Modernising the Translation Process - New Server Solution at Halifax

The nostalgic smell and the soft touch of thin paper and fat dictionaries are gradually on their way to pension. We have even seen the last of the days when translators used dictionaries on CDs. Though the need for specialized professional dictionaries will never fade, they are shifting to the internet, available at the click of a mouse. But to translate a legal text containing expressions from several subject areas such as finance, economy, trade or insurance, a translator must reach for at least two or three dictionaries to be sure of the best translation of every professional term.

There are many applications on the market that use a CAT methodology (computer-assisted translation). These programs speed up the work of translators, proofreaders, editors and managers of translation projects, because they save the translated sentences and phrases, remember the terminology, keep the original formatting and file all documents from the same project in one place. In doing this they assure quality and consistency of translation, and a professional management of the translation project. The translation memory saves translated segments of the text, so that a given phrase need only be translated once, after which its translation will automatically pop up from memory. However, it is important for everyone taking part in the process to work carefully, since this help can be a double-edged sword – any error in the first translation will be repeated in subsequent ones until it is discovered and corrected.

These programmes also enable the creation of term bases in any professional domain, which contributes to a more coherent professional terminology no matter how many translators work on a document or project. This can be important for clients, who can then be sure that their standard terms and phrases are consequently employed. They can provide term bases and memories, and require that a translation is entirely in harmony with their usual translation rules. The best results can of course be seen in translations of legal, financial, technical, scientific and above all professional documentation that demands a fixed and precise terminology.

In March 2014, Halifax decided to invest in a MemoQ server facility with translator and manager licenses, to further improve the quality and consistency of its translations. Following several years in which Halifax had already successfully applied international standards in management of the translation process, we decided that this MemoQ facility was one more inevitable step in advancing the continuous improvement of the quality of our services. The results did not disappoint: a high-quality, coherent translation and translation management of some 10,000 pages of acquis communautaire in seven months. Since Halifax counts many state institutions among its clients, MemoQ has been of inestimable value in the translation of laws and other legislative acts that must be harmonised with earlier versions of the same document and often translated as part of an emergency procedure. Banks, for example, are extremely demanding translation clients and we are proud that an increasing number approach us and that we are able to offer them services of the highest quality. Our server is partly to thank for this.

But it is still important to remember that without good translators and good translation management it is not possible to provide a respectable translation. Even the most advanced programme cannot think for you – so rely on your own resources or, as the English would say, If you want something done well, do it yourself. I don't think a programme would be able to translate this better. But the help of friends, in this case a little software, can never harm. The combination of natural and artificial intelligence is the obvious winner.

Author: Ana Stijelja, Halifax Translation