Behind every high-quality translation is a blend of human expertise and smart technology.
So if you’ve ever wondered what tools professional translators actually use, this is your go-to guide.
From legal contracts to marketing campaigns, professional translators rely on a powerful toolkit to ensure accuracy, consistency, and cultural nuance—without compromising speed.
Here’s a breakdown of the tools that power the work of industry pros (like our expert linguists at Ad Astra).
Types of Translation Tools
1. 🧠 Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) Tools
Contrary to what many think, CAT tools don’t translate for you — they support human translators by storing and reusing translated phrases through something called a Translation Memory (TM).
Popular CAT Tools:
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Memsource (now Phrase)
Why It Matters:
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Ensures consistency across large projects
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Saves time by reusing translated content
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Essential for multilingual websites, manuals, and legal docs
CAT tools are vital in any professional translation workflow.
2. 📚 Termbase & Glossary Management Tools
Every industry has its own terminology. Translators use termbases and bilingual glossaries to keep specialised terms consistent.
Benefits:
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Prevents mistakes in high-stakes fields like medicine or law
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Standardizes tone and voice across projects
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Makes multilingual content more accurate and brand-aligned
Ad Astra’s teams work with client-approved glossaries to ensure your message stays sharp in every language.
3. 🔍 Quality Assurance (QA) Software
Even the best human translators need checks and balances.
QA tools help catch:
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Typos
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Inconsistent terminology
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Formatting issues
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Missing translations
Popular QA Tools:
This is a big reason why professional translation services outperform machine-only workflows.
4. 🌐 Machine Translation Engines (With a Human Touch)
Tools like Google Translate and DeepL are commonly used — but not for final delivery.
Professionals sometimes use machine translation (MT) as a starting point, especially in large-scale projects. However, they always follow up with human post-editing to ensure cultural relevance and accuracy.
This is called MTPE — Machine Translation + Post Editing — and it's only viable when guided by experienced human linguists.
5. 🔒 Secure Project Management Platforms
When dealing with confidential data — legal, medical, or financial — security is non-negotiable.
Translation teams use platforms that:
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Encrypt data
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Track translator workflows
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Ensure compliance with privacy laws (like HIPAA or GDPR)
Ad Astra’s linguists work inside secure, role-based platforms to protect your content from draft to delivery.
6. 📑 OCR and File Conversion Tools
Sometimes, the content to be translated comes in scanned images, PDFs, or non-editable formats.
Tools used:
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ABBYY FineReader for Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
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Adobe Acrobat Pro for text extraction
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Formatting software like InDesign, Canva, or MS Word for layout alignment
These tools help us deliver translated files that are not only accurate, but also clean, formatted, and ready to use.
7. 💬 Collaboration & Communication Tools
Translation often involves teams — linguists, editors, project managers, and clients.
To keep everyone aligned, professionals use:
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Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom for live coordination
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Real-time cloud collaboration through Google Drive or Dropbox
Efficient teamwork = better, faster, smoother delivery.
🔁 Bonus: Interpreting vs. Translating – Different Tools, Different Worlds
While translators work with text, interpreters work with speech, and they use tools like:
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Interpreter management software
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Video remote interpretation platforms
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Telephonic interpreting systems
(See also: What is video remote interpreting?, opi vs vri interpretation, and multilingual interpreting services)
✅ Final Thoughts: It's Not About the Tool, It’s Who Uses It
Translation tools are powerful, but only as effective as the linguist behind them.
At Ad Astra, our translators:
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Use best-in-class software
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Bring deep subject-matter knowledge
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Apply cultural context and emotional nuance
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Follow rigorous QA workflows
Whether localizing a website or translating legal documentation, it’s not just about software; it’s about getting it right the first time.
👉 Ready for translation that blends technology + human brilliance?
Contact Ad Astra today and work with professional linguists who use the right tools — and know how to use them.
