20 Best Professional Translation Software Tools in 2023
Written by
Chidinma Egwuogu
Speaking your customer's language is more than just a figure of speech — it's a business strategy. Alas, juggling multiple languages is a tricky balancing act.
Recognizing this, we searched the internet and compiled a thorough list of the best professional translation software tools available in 2023.
Whether you're a small startup expanding into international markets or a huge corporation looking to expand its global footprint, these tools can elevate your communication to new heights.
We've considered a host of factors such as ease of use, accuracy, scalability, and integrations to compile this list, so rest assured, you're getting the cream of the crop!
Pro tip: Frustrated by the chaos of handling multiple translations? Centus offers an integrated localization management tool, simplifying your translation process from start to finish. Learn more.
Here’s a list to help you navigate better:
-What is professional translation software?
-7. Phrase (formerly Memsource)
What Is Professional Translation Software?
Professional translation software are tools designed to help businesses translate their content accurately into multiple languages.
Translation tools do much more than simply swap words. They capture the original content's essence, context, and nuances, conveying them effectively in the target language.
Whether it's website content, promotional materials, intricate technical manuals, or complex legal documents, translation software is designed to handle it all.
Professional translation software programs incorporate artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing technologies to provide precise translations.
In addition to translating text, they also offer features such as grammar checks, language detection, glossaries, translation memories, and much more.
Ranking Criteria for the Best Professional Translation Software
To ensure that you get the most reliable and impartial list of the top translation software tools, we have set specific criteria for ranking them. They include:
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Scalability: The software should be able to handle translation projects of different volumes, from small businesses to large corporations.
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Customer support: When you hit a roadblock, you need swift and helpful support to get you back on track.
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Superior translation quality: You don’t want awkward, robotic translations. Professional translation software should provide high-quality, human-like renditions that capture all the nuances of the source language.
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Ease and enjoyment of use: Software should be a tool, not a chore. You need a sleek, intuitive interface, and a short learning curve.
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Impressive language portfolio: More languages mean a broader audience. We appreciate software that can speak to the world in many tongues.
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Tech-savviness: It should come with cutting-edge features like glossaries, translation memories, and quality control tools enabling faster and more accurate translations.
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Smooth integrations: The best software plays well with others. It should integrate seamlessly with your favorite apps and platforms for a streamlined workflow.
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Trustworthy security: Your data deserves the VIP treatment. Strong security measures to protect your information are non-negotiable.
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Wallet-friendly pricing: High quality doesn't have to mean high cost. We value software that delivers top-notch service without burning a hole in your pocket.
20 Best Translation Software Tools for Professional Use in 2023
1. Centus
| Suitable for | Translation management and localization of web apps, mobile apps, games, documents, marketing materials, and customer service |
| User base | Mobile app developers, e-commerce platforms, translators, designers, enterprises, and small businesses looking to scale |
| Noteworthy aspects |
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| Pricing | Free trial (No credit card required).
Learn more here |
| Customer reviews | Users appreciate Centus for its intuitive interface, affordability, collaboration capabilities, and comprehensive support for various content types. |
| USPs |
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2. SDL Trados Studio
| Suitable for | Document translation |
| User base | Translation agencies and professional translators |
| Noteworthy aspects |
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| Pricing | It’s a license model, with prices starting from:
Learn more here |
| Customer reviews | Users agree that SDL Trados Studio offers an extensive range of file formats and customizations but is not beginner-friendly due to its complexity. Frequent and expensive upgrades can also be a drawback. It lacks a subscription-based license, preferred by some for keeping current with updates. |
| USPs | SDL Trados Studio is known for its quality translation memory technology and robust quality control tools that ensure translation consistency and quality. |
Source: SDL Trados
3. MemoQ
| Suitable for | Any project where consistency is key – like large documents or multiple pieces of content that need to match |
| User base | Businesses, translation agencies, and freelancers |
| Noteworthy aspects |
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| Pricing | Subscription model. Starts at $202 for translators and custom pricing for enterprises. |
