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CAT Tools for Game Localization — memoQ, Trados, and What Matters
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CAT tools — Computer-Assisted Translation tools — are the software platforms professional translators use to work with your game’s strings. The CAT tool manages Translation Memory (TM), enforces glossary terminology, runs quality assurance checks, and packages translated strings for delivery. Game developers often ask which CAT tool their localization provider uses, not always knowing what to evaluate. This guide explains the main CAT tools, their differences, and what actually matters for game localization projects.
The Main CAT Tools
The dominant CAT tools in professional game localization are: memoQ (developed by Kilgray, now memoQ Zrt.) — widely used in games and software localization, strong TM and QA features, file format support that covers most game string formats; SDL Trados Studio (now RWS Trados Studio) — the largest market share CAT tool globally, strong for enterprise translation workflows; Phrase (formerly Memsource) — a cloud-based CAT tool with API integrations favored by software and game companies with continuous localization pipelines; Wordfast — popular among freelance translators for its lower cost; and Smartcat — a free cloud-based CAT tool used by smaller providers and freelancers. Most professional localization agencies standardize on one or two tools; most support standard TMX format for TM exchange between different tools.
memoQ vs. Trados — The Two Dominant Tools
memoQ and SDL Trados Studio are the two most used CAT tools in professional game localization. memoQ advantages: more user-friendly interface, strong file format support for game strings (XLIFF, JSON, CSV, PO, YAML), flexible TM and terminology management, good value for money; memoQ is the more common tool among game-focused localization providers. Trados advantages: broadest market adoption globally (most translators and agencies support it), mature QA framework, strong for very large projects with many vendors. From the developer’s perspective, the choice of CAT tool at the provider matters less than the TM and glossary workflow: whether TM is actively maintained, whether glossary terms are enforced during translation, and whether QA checks are configured. The deliverable — translated string files — is the same regardless of which CAT tool produced it.
What Actually Matters About Your Provider’s CAT Tool
Game developers evaluating localization providers should ask about CAT tool workflow, not just the tool name. The relevant questions are: Does the provider maintain a project-specific TM for your game? (TM is the investment that compounds across updates — if the provider doesn’t maintain a TM, every project starts from scratch.) Does the provider enforce glossary terms during translation? (Glossary enforcement prevents the terminology inconsistency that is the most common localization quality complaint.) Does the provider run QA checks before delivery? (Automated QA catches variable errors, untranslated strings, and formatting issues.) Can the provider deliver the TM in TMX format for portability? (A portable TM means you own your localization history even if you change providers.) The answers to these questions matter more than which specific CAT tool the provider uses.
Continuous Localization and API-Based Pipelines
Game developers with continuous integration pipelines sometimes integrate localization directly into their CI/CD workflow using API-based CAT tools. Phrase (formerly Memsource) and Lokalise are designed for this use case — they expose APIs that allow automated string push (new strings submitted to translation automatically) and string pull (translated strings returned to the game build automatically). This approach works well for: mobile games with frequent updates where manual file handoff creates delays; games with live operations content that must be localized and deployed quickly; and studios with developer resources to maintain the API integration. Traditional CAT tools (memoQ, Trados) support file-based handoff rather than API integration. The right approach depends on update frequency and developer pipeline sophistication.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I care which CAT tool my localization provider uses?
Mostly no — the CAT tool is a provider-internal implementation detail. What matters is the workflow outcomes: TM maintenance, glossary enforcement, QA checks, and TM portability. A skilled team using memoQ and a skilled team using Trados will produce equivalent quality. The one scenario where CAT tool choice matters is if you want to work with multiple providers simultaneously on one project — they ideally need to use compatible tools or share TM via standard TMX format to avoid TM divergence.
What is TMX format and why does portability matter?
TMX (Translation Memory eXchange) is the standard XML format for TM data — it records source segments and their approved translations in a format that all major CAT tools can import. TMX portability means your TM data is not locked in your provider’s proprietary format — if you change providers, you take your TM with you and the new provider can import it. TM represents investment: every translated string, every approved term, every quality pass that went into your localization history. Always request TMX delivery at project completion. SandVox delivers TM in TMX format as a standard project deliverable.
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