Is Translation Memory still relevant today with AI Language Translation?
Yes – that’s the quick answer.
Translation memory is more relevant today than it ever was.
One of the main strengths of Translation memory or TM is that it stores previously approved translations.
This means that translation is on brand, is consistently accurate, matching specialist terminology and your corporate writing style.
AI will seldom get this right the first time.
Previous translation memory can be used to train AI systems for future translation. The more specific and contextual TM you have, the better output the AI and machine translation will deliver.
Project managers and language coordinators can then approve AI translations and store these translations in the TM for future translation.
Green Credentials: If you’re concerned about the environment TM is also considerably better for the environment than AI. Using predetermined lookups uses far less computing power and energy than any AI system. The combination of AI and translation memory will deliver results and help you balance the green agenda.
Professional Translator Technology
Transit NXT is the latest generation of STAR’s translation memory system.
Designed by translators for translators it delivers outstanding professional translation. Transit NXT is the result of more than 30 years of development. It has a number of powerful functions to help professional translators in their day to day jobs. Easy to navigate, and intuitive for new users, it makes the job of a professional translator that much easier.
Teams that use Transit experience improved ROI on translation projects with its advanced terminology system and advanced translation reuse management. Transit will help you get the most from your linguistic assets.
Translation Memory in Context: What Makes Transit Different?
The sentence is the basic unit of language. However, it is not necessarily the basic unit of meaning. Translators read sentences in the source text but are only able to do an effective job of translating them if they are able to derive and understand their meaning from the context. This is a principle which was taken into account in the first version of Transit, over 20 years ago. In contrast to other translation memory systems, Transit does away with a database that is exclusively sentence-based. Instead, the full breadth of the context contained in a document remains available in the Transit reference material.
Competition
Anyone who regularly works with CAT tools (computer-aided translation software) probably thinks of Trados Studio, memoQ or Across first. One name is often overlooked – and unfairly so: Transit NXT. It is a genuine powerhouse for anyone who wants their work to be structured, consistent and terminology-focused.
What is Transit NXT?
Transit is a professional CAT tool that has been on the market since the 1990s. It combines classic segmentation with a project-orientated working method – incorporating translation memory, terminology management, preview options, quality checks and various functions designed specifically for technical documentation. The extensive and growing portfolio of AI Features
Bubble Windows
Transit NXT provides information ‘on the fly’.
Bubble windows, which provide a dynamic representation of fuzzy matches, allows you to make even more efficient use of the Transit editor. The Fuzzy window is only displayed when there are translation suggestions and then disappears again from the interface after the suggestion has been accepted.
Fuzzy Term
TermStar NXT – Fuzzy Term catches on every time.
Transit’s tried-and-tested ‘Fuzzy logic’ is now also available in TermStar NXT. Fuzzy search in TermStar NXT not only finds items which precisely correspond to your search term but also all similar entries contained in the dictionary.
Dual Fuzzy
Your reference material now has even more value. Dual Fuzzy logic in Transit NXT not only takes account of the source text when searching for translation suggestions, it now also looks at the target text.
Transit NXT suggests sentences from existing translations. The innovation here is the Dual Fuzzy principle, which means that Transit NXT searches both the source and the target language for similar sentences. This means that two sentences which have the same basic meaning but are differently formulated can be assigned a single translation. If no matches are found in the source text, Transit NXT searches the target text for similar sentences while the translation is being entered.
Sync View
See the bigger picture with Transit NXT. Whether you are translating, reviewing, or conducting software localization, with Synch View, all the information needed for translation is available at a glance in floating windows. This consists of the PDF viewer for source documents, the Media viewer for graphics, and the XML/HTML viewer and RC editor, which can preview your translation.
Using the PDF viewer for Adobe FrameMaker, Adobe InDesign and Microsoft PowerPoint, the translator, reviewer or terminologist can display the fully structured source text in synchronisation with the language pair.
Industry Compatibility
Transit NXT supports the leading file formats including FrameMaker, XML, XLIFF (XLF), HTML, Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, and Adobe InDesign. It manages previous translations and terminology and offers suggestions to the translators, making them more productive and reducing your overall translation costs.
TMX compatibility with other translation memory (TM) systems
Unicode support for all languages which makes Asian translation easier
Integrated AI
The latest version of STAR Transit integrates with a number of AI and Machine Translation Systems.
The system can pre-translate documents or offer machine translation suggestions in the fuzzy match windows.
Did you know that completing all the Final Checks in Transit can save you a lot of time?
The format and variant checks are a powerful Quality Assurance (QA) feature to pick up on all the tiny details that you might miss when doing your final read-through. This means that you can concentrate on revising your translation, without worrying about missing tags, double full stops, or capitalisation.
Fuzzy Matches are previously translated segments that are similar, but not identical to the one you are currently translating. This not only saves time, but it also ensures that your translations are consistent with previous translations.
They are shown in the Fuzzy Match Window as “suggestions” for you to use to translate your current segment:
Working in Transit NXT – Internal Repetitions
How to translate internal repetitions
Internal repetitions are identical segments in within your translation project. To save time, you only need to translate the first occurrence, and Transit then populates the remaining occurrences with your translation.
Transit NXT Service Pack SP17 Release Notes
The latest service pack includes integration with Amazon Translate, InDesign 2025 and more.
Transit helps you to store the language pairs of a finished project as reference material in a structured way.
You can specify how the language pairs should be copied to the selected reference folder and simply resolve any naming conflicts.