Is a CAT tool the same as a TMS?

No. A CAT tool is the linguist’s editor — memory, terminology, quality checks, and working the text. A translation management system routes projects, vendors, and often CMS connectors. Aquilla on this page is the CAT job: a browser workspace where you stay in the file.

Can I open Trados Studio or memoQ project packages in Aquilla?

No. Aquilla is a browser workspace with no desktop install and no Studio or memoQ package import. If your work is opening a client’s desktop package, stay on that desktop tool. Scripture teams import and export USFM/USX when Paratext or an archive still needs those files.

How is Aquilla different from Trados Studio or memoQ?

Traditional CAT tools use segment-based translation memory. Aquilla uses Living Memory and expert-in-the-loop agents in a multimodal browser workspace. It does not open Studio or memoQ project packages. Teams that still need Paratext can export USFM/USX.

How does pricing work for professional translation tools?

Aquilla has a Free plan with a weekly allowance of AI assistance. Bible-translation teams and ETEN affiliates get team-plan access at no cost. Larger programs can talk to us about enterprise support.

AI-powered CAT software

Professional translation tools with expert-led AI.

Modern CAT software that pairs Living Memory, terminology consistency, and quality signals with expert-in-the-loop AI. Built for linguists who want an alternative to a segment treadmill—and who will not give up authority to a machine.

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What are professional translation tools?

Professional translation tools (CAT tools) help linguists work efficiently by managing memory, terminology, quality checks, and review—not by replacing the linguist.

Without them, linguists manually track terms, remember earlier choices, and coordinate review in email. CAT software takes the mechanical part. The linguist still owns meaning.

Traditional tools do that with segment memory and a sentence-by-sentence workflow. Aquilla does it with Living Memory and agents that propose drafts you can accept, revise, or reject.

CAT, TMS, or machine translator

Professional translation tools are the linguist’s editor — not a vendor desk, not a paste-in translator.

Comparison pages for this query mix three jobs. Hiring the wrong one wastes the evaluation.

CAT toolThe linguist’s editor: translation memory, terminology, quality checks, and working the text span by span. You stay in the file.
Translation management systemProject routing: vendors, connectors, intake-to-delivery, and push-back into a CMS. That is a different job — see the TMS page.
Machine translatorPaste text, get a raw draft. No project memory, no review surface, no linguist in authority.

Aquilla here is the CAT job with agents: Living Memory and expert-in-the-loop drafting in one workspace. It is not a vendor TMS and not a consumer machine translator. Translation management platform covers the routing job without inventing CMS connectors.

Desktop CAT vs browser workspace

Trados and memoQ open agency packages. Aquilla is a browser workspace.

Trados Studio and memoQ rank for this query because they are desktop CAT tools that open the project packages agencies send. Aquilla has no desktop install and does not import those packages. Work happens in the browser. Scripture teams move USFM/USX when a consultant or archive still needs those files.

If the job is opening a client’s Studio or memoQ package, stay on that desktop tool. If the job is drafting and reviewing in one shared workspace — text, audio, and video, with experts still in authority — that is this page.

Core features for professional linguists

Translation Memory & Terminology

Living Memory suggests from the decisions you already made, not only exact previous segments. Terminology and phrasing preferences accumulate as the project proceeds.

Expert-in-the-Loop AI

Agents propose drafts and look up terminology; you approve every consequential decision. That is different from post-editing, where the machine publishes a guess and you clean up afterward.

Quality signals

Inspectable support evidence and consistency checks help you see where a draft is thin. Reviewers spend time on weak cells instead of rereading everything at the same intensity.

Multimodal Workspace

Translate text, audio, and video in one environment so oral drafts and written text share memory. This is one workspace, not a separate subtitling product.

Team Collaboration

Linguists, reviewers, and project owners work from the same source of truth, with comments, roles, and shared Living Memory.

