My previous post caused a bit of confusion about just what is meant by a CAT. CATs are computer programs used by translators which memorize their translations of phrases and insert them when that phrase is encountered again.
CATs are different from Machine Translation tools, such as translate.google.com, Babel Fish, Babylon*, and many others. These programs actually do the translating for you. Fantastic! The only problem is that they produce appalling results. Some people think they are being smart by using these free programs rather than spending money on a human translator. But the result is they end up looking anything but smart.
If you want to see a great example of how Machine Translations can make you look sooooooooo stupid, you simply must visit the Prague Olympic bid site. We all need a good laugh, so feel free to forward the link to all your friends.
More on CATs soon.
*Not that I mean to degrade Babylon. Like so many other translators and all my students, I'm addicted to using it as a dictionary. However, its machine translation feature is no better (and no worse) than any other.
How to Create a Small Biz Ad for Free
2 years ago
