A study on the level of adoption and perception of effectiveness of cat tools by translation students and translation professionals at ULIS – VNU = Nghiên cứu về mức độ sử dụng và quan điểm của biên dịch viên chuyên nghiệp và sinh viên chuyên ngành biên dịch tại Đại học ngoại ngữ – Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội về hiệu quả sử dụng của các công cụ hỗ trợ dịch thuật Cat Tools

Abstract

As technology has considerably influenced every aspect of life, CAT tools have played an essential role in translation. Almost all international translation agencies require their translators to employ and master CAT tools. In the context of Vietnam, introductory lessons on the use of some CAT tools namely Wordfast and Trados have been integrated into the curriculum for translation students in some foreign languages major universities. However, in Vietnam, the amount of research on the use of CAT tools among translation students and teachers still remains modest. Accordingly, this study was conducted to investigate the levels of adoption, factors influencing the utilisation and perceptions of effectiveness of CAT tools by ULIS - FELTE translation students and translation teachers who are also freelance translators. Data was collected via two instruments, namely questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The results showed that when it came to the utilisation of CAT tools, both teachers and students primarily employed Trados and Wordfast, however, they did not use them frequently. Regarding factors influencing the utilisation of CAT tools, it was discovered that the requirement of academic courses at school exerted the strongest impact on the students while the effects of clients and willingness to use CAT tools among teachers and students remained modest. In terms of perceptions of effectiveness, the majority of participants acknowledged some relative benefits offered by CAT tools, including speed, termbase control, productivity, and teamwork. Although they found it not too hard to use CAT tools, they reported some difficulties in troubleshooting the technical errors while using. Additionally, despite their satisfaction with CAT tools’ functions, the unaffordable cost of Trados prevented them from employing this tool often