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I have one CAT tool that I consider the best, but...
Thread poster: José J. Martínez
José J. Martínez
José J. Martínez  Identity Verified
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Jul 13, 2015

Mi CAT tool is the one that starts with a W.... I can mention it if allowed. However the majority of the jobs that appear want the one that starts with S, T or Q... The W tool is supposed to be compatible.

 
Samuel Murray
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You are allowed to say names Jul 13, 2015

José J. Martínez wrote:
Mi CAT tool is the one that starts with a W.... I can mention it if allowed. However the majority of the jobs that appear want the one that starts with S, T or Q... The W tool is supposed to be compatible.


I guess:
W = Wordfast
S = Trados 2009+
T = Trados 2007
Q = Memmock (now called Memo Queue)


 
Jeff Whittaker
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There used to be a really good website or blog... Jul 13, 2015

...(created by a very smart and talented French gentleman I believe), that reviewed and compared all of the CAT tools (side by side?). Perhaps someone can remember?

In addition, ProZ has its own CAT tool comparison page: http://www.proz.com/software-comparison-tool/cat/cat_tools/2


[Edited at 2015-07-13 20:57 GMT]


 
José J. Martínez
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Mi CAT tool is Wordfast Pro.... Jul 13, 2015

However, the majority of the jobs that appear in Proz that are CAT tool specific want SDL, Trados or MemoQ... They all are costly and to have one is ok but to have several makes this an onerous feat. Wordfast is supposed to be compatible with others, so if I translate something with Wordfast, my Translation Memory can be used by other Tools. Am I correct in this assumption?

 
Jean Lachaud
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http://wordfast.fi/blog/ Jul 13, 2015

Use of the Search feature will be necessary.

http://wordfast.fi/blog/


Jeff Whittaker wrote:

...(created by a very smart and talented French gentleman I believe), that reviewed and compared all of the CAT tools (side by side?). Perhaps someone can remember?
]


 
Tony M
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Wordfast comaptibility Jul 13, 2015

José J. Martínez wrote:

Wordfast is supposed to be compatible with others, so if I translate something with Wordfast, my Translation Memory can be used by other Tools. Am I correct in this assumption?


Partly at least — though I do find the available information somewhat confusing.

As far as the Wordfast instruction manual is concerned, it seems that Wordfast should be able to open TMs from other sources, PROVIDED they have been saved (or exported) in the 'universal' .TMX format. In my experience so far, this has been true, even though at first sight Wordfast seems to be looking for a .TXT file and so doesn't 'see' the .TMX files, if you actually tell it to open one, it does. I believe there may be issues with different generations of the .TMX format.

Wordfast offers the option to export its TM in .TMX format — unusually for W/f, this is not terribly intuitive, and I had to read the instruction manual several times before I figured out how it functions. HOWEVER, this .TMX TM cannot apparently be opened directly in the other software packages — instead, it has to be imported into a (blank or otherwise) TM created in those tools. As far as I have been able to ascertain, this seems to work OK with all the TMs I have had occasion to export.

As an aside — don't forget that at least one of the other major software publishers has a significant stake in ProZ.com — and I think I'm right in saying that this tool is offered as the default one when people are posting jobs; so in fact, unless they actively change it, it is bound to look as if all job posters require this tool. In practice, when I have applied for jobs, most outsourcers didn't actually care too much WHICH CAT tool I used (as I don't happen to have the one I am referring to!) It took me a while to cotton on to this situation, and it suddenly put things in a different perspective!


 
José J. Martínez
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Very interesting... Jul 13, 2015

So Tony, there might be the option to use WF instead of the OTHER Tool?... I will try replying all the offers that ask for it and tell them that I use WF Pro and I can deliver a TN in .txml or .TMX. If it works I will post that. But, WF also has ads in Proz.

 
Tony M
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Ah yes, but... Jul 13, 2015

José J. Martínez wrote:

So Tony, there might be the option to use WF instead of the OTHER Tool?... I will try replying all the offers that ask for it and tell them that I use WF Pro and I can deliver a TN in .txml or .TMX.


Ah yes, but it's more complicated than that! Agencies using Trados tend to send out 'packages' of translation documents containing all sorts of weird and wonderful file formats, and it's not always easy sorting out WHICH file is the one you need; so you also need to ask them to supply you with JUST the .DOC (or whatever) file; I have one customer who exports me a 2-column (FR / EN) file from their CAT tool, which I then play around with and translate in W/f; they don't actually care, as they then re-create a fresh TM from my uncleaned translation.


