Once translator trainers have acquired a selection of tools for translation students to work with, an important question becomes what do students need to learn about these tools. CAT tools can be extremely sophisticated, each incorporating a variety of features and functions that work in a slightly different manner, or are referred to by a different proprietary term, or are accessed through a different style of interface. It is clear, therefore, that any training must involve learning the particular steps required to operate a given tool. In other words, trainers certainly need to provide students with step-by-step instructions for using this tool. However, as noted above, while it is clearly important for translator training institutes to turn out graduates whose overall skill set is in line with the needs of the market, this market is somewhat volatile. Therefore, technology training cannot be set up solely to address the latest trends but must take a more balanced approach that includes providing students with transferable skills, such as the ability to engage in critical analysis and problem solving.
In addition to providing a 'how to' manual, instructors must also seek to provide a framework that goes beyond merely describing a tool's features or explaining how it functions. In other words, to prepare translators to become effective users of translation technologies, trainers need to provide opportunities for students to learn not only how but also when and why to use a given tool. For instance, for each category of tool that is being learned, students should be given a series of tasks and questions for reflection that will encourage them, as tool users, to reflect on why it might be helpful to adopt a given tool as well as to consider what a tool can and cannot do, and the positive and negative effects that tool use may have on the translation process and product in different situations.
It is clear that translation technology cannot be taught or understood in a vacuum, so translator training programs must include practical experience with tools in order to support theoretical understanding. This practical experience may in turn stand students in good stead as they reach the job market. However, in many cases, the pertinence of hands-on training for future work will depend on the ultimate employment of translation graduates.
Surveys of technology use have highlighted some variations in the use of tools – in particular, translation memories (TMs) – in different user groups. Surveys conducted by the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO) of independent (ATIO 2005) and salaried (ATIO 2007) translators showed a substantial difference in responses, with 44 per cent of salaried translators reporting using TM tools, but only 27 per cent of independent translators indicating TM use. In her survey, Lagoudaki (2006: 19) observes that the vast majority of the freelance respondents who used TM tools did so by choice, with much smaller proportions required to by the translation agencies they worked for and even fewer by their clients. In contrast, considerably more of the
company employees were required to use these tools by the translation agencies they worked for. Citing Lommel and Ray's survey (2004), Lagoudaki (2006: 15) also notes that companies are more likely to be open to TM use than individual users, given their potential for cost-savings and productivity gains. It is nevertheless difficult to generalize about TM use by freelancers and how it differs from use by companies: reported levels of TM use for freelancers responding to surveys range from 27 per cent (ATIO 2005: n.p.) or 28 per cent (Fulford and Granell-Zafra 2005: n.p.) to 81 per cent (Lagoudaki 2006: 15), depending in part on the context of the study.
Moreover, those who work as freelancers will likely be best served by experience with different kinds of tools and functions – and in fact, may ultimately need almost a different technological skill set – from those who go on to work for large corporations, or in the public sector. Clearly, the scope of projects undertaken and the complexity of workflow (including among other factors the size and structure of a documentation/translation team and the volume of translation carried out) will play a large role in the selection of a TM system. Thus, the student who goes on to work in a freelance environment may benefit most from experience with central TM functions, while those who ultimately work with translation agencies or in larger documentation and translation environments may need to become more familiar with project and TM management functions that freelancers are more rarely called upon to use.
In addition, while those working in larger organizations may have easily available technical support for many applications including TM systems and the management of TMs themselves, freelancers generally need to manage their own technological environments independently. For these users, the challenges of installing, updating, managing and using more complex programs may outweigh the advantages of the additional features they offer.
Thus in a single translator training program it is extremely difficult to predict and meet the specific needs of all future translators. This is particularly true as during their training, many students may not yet have a clear idea of the type of job that they will eventually have. Moreover, many will likely work in multiple contexts (either consecutively or simultaneously).
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