To summarise, some of the features that such a product would need to offer include: online databases, an online project notes management system, the ability to split and join translation project segments without limit to present information in a different structure/order, sub-segment-level matching, Concordance and Filter functions and quality assurance tools that flag up problems and solutions both at the end of the project and on the fly.

 

But the single most important requirement is not so much any CAT feature as a change in mindset about how these tools can be used, deploying them (alongside briefing and feedback/debriefing sessions and focus groups etc) to link the supply side and client side in the translation process. It is the shift from using CAT as a passive productivity tool to harnessing it is an interactive quality tool, seeing it as an investment in quality as well as in systems integration. To put it another way, the quality model I am advocating doesn't involve turning our backs on translation technology, so much as harnessing its full potential.

 

CAT as a training and CPD aid

 

CAT can play many roles in the Global Information Management process, increasing productivity through the use of advanced word processing functions, enabling effective comparison of how given translation problems have been handled within a specific project or for a specific client, providing automatic terminology support and checks, recycling translations where appropriate and so on. It's the second and third of these roles that we are concerned with here, and not simply for the usual reasons of terminological accuracy and consistency. That's because a CAT tool can provide novice translators with a level of support that is otherwise only generally available when working in large in-house teams, where it is possible to consult one's colleagues frequently and benefit from systematic reviews and feedback. In fact, even junior in-house translators value this support, appreciating that it is provided without the time loss and potential embarrassment of constantly consulting their human colleagues. Within the context of our open model, this is particularly true when the CAT tool offers a Concordance function and is able to identify matches at a sub-segment level, providing guidance even when a single segment has been split into several or a number of segments have been joined and the order of information has been radically altered.

 

That these tools can provide the same level of support to a multitude of freelance translators working hundreds if not thousands of miles away from their clients makes them a crucial feedback tool. It also helps overcome the stalemate whereby freelance translators can - in the absence of feedback, which is a notoriously sensitive area - gain considerable experience over the years that unfortunately sees them simply repeating the same mistaken assumptions about the most appropriate terminology, discourse, style and presentation. Combining this CAT support with briefings and de-briefings has the potential to help freelances gain a much closer understanding of client and market requirements than they could otherwise acquire in the isolation of their offices.

 

No less important, these aspects of a CAT tool can be exploited within the framework of translator training, both in an academic setting and as part of continuing professional development courses for practising freelance translators, whether delivered in a traditional teaching scenario or using distance and e-learning methods. CAT could very effectively be built into professional development courses that deploy an integrated array of didactic tools to increase awareness of the issues involved in and techniques required to successfully adapt communications from one market and culture to another in the manner proposed in this article. Developing collaborative relationships between translation companies, translators' associations, academia and CAT software houses to develop and deliver such courses could rapidly achieve very significant results, raising quality standards and bringing a very practical focus and structure to the Continuing Professional Development that professional translation associations increasingly demand. Above all, it could play a strong role in substantially raising the public profile of our profession.

 

The technology and training obviously won't be a magic bullet in all this. The industry will also have to speak clearly to the market and provide some solid research and strong case histories to convince clients about the values of such a collaborative approach - notwithstanding the many precedents for it in other sectors. We'll likewise need to help our clients work with us from an early stage, structuring their communications with every end-market in mind to rationalise the adaptation required in subsequent localisation stages and achieve useful efficiencies. But the devil in such detail could in itself help carry the argument. As could the collaborative partnerships established to develop and disseminate the new systems and working practices, including through the use of placements and research consultancy projects and focus groups.

 

What the future holds in store

 

Anyone who claims to know what the future promises is bound to find themselves embarrassed sooner or later. But that's not why you won't find me engaged in any crystal-ball-gazing here. The reason's simple: there's no need for it because we can see already the wave fronts of these trends rolling in here and now. We can see a whole range of valuable initiatives bringing together translation associations, associations of translation companies, industry bodies and publicly-funded bodies, such as CILT in the United Kingdom. They all recognise that we need to work more closely if the translation industry is to meet the needs of commerce and industry more effectively, and if the latter is to achieve its objectives of both maintaining a competitive edge and engineering more effective and sustained penetration of today's mature markets. We see the translation industry as a whole becoming more and more acutely aware that our services may now cost less in real terms than they did 10 years ago, but are failing to drive value to our clients and help them meet their communication needs effectively. We see translators' associations increasingly recognising the need for some form of structured continuing professional development without as yet being able to identify how any related courses could take participants beyond consolidating the core marketing and technology-related competencies required. We see projects like eCoLoRe doing pioneering work, bringing European institutions, leading industry players and universities together to create the resources needed to help provide effective translator training. We see the industry pressing for new standards to define best practice, while recognising that quality metrics may need to go beyond them. We also see freelance translators successfully resisting the use of CAT tools because of their negative impact on quality when used inappropriately and, above all, their negative impact on income when companies use them primarily as a cost-cutting tool. We likewise see freelance translators acting either individually or in partnerships to provide the specialist cross-cultural consultancy that the increasing number of clients who have got their fingers burnt with inappropriate communications now demand, serving a niche market that many of the large translation companies still do not cover. We see new generations of CAT tools coming onto the market that offer more powerful features and greater support for teamwork and feedback. We see the development of e-learning platforms that are ideal for integration with other training methodologies that could radically transform the translator's role as a creator of target-language solutions that meet a client's original brief rather than as a producer of mirrors which echo the source language solution but miss the brief in their target culture.

 

All in all, we see the diverse elements of a massive new wave of potential to transform the way in which our services meet our clients' needs, an opportunity to transform the value we provide and the way we do business, an opportunity to radically redefine our profession and substantially increase our value and recognition. The key to achieving that, I believe, is this shift from an outdated closed quality model to an open model based, like almost every other product and service, on suitability for purpose. This will inevitably transform our professional profile as we play a proactive role in helping our clients bridge the cultures of their different markets while simultaneously evaluating and fine-tuning the results. After all, if the translation industry cannot help them do this, who can they look to?

 

Now, more than ever before, we have the knowledge and the technology to transform our profession. The final question is do we have the dedication, the professionalism and the resolve?

 

 

The ideas for this article grew out of a presentation Michael gave at the ATC 2005 Annual Conference, "Surviving & Prospering in a Changing Translation Market". The PowerPoint file of that presentation is available on the Association of Translation Companies' website at http://www.atc.org.uk.

 

The seeds of this approach grew out of a paper Michael presented at the eCoLoRe/MeLLANGE Workshop in Leeds earlier this year. The full text of the paper and accompanying PowerPoint presentation can be downloaded from http://ecolore.leeds.ac.uk/

 

The ClientSide News website can be found at http://www.clientsidenews.com/.

 

Michael welcomes feedback on his articles. You can contact him at michael@michaelbenis.com

First published in ITI Bulletin, 2005.