Tõlkimälust

Tõlkimälust, a term originating from Estonian, refers to the cognitive concept of translation memory. It describes a technology or database that stores previously translated segments of text, such as sentences or phrases, along with their corresponding translations. When a new text is to be translated, the translation memory system analyzes it and searches for matching or similar segments within its database. If a match is found, the stored translation is retrieved and presented to the human translator, saving them the effort of retranslating identical or similar content. This process significantly speeds up the translation workflow and helps ensure consistency across large volumes of translated material.

The core principle behind tõlkimälust is leveraging past translation efforts to improve future efficiency and accuracy. Translation memory systems typically work by breaking down source texts into smaller units, often called "translation units" (TUs). These TUs can be sentences, paragraphs, or even smaller fragments. Each TU is then paired with its human-validated translation. When a translator works on a new document, the software compares its TUs against the entries in the memory. Exact matches are presented with the pre-existing translation, while partial matches, or "fuzzy matches," are displayed with a similarity score, allowing the translator to adapt the existing translation rather than start from scratch.

Tõlkimälust is a fundamental component of modern computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools. Its adoption has revolutionized the translation industry by enabling faster turnaround times, reducing costs, and promoting a higher degree of linguistic consistency, particularly in projects involving repetitive or standardized language, such as technical manuals, software interfaces, and legal documents.