Translation Memories Survey 2006: User’s Perceptions Around TM Usage

Translation Memory (TM) systems have been under the spotlight of translation technology research led by both software developers and academic institutions. Both ends try to find ways to maximize the benefits deriving from the use of these tools, whether those translate into productivity enhancements or cost savings. The involvement of the user in these efforts has always been problematic. It is usually too costly, it delays the development of the product because it takes time, and it requires a well designed mechanism to be in place that facilitates the communication between the user and the developer. Naturally, many developers cannot afford to set up such capability, thus they risk producing TM tools that fail to correspond to the needs of translation professionals. The Translation Memories Survey 2006 (abbr. TM Survey 2006), reported in this paper, was initiated with a view to acting as this very channel of information deriving from users (or potential users) of TM systems. The main purpose behind it is to present the users perspective about TM systems and to supply data on the application domain, that is, information on the procedural aspects of the translation activity, on frequent work practices and on the tasks related to TM systems. It reports on the factors that affect TM use and offers an evaluation of the most commonly used systems according to functional and non-functional criteria. The results also reveal a range of future directions in TM research as those are envisioned by translation professionals.