| Customer reviews | Users on Trust Radius appreciate its multilingual translation consistency and user-friendly nature |
| USPs | Consistency checking tools and term bases allow maintaining accuracy across large projects. |
Source: MemoQ
4. Wordfast Pro
| Suitable for | Ensuring high-quality translations in documents and facilitating a smooth, fast workflow |
| User base | Translators, LSPs/agencies, corporations, and educational institutions |
| Noteworthy aspects |
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| Pricing | Starts at $580 for a full license. More pricing info here. |
| Customer reviews | Users on G2 and Capterra appreciate Wordfast Pro for its versatility, as it works on multiple platforms and with many file types. Its great customer service and detailed guides are a big plus. However, some users find the software’s UI outdated and difficult to navigate. It's tough to install on macOS, but the online version helps with this issue. Despite these minor drawbacks, users appreciate the software’s free version. |
| USPs | Powerful memory tools that expedite the translation process |
Source: Wordfast
5. Smartcat
| Suitable for | Website content translation, game localization, and marketing materials translation |
| User base | Translation agencies, freelance translators, and businesses |
| Noteworthy aspects |
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| Pricing | Smartcat comes with a free tier that's surprisingly generous. If you need more features, the paid plans start at $99/month. Find detailed information on their pricing page. |
| Customer reviews | Reviews indicate that Smartcat stands out for its helpful customer service, quick payouts to freelance translators, and user-friendly features like segment-based work. It also boasts easy document handling. However, the process of introducing minor edits to the text can be improved in Smartcat. Some people also reported occasional system overloads. A point of concern among reviews is Smartcat's recent shift towards serving businesses more than translation companies, along with changes in their pricing models. |
| USPs | You don't just get a translation tool; you get an entire workspace and marketplace. This includes features for managing payments, facilitating collaboration, and overseeing translation projects. Integration with Lokalise, Github, Gitbucket, Jira, Contentful, Figma, Zendesk, and more. |
Source: Smartcat
6. Fluency Now
| Suitable for | Documents and website content |
| User base | Freelance translators, LSPs, educational institutions, hospitals, and businesses |
| Noteworthy aspects |
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| Pricing | Starts from $15/month for 2 PCs. Get more details here. |
| Customer reviews | Users mostly have positive feedback about its easy-to-use interface and great customer support. Its high compatibility with different file formats is well-liked. Some users provided negative feedback on the steep learning curve and difficulties with complex projects. Read more |
| USPs | Swift and helpful customer support Affordable price |
Source: Fluency Now
7. Phrase (formerly Memsource)
| Suitable for | App and website localization, hiring translators, and translation management |
| User base | LSPs, startups, and enterprises |
| Noteworthy aspects |
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| Pricing | Starts at $29/month per user for basic features, but there are advanced plans for more comprehensive needs. Read more |
| Customer reviews | User reviews highlight Phrase's simplified localization capabilities and integration with other tools. The interface is clear and helpful, too. However, users suggest improvements in project list sorting, comment inclusion in exported files, and QA process optimization. See more reviews on TrustRadius and G2 |
| USPs |
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Source: Phrase
8. Matecat
| Suitable for | Documents, and simple translations |
| User base | Freelance translators, translation agencies, and businesses |
| Noteworthy aspects |
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| Pricing | Free |
| Customer reviews | MateCat reviews commend its clean interface, personal glossary use, and quality machine translations, but criticized its lack of offline support and some technical issues. Despite these drawbacks, its user-friendliness and solid support are highly appreciated. |
| USPs | Excess work can be outsourced to translators within the community |
Source: MateCat
9. Lilt
| Suitable for | Website content, marketing materials, software localization, and documents |
| User base | Enterprises, language service providers, translation agencies, and freelance translators |
| Noteworthy aspects |
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| Pricing | Pricing details are not publicly available. Prospective users must contact Lilt's sales team for a custom quote based on their specific needs. See more details here. |
| Customer reviews | Reviews indicate that Lilt is praised for its thorough QA tests, ability to handle big projects, and responsive customer support. Despite these positive aspects, users note minor functionality constraints like the lock on document edits post-QA unless authorized by a project lead. |
| USPs |
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Source: Lilt
10. Transifex
| Suitable for | Software and digital content localization |
| User base | Translators, startups, and large enterprises |
| Noteworthy aspects |
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| Pricing | Transifex provides a free trial for users to explore its features. Paid plans start at $80/month. And there’s a free plan for eligible open-source projects. Read more. |
