The impact of Technology on English to Pashto translation

The silicon revolt has changed just about every industry in the domain. With the corresponding surge of developments and the rise of information technology in data processing and telecommunications, how we all work and live has changed almost beyond recognition.

The English to Pashto translation industry is no exception – and the profits are real for customers and translators alike. So what is the impact of Technology on English to Pashto translation? 

1. CAT tools 

If one piece of software has done the maximum to change how translators work, it’s the CAT tool or computer-assisted translation tool. 

CAT tools are planned to speed up the process of English to Pashto translation, preserve the formatting and structure of the original document, maintain consistency, and make it easier for translators to track their work– and more. 

They often also contain “translation memories” – an automatic record of how the translator has formerly handled specific phrases, words, or even complete sentences. These files can be shared with the customer or among large translation teams to make upcoming projects more cost-effective and faster. 

CAT tools work by showing two versions of the file side by side. At first glance, they can look like a worksheet interface: rows containing a “segment” of writing, with rows and two columns of text. 

The translator fills in the target text (the new language after translation) on the right, and the source tex`t (the document’s original language) appears in the left-hand column. 

Each “segment”- each row – is usually one sentence long, although the translator can always merge or split these segments as required to create a part of writing that flows well in the different language. 

Once you recognize the layout, working in a CAT tool is as simple as using a word processor, but with all the additional benefits of having a part of software designed particularly for translators.

Of course, the word CPU itself is a moderately recent invention in the noble and long history of translation (for more on this, you can read one of our past articles, “A short history of translation”). Even the skill to instantly copy, reformat and rewrite a document, as well as landscapes like change tracking, have greatly improved translators’ quality of life. God forbid we should ever have to go back to the days of manual typewriters or – shudder – handwriting!

2. Digital dictionaries and term bases 

This is a huge field. While a termbase isn’t quite similar to a dictionary, the two tools are useful for the same reason and share similar features. 

A termbase is a collection of their definitions, phrases, words, and other related linguistic information that may be applicable. They’re meant to confirm uniformity in the way the terminology is used. A bilingual dictionary is a resource for viewing how diverse words are translated to and from another language.

These resources were present in some form, but digitization has made them much simpler. 

A mainly obscure piece of terminology could once have taken hours or, in some cases, even days to look up, forcing a translator to dig through one heavy reference book after another in search of flawless phrasing. 

You can search for it in an offline database or a web browser and have your answer within minutes, barely disturbing the flow of English to Pashto translation. 

3. Online research

And on web browsers – how did we ever live without search engines? Several Pashto to English translation projects involve in-depth research on a subject or, now and then, just a rapid bit of fact-checking. 

And now, all of the world’s data is directly available whenever needed. Certainly, good judgment and a bit of common sense are required to sort the good information from the bad, and inspecting through it all can require tough research skills – but all of this is just basic of what being a good translator means in this day and age. It surely beats walking to the library with an extensive list of questions to spend the day looking up.

Faster communication

An industry whose whole purpose is to help industries cross borders: that’s the English to Pashto translation business. No wonder it’s so vital to be able to communicate effectively and quickly over large distances. 

Once more, the internet is useful in this situation.

The likes of voice-over-IP (VoIP) telephone services, cloud storage, and email mean that fast global communication is now possible at little to no cost.

This has lasting and immediate benefits for industries that work with language service providers. Think about how simple it is now to source an expert company or individual located outside your country – something that may be vital when you need to get hold of a native speaker of your target language. 

Consider how much more efficiently and quickly their questions can be answered and asked than in the days of pricey and snail-mail international phone calls.

There are inferences for English to Pashto translation project managers, as well – the people who work for a translation company to ensure jobs get on time and done well.

With communication made so much easier and quicker (and cheaper), costs can be cut, and deadlines can be tightened accordingly. And this is all to say nothing of the profits from computer-based project management systems: resource databases, time management systems, and automatic workflow tracking are just a few of the ways customers and English to Pashto translation agencies get added value from the digital age.

Wrapping Up

With all the above developments in the current past, it’s exhilarating to wonder what will come next. No one can say for sure, of course, but our guess is it’ll be less about automatic translation and more about enabling translators to work effectively and faster than ever before.

The likes of big data, mobile apps, and cloud storage are bound to have advantages for translators just like everyone else. And that will mean high-quality English to Pashto translations, delivered sooner, at affordable prices for everyone. What could be better?

Are you looking for an affordable Pashto to English translation? Contact a professional translation agency for affordable, high-quality, and precise translation solutions.