ABSTRACT
The translator's tools are very much a part of the translation process. Having students do all of their practice translations with pen and paper during training would be akin to having dentists-in-training use a manual drill, pliers and plaster of paris to repair patients teeth. No matter how highly developed the emerging dentist's dexterity, knowledge of anatomy and awareness of the principles of modern dentistry, the results would in no way reflect the capabilities of that same dentist aided by state-of-the-art tools of the practice. Knowledge-in-action is mediated by the tools we use; thus an important part of the education of any professional must entail practical training in learning how to use the everyday tools of the profession. The current rapid evolution of hard- and software, many of the electronic tools in use by translators today on a daily basis may well be outdated within a few years. Speech recognition software, example, may radically change how word processing is done.
