There are a lot of free CAT tools out there. The biggest language service providers in the world use proprietary software based on Windows, but browser-based, free CAT tools are catching on quickly and Mac OS is often left out. With that said, many translators – including myself – love Mac OS and would like to see more support for it. However, some lack features and have poor interfaces or only work for specific things. Which ones are the best now?
Here are some great free online CAT tools for linguists.
MateCat
MateCat poses a challenging question to all other free CAT tools on the market. Today, cloud services are dominating the market which translates into a huge benefit for the language industry. Fortunately, many people in the language industry have been forward-looking and Translation is one of them. At the time of founding MateCat, they were a pioneer by releasing a great CAT tool that is available for free on any platform via a web browser.
Supported Device:
Windows
Pros
Cons
The MateCat is a great tool to use.
It is free.
Using community translation memories: text previously translated by other people.
Machine translation uses Google and Bing for MT.
It supports RESX files.
The app is able to support Multilingual-Excel files, which are the excel format exported by Outsystems.
It is not possible to upload the same file, since it will be flagged as spam. If you make changes to the translation, you need to create a new project and use the translation memories (TM).
OmegaT
OmegaT is the CAT tool that I started working with. It offers a clunky interface and it is outdated, but the core translation requirements are strong. There are no other free CAT tools out there other than this one, so I am happy enough with it.
Supported Device:
Windows, Mac
Pros
Cons
A big benefit of using TMs is that they can provide you with glossaries and TMs that you can use to create drafts of documents or collaborate with teams.
Information about the products is available in a variety of languages.
Dictionaries are available for use with the program.
OmegaT allows for the formatting of a document without wasting time, which improves accuracy. They do this by using tags to format the document.
OmegaT is a translation memory that will constantly update as you work. You can see previously translated texts as well as previously saved texts.
The match function, however, does not have the ability to recognize fuzzy segments.
The search function could be improved for glossaries. Exact matches are not shown unless wildcards are used.
Tags can be irritating because some tags seem to have no function and some documents end up looking like “tag soup”. Removing the tags is an option but then the document needs to be formatted manually.
OmegaT sometimes crashes because it lacks regular feedback for the user to get assistance. It also doesn’t give immediate notification when a document fails to load or it fails to find a project.
Also, OmegaT needs regular saving and backing up of your data. If you are using OmegaT, make sure to save your target document before closing the program.
SmartCAT
SmartCat is an online free CAT tool that you need to use. It has a simple design, modern look, and powerful functionality. It’s extremely easy to use. It also offers an extremely complex online CAT tool with the right tools for professionals to get the job done in a professional way. I was surprised by how much detail they provide for the free CAT tool that doesn’t suck.
Pros
Cons
If you’re looking for the most important options of a freemium service, free is best.
Supports RESX files.
The Multilingual Excel files exported by Outsystems.
Rows created in a Multilingual-Excel file that have already been translated will be imported and used.
Keep the project active by re-uploading any of the same files that were deleted.
The free machine translation module uses the Yandex service, but Google’s results are much better.
Translation services are available to the public through the use of Google and Bing.
phrase.com
The Phrase (formly known as Memsource Editor) is a CAT tool that translates into multiple languages. It is designed to meet the needs of translators and it is intuitive, powerful, and accessible. The Phrase helps translators work together and coordinate their work so they can easily integrate their solutions.
CROSS-PLATFORM SUPPORT
Translators are always able to find the perfect way to work according to their own personal preferences. The three editors are either web-based, desktop software or mobile apps. These all allow you to create perfectly translated content without any hiccups.
Memsource Editor for Web is a fully-featured editor that supports work on any browser.
Memsource Editor for Desktop allows translators to work offline.
Memsource Editor for Mobile is easy to access from an iOS or Android device and can be used by translators on the go.
All of your work is synced with the cloud, so you can always pick up where you left off on another device.
Supported Device:
Windows, Mac and Linux
Pros
Cons
The software is cloud-based, which means that it will work on any machine.
It doesn’t have a lot of fancy features which allows for a clean user interface.
The price is relatively affordable.
The translating process is quite slow and unresponsive, even if the connection speed is excellent and there is no other reason for it.
There are some features that only PMs can access and only after logging in which is a hassle for larger translation teams.
The QA tools sometimes produce false positives which can be frustrating when you think you’re done with the task.
You can now download some CAT resources available here
SmartCat is an online free CAT tool that you need to use. It has a simple design, modern look, and powerful functionality. It’s extremely easy to use. It also offers an extremely complex online CAT tool with the right tools for professionals to get the job done in a professional way. I was surprised by how much detail they provide for the free CAT tool that doesn’t suck.
