Kilgray today announced the general availability of MemoQ 4.0, a server-based translation memory engine and desktop environment for translators, after several months in beta field test. Although we consider MemoQ a translation management system (TMS), the software also competes against traditional desktop translation memory tools (Déjà Vu, Trados, Transit, Wordfast). LSPs appreciate that a project prepared in memoQ can be translated in other common tools, giving vendors the flexibility they need for managing the reality of a freelance workforce.

We find three items of special note in the latest upgrade:

1. With 4.0, MemoQ adds a “post translation” analysis tool. The system now tracks all the segments it presents to translators during the course of a project to get a more accurate word count. Traditional tools apply memory at the beginning of a project, and don’t track matches that happen during a project. But with a centralized, server-based system like MemoQ, matches that did not exist during file prep may propagate in real-time as multiple translators work through the job. This new capability ensures that LSPs won’t overpay freelancers for words translated elsewhere in the project.
2. Another new for MemoQ feature is the ability to capture and share project settings – a bundle of 12 different project “resources” from segmentation rules to terminology including lists of auto-translatables, non-translatables, and words for the spell-checker to ignore, segmentation rules, QA settings, and so on. These bundles can then be reapplied to future projects, or even sent from one company’s system to another. CSOFT and Lionbridge both have tools with similar bundling to streamline localization engineering tasks, but this may be new for commercial off-the-shelf software.
3. Lastly, the update improves the primary interface for translators and editors. Kilgray claims its new text editor client software is faster and more stable than its 3.6 version. This usability enhancement eliminates one of the few complaints with Kilgray’s platform.

By improving both the reporting functions and the user experience, Kilgray signals that the broad outlines of the platform are in place and its software engineers can now focus on performance issues and utility. While the company focuses its marketing efforts on LSPs, we often hear translators saying positive things about the translation environment, and we expect the ranks of nodding heads to swell with this new release. The company should expand its visibility in the U.S. and U.K. markets this year.