What is a translation memory and how does it work? – Fairlingo

What is a translation memory?
In order to improve both the speed and consistency of our translations, we use translation memories. A translation memory is a database that stores "segments", which can be sentences, or sentence-like units (headings, titles or elements in a list) that have previously been translated, in order to aid human translators.

Text analysis
Every text is automatically analysed for repeat segments. You can find this analysis in the quotation.

You get a discount for segments that are repeated in the document and for segments that are already present in your translation memory.

How does the translation memory work?

Based on prior translations, the translator gets suggestions for the translations of segments that in your current assignment. This way, the consistency level and completion speed of your translations can increase with every assignment. Of course, the translator and the revisor will check whether the translation memory suggestion is the best translation in the current context, and they will correct this if necassary.

Upload your own translation memory

If you want to add words or segments that need to be translated in a specific way, you can add your own translation memory. To do this, you need to create a .tmx document. You can easily find free CAT-tools on the internet to create a .tmx file.

Some important instructions for the .tmx document:

1. Create a translation memory for every language combination you need. You can't combine multiple language combinations in one document.

2. Create 2 columns, insert the source language in the first column and the target language in the second column.

To upload a translation memory, follow these steps:

- When you are logged in at Fairlingo, go to Settings (Figure 1)

- Click on Translation Memories (Figure 2)

- Click on Create New (Figure 3)

- Select the Source language, the Target language and upload the .tmx file (Figure 4)