ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 is about the CAT tool translation memory (TM) and its characteristics, its operation, its inflexibility compared to, for example, the terminology database, and how the translator can customise their TM. The interoperability of the TM in XLIFF and TMX files enables translators to collaborate and maintain consistency across desktop CAT tools or on servers. The TM is reviewed from the translator’s perspective in relation to the industry’s mantra: less time, better efficiency, and higher translation quality, which requires a critical examination of the analysis feature and the pricing of translation projects. We discuss how the alignment feature in the CAT tool enables us to create translation units from previously translated texts. Helpful functions in the TM tool which are less well known, such as filters and regex, are included. A better understanding of the TM will help us optimise its benefits and achieve higher levels of consistency and quality in shared projects.
