Trados Studio software

Trados (now Trados Studio) is widely considered the industry-standard computer-assisted translation (CAT) software. It was originally founded in 1984 in Stuttgart, Germany, as a translation agency that developed its own internal technology to manage terminology and translation memories. The product eventually revolutionized the localization industry by allowing translators to reuse previously translated content, ensuring consistency and efficiency across large-scale projects.

Over the decades, the brand has transitioned from a niche German tool to a global enterprise solution. After being acquired by the UK-based SDL PLC in 2005, the software was rebranded as SDL Trados. In 2020, the brand underwent another major corporate shift when SDL was acquired by RWS Holdings, a global leader in technology-enabled language and intellectual property services. Today, Trados is a flagship brand under the RWS umbrella, developed and headquartered primarily out of the United Kingdom while serving a worldwide market of freelance translators and multinational corporations.