| Customer reviews | Users appreciate Transifex's strength in managing multilingual projects and making changes in real time. They note the interface can be complex but still find it intuitive and appreciate the fast database search. A minor concern is the profile activity not updating regularly. |
| USPs | Largest localization community for Open Source projects |
Source: Transifex
11. XTM Cloud
| Suitable for | Technical documents, marketing collateral, software UI, and web content |
| User base | Large enterprises and translation agencies |
| Noteworthy aspects |
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| Pricing | There’s a 30-day free trial and no set price. A quote can be requested from XTM’s sales team. |
| Customer reviews | Users enjoy using XTM Cloud for its powerful features, ability to customize, and top-notch support. On the downside, they find the interface and reporting tools not as user-friendly as desired. While the lack of offline work option is a concern, XTM Cloud's comprehensive functionality still makes it a good tool. |
| USPs | Key selling points include its integrated translation memory and terminological glossary, real-time collaborative translation environment, and support for a vast array of file formats. |
Source: XTM Cloud
12. Pairaphrase
| Suitable for | Documents, business communications, various text types, and marketing content |
| User base | International enterprises |
| Noteworthy aspects |
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| Pricing | 30-day packages starting from $199, and yearly subscription starting from $3399. Find out more. |
| Customer reviews | Users appreciate Pairaphrase for its easy-to-use, cloud-based system that provides quick and generally accurate translations. It's great for technical languages and comes with responsive customer support. However, it does struggle with maintaining original document formatting and has inconsistent prompts for text modifications. Read more on Trustpilot and Trustradius. |
| USPs |
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Source: Pairaphrase
13. TextUnited
| Suitable for | Website and software localization, and business document translation |
| User base | Used by a diverse range of businesses from small to large |
| Noteworthy aspects |
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| Pricing | Offers a free tier and subscription plans starting from $66/month for basic features. See more on pricing here. |
| Customer reviews | Users typically appreciate TextUnited for its professional project management and quality translations. However, users criticize it for occasional sluggish performance, unclear task management, and unaddressed bug reports. Some also express frustration over difficulties in deleting failed projects and issues with terminology management. Read reviews on GetApp and Crozdesk. |
| USPs |
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Source: Appsumo
14. OmegaT
| Suitable for | Documents and website content |
| User base | Freelance translators, translation students, and hobbyists |
| Noteworthy aspects |
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| Pricing | One of the key advantages of OmegaT is that it's free to use, making it a cost-effective solution for translation needs. |
| Customer reviews | Reviews for OmegaT are mostly positive, with users praising its value for money and flexibility. Some users report a steep learning curve, outdated user interface, need for coding fluency, and better Office document formatting. |
| USPs | The unique features of OmegaT include its status as an open-source tool, customizable features, and multi-platform support. |
Source: OmegaT
15. Crowdin
| Suitable for | Software localization, document translation, and website translation |
| User base | Developers, product managers, translation and localization teams, and international businesses |
| Noteworthy aspects |
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| Pricing | Crowdin offers a free plan, with paid plans starting at $50/month. See more. |
| Customer reviews | Reviews for Crowdin are largely positive, with users appreciating its clean interface, robust feature set, and integrations. However, some users mention that the price plans should be customizable to fit their unique needs. Read on G2. |
| USPs | Crowdin's unique selling points include its extensive API and integration capabilities, its robust localization features, and its versatility in handling different types of content. |
Source: Crowdin
16. Lokalise
| Suitable for | Software localization, website translation, and document translation |
| User base | Development teams, product managers, international enterprises, and localization teams |
| Noteworthy aspects |
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| Pricing | Lokalise offers a range of plans starting at $120/month, See other plans here. |
| Customer reviews | Lokalise stands out for handling multiple projects and sharing translation keys, wide range of integrations, and excellent 24/7 customer support. Its automation features allow real-time translations with minimal monitoring. However, users say it can occasionally slow down, show repetitive update messages, and make finding missing translations challenging. Moreover, the documentation, while useful, could be better organized (G2). |
| USPs | Lokalise stands out for its powerful localization features, its integrations and API access, and its collaborative tools. |
Source: Lokalize
17. GlobalLink
| Suitable for | Document translation, website translation, and software localization |
| User base | Large organizations, professionals, and translation agencies |
| Noteworthy aspects |
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| Pricing | GlobalLink does not provide specific pricing information on their website. Request a quote here. |
