The management of translation memories is of prime importance in the field of technical translation. What is a translation memory? It is a basic data which can be summarized in a simple table with two inputs. It simply consists of two columns: one for the source language and a second one with the translation in the target language.
There is a generally a third column containing the translation-related notes. You may also find a column with hyperlinks to justify the translation, or the source (UN, Eur-Lex, etc.).
A Translation Memory can obviously combine a great number of languages.
Translation memories are created by translators during their daily work. Building consistent translation memories can take years.
It is much recommended to have one for each field (medicine, finance, law, etc.).
When these databases are used and modified regularly by dozens of translators, it is advisable to use a person whose work will be to update daily and check these translation memories.