What is the difference between computer-aided translation (CAT) and machine translation (MT)?
CAT tools are terminology management systems with a translation memory, i.e. a database of previous translations that help the translator to identify terms and phrases used in the past. Such tools help to improve consistency in translation projects and represent a true quality gain. Machine translation (MT) tools, on the other hand, are applications that analyse a source text, divide it up into its individual elements, translate these elements and put them back together in the target language. MT technology has a long way to go before it will be able to compete with the adaptability and creativity of the human mind. While it can sometimes be useful for translating individual terms or simple sentences – for getting the general idea of content – it ignores the fact that language is dynamic, is often ambiguous, and does not always follow set rules. The results of MT use are thus often far from satisfactory, and while they can at times be amusing, at their worst they can be nonsensical or