| Customer reviews | Reviews for GlobalLink are generally positive, with users appreciating its range of features and automation capabilities. Some users note that it can be complex to set up and use effectively. Read more on G2 and Capterra. |
| USPs | GlobalLink stands out for its powerful automation features, wide range of translation management tools, and tailored solutions for large organizations and agencies. |
Source: Nimdzi
18. Weglot
| Suitable for | Web content, software and website localization |
| User base | Large organizations, professionals, and translation agencies |
| Noteworthy aspects |
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| Pricing | Starts from $20/month (10,000 words). Free trial available (with limitations). More info here. |
| Customer reviews | Users commend its ease of use, speed, seamless integration with various platforms, and excellent customer support. There have been minimal hiccups with the tool though, and doubts about the value of the plan for small websites. Read more on G2 and Getapp. |
| USPs | Automatic website content detection and translation |
Source: Weglot
19. Localazy
| Suitable for | Software localization |
| User base | App developers, businesses |
| Noteworthy aspects |
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| Pricing | Free plan available. Paid plans start from $19/month. More info here. |
| Customer reviews | Users appreciate the straightforward setup, app-specific localization features, and community translations. However, some users mention a steep learning curve for new customers and ask for a more flexible plan. Read more on G2 and Capterra. |
| USPs | Great deals for nonprofit, student, indie, academia, and open-source developers |
Source: Localazy
20. Smartling
| Suitable for | Documents, web content, app localization |
| User base | Businesses, enterprises, LSPs |
| Noteworthy aspects |
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| Pricing | Quote-based pricing |
| Customer reviews | Users appreciate its wide range of features, quality translations, and professional services. Some users mentioned it could be complex for first-time users. Read more on G2 . |
| USPs |
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Source: Smartling
Key takeaways
We've looked at 20 diverse translation tools, each bringing unique strengths to suit varied needs. It goes to show how difficult it is to pick a good translation software for your translation project.
So, here are some key points to remember when choosing a translation tool include:
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Assess your requirements: Understand what you need from a translation software platform. Is it for translating documents or website content, or perhaps for localization?
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Consider the user base: Who are the tool's primary users? Individual translators, businesses, or LSPs?
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Check the price: Look at the cost and what you get for it. Some platforms offer free versions, while others have feature-rich premium plans.
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Read user reviews: Reviews from users can provide practical insights about the tool's usability and effectiveness.
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Unique features: Identify what sets each tool apart from others. It could be advanced AI capabilities, ease of use, or customizability.
Remember, the choice of a translation tool greatly depends on your specific needs and how those align with what each tool offers.
Ultimately, the best translation management software is the one that fits seamlessly into your workflow, provides accurate translations for your specific needs, and delivers the best value for your investment.
FAQ
How do I choose the right translation software?
Selecting the right translation software tool depends on your specific needs. Here are a few steps to guide you:
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Identify your needs: This includes the volume of translations, types of content (documents, websites, apps, etc.), and the number of languages.
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Assess your budget: Different software has different pricing structures. Assess what you can afford while ensuring you get the necessary features.
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Check user reviews: Reviews can provide valuable insights into a product's strengths and weaknesses. Pay particular attention to reviews from users with similar needs to yours.
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Test the software: Most platforms offer a free trial or demo. Use this to test whether the software aligns with your needs and preferences.
Is there a better translator than DeepL?
DeepL is highly regarded for its translation accuracy and language support. However, whether it's the "best" can depend on your specific needs. For instance, other software like Google Translate may provide more languages. Meanwhile, tools like OmegaT offer highly customizable experiences. Therefore, "better" is subjective and depends on what you're looking for in a translator.
What is the most precise translator?
Many factors determine translation precision, including language pairings, subject matter, and the complexity of the text. However, platforms like DeepL, Google Translate, and Microsoft Translator are often praised for their accuracy. Nevertheless, remember that machine translations can't perfectly replace human translations yet, particularly for complex or nuanced texts. Always double-check translations for important documents, or consider human proofreading services for critical tasks.
Learn more about the accuracy of Google Translate and other translation tools here.
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