Ten good reasons for using a translation memory

More than 20 years after the first commercial translation memory products became available, surveys indicate that while the vast majority of those surveyed do use a translation memory system, less than 30 percent of translators use this type of tool for every translation project or on a daily basis. Studies of translation memory usage among even the most technically advanced users show that the benefits of using a translation memory - beyond reusing existing translation - are still not well understood.

Text by Uwe Muegge

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Ten good reasons for using a translation memory

Below is a discussion of the major benefits that users of any commercial translation memory product can enjoy. In the opinion of the author, each of these benefits is compelling enough on its own to justify the use of a translation memory tool for all but the most exotic translation projects.

1. Systematic translation re-use

This feature gave this type of tool its name: the capacity to store source and target segment together, which enables a translation memory system to propose a translation if the same or a similar source segment should appear in a future translation project. 

Unlike traditional translation environments, in which translators must actively search for previously translated sentences, translation memory systems automatically search their memories and present matches to the translator for re-use. In a translation memory environment, translators never translate the same ...