But, WF also has ads in Proz.


Ah yes, but I'm not just talking about adverts — I believe one of the major CAT publishers actually has a stake in ProZ.com in terms of actual shares... and don't forget that they in turn also have some kind of a connection with Microsoft... so all is not necessarily as it seems...


 
Jeff Whittaker
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Very nice, but not the one I was thinking of: Jul 13, 2015

I think his name started with a B... Or perhaps it was Denis Hay... I'm still searching.

JL01 wrote:

Use of the Search feature will be necessary.

http://wordfast.fi/blog/


Jeff Whittaker wrote:

...(created by a very smart and talented French gentleman I believe), that reviewed and compared all of the CAT tools (side by side?). Perhaps someone can remember?
]


[Edited at 2015-07-13 22:15 GMT]


 
2nl (X)
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This guy? Jul 14, 2015

Dr. François Massion?

http://www.uebersetzerportal.de/nachrichten/n-archiv/2005/2005-12/2005-12-22.html

[Edited at 2015-07-14 00:10 GMT]


 
Clarisa Moraña
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What about direct clients? Jul 14, 2015

People say: "The CAT tool X is the most required one". By whom? By translation agencies... One translation agency will ask you to use CAT tool 1, the other one CAT tool 2, and so on. They do a quite a hard marketing job finding clients, offering their services, etc., and they need translation memories, in order to assign the translation job to another translator if their usual translator happens to be unavailable, and of course the translation agency is doing business, and needs to have profits... See more
People say: "The CAT tool X is the most required one". By whom? By translation agencies... One translation agency will ask you to use CAT tool 1, the other one CAT tool 2, and so on. They do a quite a hard marketing job finding clients, offering their services, etc., and they need translation memories, in order to assign the translation job to another translator if their usual translator happens to be unavailable, and of course the translation agency is doing business, and needs to have profits, thus... it will offer their translators the lowest possible rate.
If you do your own marketing job, you find your own direct clients, you can use your preferred CAT tool, and you can charge them better rates.

I have many CAT tools, I have both direct clients and I work for translation agencies. Every agency has its preferred CAT tool, and I can work in as many as 3 CAT tools in a single day. The one that requests me to use Wordfast is the one that pays the lowest rate and spams my email with plenty job offers with ridiculous rates and deadlines.

Regards

Clarisa



[Edited at 2015-07-14 04:03 GMT]
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José J. Martínez
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I think you are quite right. Jul 14, 2015

Yes, if we consider that what the "client" wants, be it a direct client or an agency is the translation, I do believe that the agencies will want to force you to use XYZ CAT tool, for the strengthening of their own Translation Memories. I have done work, Military Work, where the terms were already specified and no deviation was allowed. The pay was ok so I did use the required MQ but they furnished it. Therefore I did not have to buy it.

 
2nl (X)
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XLIFF can be a solution Jul 14, 2015

José J. Martínez wrote:

Yes, if we consider that what the "client" wants, be it a direct client or an agency is the translation, I do believe that the agencies will want to force you to use XYZ CAT tool


XLIFF can be a solution. Many CAT tools can create XLIFF files, that you can process with your preferred CAT tool. Which must be able to process them of course.


 
neilmac
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I have one, but... Jul 14, 2015

I'm usually perfectly happy with WF Classic, as when it's running smoothly, it does everything I need it to. However, having just "upgraded" both of my desktop PCs to MS Office 2013, imagine my chagrin when I find out that Microsoft no longer includes the function which enabled WordFast Classic to work with Excel and PPT files, which I discovered after receiving texts in each of these formats to be translated! So now I'm going to have to rush off to see my technician to get the 2010 version rein... See more
I'm usually perfectly happy with WF Classic, as when it's running smoothly, it does everything I need it to. However, having just "upgraded" both of my desktop PCs to MS Office 2013, imagine my chagrin when I find out that Microsoft no longer includes the function which enabled WordFast Classic to work with Excel and PPT files, which I discovered after receiving texts in each of these formats to be translated! So now I'm going to have to rush off to see my technician to get the 2010 version reinstalled again on at least one PC before he goes on holiday.

Not broken, don't fix it? Not on planet Gates, apparently.

[Edited at 2015-07-14 09:53 GMT]

[Edited at 2015-07-14 09:54 GMT]
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José J. Martínez
José J. Martínez  Identity Verified
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Possibly you do not have to go back Jul 14, 2015

I use MS Word for all, after all, one has to review the formatting always. Just got to open and paste.



[Edited at 2015-07-14 17:58 GMT]


 
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