Flexible Workflow

Work at the span that fits the text—verse, paragraph, or section—rather than a rigid segment treadmill. Export USFM/USX when consultants or archives still need those files.

Traditional CAT vs Aquilla

Stay in authority. Let agents do the treadmill work.

Aspect	Traditional CAT tools	Aquilla
AI assistance	Post-editing: the tool generates a translation, the linguist corrects it after the fact	Expert-in-the-loop: agents propose, you approve or revise—you never lose control
Translation memory	Segment-based exact and fuzzy matching from previous translations	Living Memory: context-aware learning from the decisions you already made
Where you work	Desktop install that opens the project packages agencies send	Browser workspace — no desktop install, no Trados or memoQ package import
Multimodal work	Separate tools for text, captions, and audio	One workspace for text, audio, and video with shared memory
Project coordination	Manual tracking, assignment, and deliverable prep	Agents help coordinate workflow and surface review; humans still authorize release
Pricing	Per-user CAT licenses or per-word AI add-ons	Free plan to start; team-plan access covered for Bible-translation teams and ETEN affiliates

Use cases

Literary and long-form work

Carry voice and terminology across chapters. Living Memory remembers phrasing you already approved so later chapters do not drift.

Technical documentation

Keep terms consistent across manuals and help articles. Agents can flag drift; experts still decide what the term means.

Multimedia localization

Keep spoken and written drafts in one workspace so a video script and its captions do not become two projects.

Mission and humanitarian content

Bible translation and nonprofit communications are the work Aquilla is built around. Biblica and Come & See already use it for production Scripture.

Common questions

Professional translation tools FAQ

What are professional translation tools?: Professional translation tools (CAT tools—computer-assisted translation) help linguists work faster by remembering previous decisions, keeping terminology consistent, checking completeness, and coordinating review. They are not machine-translation buttons. The linguist stays in control; the tool handles memory and checks.
How is Aquilla different from Trados Studio or memoQ?: Traditional CAT tools are built around segment-based translation memory and a sentence-by-sentence treadmill. Aquilla uses Living Memory and expert-in-the-loop agents in a multimodal workspace. It is not a Trados plugin, does not open Studio or memoQ project packages, and does not claim feature-for-feature CAT interchange with every desktop tool. Teams that still need Paratext or another archive can export USFM/USX.
Is a CAT tool the same as a TMS?: No. A CAT tool is the linguist’s editor — memory, terminology, quality checks, and working the text. A translation management system routes projects, vendors, and often CMS connectors. Aquilla on this page is the CAT job: a browser workspace where you stay in the file. Project routing without a vendor desk is a different page.
Can I open Trados Studio or memoQ project packages in Aquilla?: No. Aquilla is a browser workspace with no desktop install and no Studio or memoQ package import. If your work is opening a client’s desktop package, stay on that desktop tool. Scripture teams import and export USFM/USX when Paratext or an archive still needs those files.
Does Aquilla support translation memory and terminology management?: Yes. Living Memory learns terminology and phrasing from the work you approve and applies that guidance to later drafts. That is project memory with context, not only exact segment replay.
What quality assurance do professional translation tools need?: They need consistency checks, completeness checks, and a way to see where a draft is weakly supported. Aquilla surfaces inspectable support evidence and lets agents flag issues; humans still decide what is good enough to release.
How does pricing work for professional translation tools?: Traditional CAT tools often charge per-user licenses or per-word AI add-ons. Aquilla has a Free plan with a weekly allowance of AI assistance. Bible-translation teams and ETEN affiliates get team-plan access at no cost — contact us to activate the workspace. Larger programs can talk to us about enterprise support.
What file formats do professional translation tools support?: Aquilla imports and exports USFM/USX for Scripture workflows and works with text, audio, and video in the workspace. If a consultant or archive still uses Paratext, you can move files across rather than abandoning that review path.

Try professional translation tools that keep you in authority.

Start on the Free plan. Bible-translation teams and ETEN affiliates can contact us to activate team-plan access.

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