Abstract

This study aims to investigate the implementation and perceived usefulness of textual corpora, terminology management, and quality assurance tools from an end-user perspective. A user survey was conducted to gather data from sixty-five Saudi professional translators on their usage of the computer-assisted translation tools (CAT) core components, translation memory systems, textual corpora, terminology management, and quality assurance tools. Results were obtained regarding the participants’ familiarity with, usage of, and evaluation of CAT components. The study observed a gap between familiarity and usage. Corpora management/compilation tools seemed to be the most frequently used CAT tool. The adoption rate of translation memory systems was comparatively high—almost 70 percent of the respondents indicated that they use such systems, and SDL Trados dominated the market, with a remarkable 92.31 percent of participants implementing this system. Further, numerous features in both terminology management and quality assurance tools, such as checks for translation integrity and real-time feedback functionalities, were perceived as highly useful or essential. The findings point to an urgent need for the development of more user-friendly, feature-rich tools, especially in the quality assurance domain. Despite low adoption rates, there is a clear market demand for sophisticated tools that provide both essential and advanced functionalities. This study offers critical insights for tool developers and industry stakeholders by identifying the needs and priorities of translation professionals. There is a significant opportunity for innovation in creating more effective, user-centric, and collaborative tools in the field of translation.