For those people who cannot or don’t want to use Trados, there are no longer any impediments. Many translators (actually, more than translators, they are just people who work as translators. Translators usually don’t have a problem with updating their skills and/or technology) make excuses when it comes to using CAT tools, especially because they are not very fond of technology, or don’t trust the installation or the functionality of new programs. In general, they are terrified of novelty. So, for those people who are not so fond of technology, MemSource is a tool that just might be the ideal solution to awaken them from their lethargy.
MemSource gets its name from the Czech company MemSource Technologies, a company specializing in the development of translation software in the cloud. One of its most popular tools is MemSource Cloud … but what is translating in the cloud?!
Think of it as a translation server, a sort of FTP server, from which you can download files—MS Word, Adobe InDesign, MS PowerPoint, Quark, TagEditor, etc.—without distinction of labels, segments or anything of the sort. That’s known as the “cloud,” i.e., an online space where the translator can receive his/her assignments, work on them using the same platform (or save them locally as you would any other conventional project) and save them for upload to the server. Thus, all the work is done online. All you need is a user name, a password and a basic Internet connection to operate this tool seamlessly.
With MemSource, the file is translated on a two-column template: source language on one side and target language on the other. As a translator you’ll never have to worry about opening or closing memories, cleaning files, or downloading segments from the term base or the concordance feature. Your job is simply to translate into a column and save the document. The updating of memories and the cleaning-up of files is borne by the PM.
What’s more, since it’s an online tool, the PM can check the work progress, see if the translator is on track to reach the deadline, or even have two people working simultaneously to accelerate the translation process, i.e., one person could be translating while the other one’s editing in tandem.
MemSource is a highly commendable platform for those translators who are not familiar with the use of the classic tools in computer assisted translation and who only have a basic knowledge of information technology. By using this tool, they will surely increase their chances of being considered by the agencies that work with Trados and translation memories. Do you know of another tool that is as simple and friendly as this one?
To read the original Spanish post go to /?page_id=114978
