Заказчик то и дело просит обновить память переводов.

То и дело is an idiomatic expression meaning constantly, again and again, every now and then, or repeatedly.

In this sentence, it gives the idea that the client keeps making the same request over and over:

• Заказчик то и дело просит... = The client keeps asking...

It is not literal word-for-word language. Learners should treat то и дело as a fixed phrase.

In Russian, the present tense often expresses habitual or repeated action, not just something happening right now at this exact moment.

So:

• просит = asks / keeps asking

Because the sentence also contains то и дело, the repeated meaning becomes very clear:

• Заказчик то и дело просит = The client keeps asking repeatedly

This is a question of aspect.

• обновить = perfective infinitive
• обновлять = imperfective infinitive

After просить (to ask someone to do something), Russian often uses:

• perfective if the speaker means do it / complete it once
• imperfective if the speaker means do it regularly / be doing it / engage in the process

Here, просит обновить память переводов means the client is asking for the translation memory to be updated as a completed result.

So the focus is on the result:

• Please update it.
• not so much Please be updating it / keep updating it.

If the meaning were more like asks us to keep updating it regularly, then обновлять could be possible in another context.

Заказчик usually means client, customer, or the party placing the order/request.

In business, project, translation, and freelance contexts, заказчик is very common because it emphasizes that this is the person or company that commissioned the work.

Compared with клиент:

• клиент = client/customer in a broad sense
• заказчик = specifically the one who ordered the work or project

In a translation context, заказчик often feels especially natural.

Because память is the direct object of обновить, it is in the accusative case.

However, for this noun, the accusative singular looks the same as the nominative singular:

• nominative: память
• accusative: память

So the form does not visibly change, even though the case function does.

Because переводов is in the genitive plural and depends on память.

This is the normal way Russian expresses something like memory of translations or translation memory.

Structure:

• память = memory
• переводов = of translations

So:

• память переводов = translation memory

This is especially common in the translation/software field, where translation memory is a technical term.

It is both understandable literally and used as a technical term.

In translation technology, память переводов means translation memory, a database that stores previously translated segments so they can be reused.

So in this sentence, it is not just a poetic or general idea of remembering translations. It most likely refers to the actual CAT-tool resource.

Russian often leaves out information that is obvious from context.

So Заказчик то и дело просит обновить память переводов means something like:

• The client keeps asking us to update the translation memory
• The client keeps asking for the translation memory to be updated

The person being asked is omitted because it is probably already clear from the situation.

If you wanted to make it explicit, you could say:

• Заказчик то и дело просит нас обновить память переводов.
  = The client keeps asking us to update the translation memory.

Просит is the 3rd person singular present tense of просить.

Breakdown:

• заказчик = subject
• просит = asks
• обновить = to update
• память переводов = translation memory

So the pattern is:

• кто-то просит сделать что-то
• someone asks to do something

Very literally:

• The client asks to update the translation memory

More natural English:

• The client asks us to update the translation memory
• The client keeps asking for the translation memory to be updated

Yes, Russian word order is flexible, and то и дело can sometimes move, though some positions sound more natural than others.

For example:

• Заказчик то и дело просит обновить память переводов.
• Заказчик просит то и дело обновить память переводов.

The first version is more natural if you want то и дело to describe the repeated asking.

Learners should notice that word order in Russian often helps show focus and emphasis, not just grammar.

Yes, it can.

The expression то и дело often suggests repetition that the speaker notices strongly, and sometimes it carries a slight feeling of irritation, weariness, or “here we go again”.

So depending on tone and context, the sentence may sound like:

• a neutral observation: The client keeps asking to update the translation memory
• a mildly annoyed comment: The client is always asking for the translation memory to be updated

The grammar itself does not force annoyance, but the phrase то и дело often leans in that direction.