Rapid developments in computers, programming and data communication in just a few short decades have revolutionized the way translation is performed.

The internet crosses borders and shrinks the distance between us in ways previously unthinkable. It lets us provide our services to customers – and work with translators – from around the globe.

Software designed to help translators work more efficiently has drastically changed productivity and the level of quality we can provide. It can ‘remember’ older translations and the particular terminology you prefer, helping us to ensure consistency across all texts we prepare for you. These tools can often also mean faster delivery, with turnaround times that would previously have been impossible.

Another invaluable tool we use is software designed for quality control. People make mistakes from time to time, no matter how powerful their translation software. This is why we always perform a final quality check using software to help us find and correct most of the minor mistakes that may still remain prior to delivery.

Machine translation tools have made great improvements in recent years, with professional (paid) versions that can often produce quite good results. Of course, there is no algorithm that can make a ‘translation’ produced by a computer better than one produced by a human. In the right hands, however, it can serve as an invaluable aid offering greater speed and efficiency.

And the common thread connecting all these tools? People. Only a living, breathing person with the right skills, abilities and experience can transform their output into living language. Without a human at the helm, the tools fall short. With them, however – with them we can achieve more than we ever could on our own.