A project has been initiated to investigate both the extent to which translation tools are being adopted by small translation businesses in the UK, as well as the impacts those tools are having on translators' working environments. It is envisaged that the insights gained from the project will be used both to inform translation businesses contemplating the adoption of translation tools, as well as to assist software tool developers in their refinement of tool design and functionality. In the initial phase of the project, a conceptual framework has been devised to facilitate the exploration of the levels of tool adoption among translators, the various factors that may motivate or inhibit their adoption, and the likely organisational impacts of tool adoption, including such issues as effects on productivity, cost implications, and possible requirements for working practice adaptations.