priced, however, is also subscription-based. So, you’ll need to keep that in mind in order for the tool not to go down due to late payment. Aside from that, Memsource contains all the same functions its desktop counterparts do, with a minor downside being relatively slow work when dealing with larger files and projects.

1. MateCat. 

A complete cloud and web-based solution for freelance translators and companies, MateCat is one of the best tools for small businesses. Having nearly all functions described for other solutions above, MateCat goes absolutely free, with an unlimited number of projects and teammates. Yet, after using it for some time for commercial purposes, you might want to purchase a plan, after all. Aside from the main functions, it also includes all possible customizations of the interface and full technical and customer support at any time of day or night.

1. Microsoft Translator. 

Now, if you’re in for a free and simple solution, you can always use Microsoft Translator. Being much superior to a popular solution, such as Google Translate, this mobile and desktop app can do quite a lot for its size. It works with over 60 languages, is available offline, and works well with written, spoken, and image translations. Although it’s considered a rather amateur solution, Microsoft Translator can work well if you cannot use the alternative at the moment.

The Power of Digital

Computers and digital technology help us a lot in everyday life. They save our time, make everything faster, and, most importantly, help us concentrate on things that are the most important. This concerns all areas of human activity, no exception. When it comes to translation in business, technology often plays an invaluable role. With powerful software solutions, translators are able to complete tasks of extraordinarily high difficulty at an extremely fast pace, thus, allowing the business to flourish and leave the competitors behind.

BIO:

Merissa covers only those topics she feels she never encountered before in her career. That allows her to take a new subject by surprise and master it in no time. On top of that, this certainly keeps Merissa interested in writing.