Computers are changing, and so is the way we use technology, and no single product epitomises this better than Windows 8, the new Microsoft operating system which was officially presented on the 26th of October. How does this change the way translators work with computers? What do the new laptop/hybrid form factors mean for professional linguists? Will I be able to get translation work done on a Microsoft Surface? All these are questions which will be answered over the next couple of years.To get slightly ahead of things, I have asked Paul Filkin from SDL and István Lengyel from Kilgray, as representatives of the major CAT software products, Trados, and memoQ, for their opinion. While Paul was slightly more pessimistic about the new interface, and believes that the classic Windows Desktop is here to stay for the foreseeable future, which means no modern interface for SDL Studio, which we could use on ARM-powered tablets, for example, István was a little bit more open-minded about the topic: "We do look into multiple OS'es when designing memoQ's interface and don't necessarily always draw from the Windows GUI conventions. However, mobile phones did not give us anything so far that could be useful in text processing - we've used Windows Mobile (or some of us did) for long. Yet I don't exclude the possibility that Windows 8 is offering something interesting that we can benefit from, but actually there is nothing yet I can report about."
So while the folks at Kilgray seem to be open for anything, and at least keeping a close eye on developments, unfortunately for their fans there is nothing at all in development.What do you think CAT tools will look like in 20 years' time? Is the Desktop as a metaphor about to disappear? And will we be dragging words around with our fingers or still use traditional pointing devices like mice and touchpads? Let us know what you expect from the future in the comments.
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