MemoQ is an advanced localization workspace. Please read on to learn about the basics of localization workspaces.

During localization you transform documents available in one language into documents available in another language, taking into account the cultural specificities of the target culture. These documents usually bear some resemblance to each other; if you are a manufacturer or a service provider, most of your key documents are related to your fields of activity. If you are a translating professional, you get similar documents from your customer or you get multiple documents about the same topic, e.g. legislation-related matters or user manuals. The localization workspace takes advantage of these similarities.

The most important components of MemoQ include the translation memory, the text aligner, the term base, and of course the word processor.

When you translate in the word processor of the localization workspace – no matter what file format the document is, MemoQ's word processor automatically handles all formatting –, you proceed sentence by sentence. After translating a sentence, you can add it to the translation memory.

The translation memory stores pairs of sentences. As you proceed in the word processor, the localization workspace checks if the translation memory holds a similar sentence to the one currently being translated, and if it finds one, it will automatically appear as a translation hit, and the program will color-code the difference between the current sentence and the sentence stored in the translation memory. For formal reasons, sentences are called segments.

Not only during translation can you create a translation memory. The aligner module lets you choose an original document file and its translation in another file, and tries to establish the matching sentences by statistical means. The aligner’s automatic matching is rather precise in MemoQ, but still, the localization workspace offers you a user interface to correct the errors made by the automatic matching algorithm. The segment pairs created by the aligner are also added to the translation memory. This means that you can also recycle translation performed before the introduction of a localization workspace.

When you’re working with a translation memory, it really matters how long a segment is. If you want to build a glossary from certain expressions and their translations, you can use the term base. Terms are expressions in multiple languages, optionally complemented with additional data. The word processor automatically displays the translations of the terms appearing in the text, and you only need to insert them.

These are the basic modules of the world's most advanced localization workspace. In this two-minute introduction, there is only one tool more worth mentioning, statistics. The statistical module of MemoQ allows you to precisely estimate the amount of work you put into translating a job. The main concept behind the localization workspace is productivity, i.e. it helps you perform the same job within less time than without a localization workspace. The statistical module analyses the text, and tells you exactly how much productivity you will gain from using MemoQ for the performance of the translation.

MemoQ is an integrated localization workspace, therefore it is not necessary to use another application during translation.