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New to Wordfast: Classic or Pro?
Thread poster: Cristina Lo Bianco
Cristina Lo Bianco
Cristina Lo Bianco  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 07:25
Member (2008)
English to Italian
+ ...
Oct 24, 2009

Hello,

I am new to Wordfast and I don't know exactly where to start: Classic or Pro?

If I have it right, Wf Classic is used with word and Wf Pro is standalone.
What I don't understand is if the Pro version can replace the Classic one in every aspect or if the Classic version will always be needed in some cases.

Thank you in advance to everybody who will be kind enough to answer!
Cristina


 
Gabriel Francesch (X)
Gabriel Francesch (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 07:25
English to French
+ ...
Thanks for asking that question! Oct 24, 2009

... cause I have been asking myself the same question all day. (just downloaded the Pro version)

You're right, the Pro version is a stand alone version which means it doesn't need Microsoft Word to be used. My impression is that it's much easier to do editing on the Classic version as you can keep the original layout of the document. Wordfast Classic is the most user-friendl tool I have used so far so I strongly recomment that you get the trial version...
That's pretty much a
... See more
... cause I have been asking myself the same question all day. (just downloaded the Pro version)

You're right, the Pro version is a stand alone version which means it doesn't need Microsoft Word to be used. My impression is that it's much easier to do editing on the Classic version as you can keep the original layout of the document. Wordfast Classic is the most user-friendl tool I have used so far so I strongly recomment that you get the trial version...
That's pretty much all I can say. I hope some people who know more about these two softwares can gives us better advice !
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Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 07:25
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Classic is better, but not needed Oct 24, 2009

Cristina Lo Bianco wrote:
What I don't understand is if the Pro version can replace the Classic one in every aspect or if the Classic version will always be needed in some cases.


No, the Classic one is never "needed" in some cases. You can use the Pro version and never use the Classic version, if you want. But the Classic one does have more features and is much easier to work with. That is just my opinion, of course.


 
Ulf Samuelsson
Ulf Samuelsson  Identity Verified
Mexico
Local time: 00:25
Member (2007)
English to Swedish
+ ...
Depends on your preferences Oct 24, 2009

I would say that which version you should use depends on how you like to work.

If you, like me, have several special macros in Word, then you should use the Classic version.

If you prefer an independent program, then the Pro version is your choice.

Personally, I'm so used to the shortcuts in Word and special macros that I've made that I find it difficult to leave Word. I like being able to do a quick lookup in an electronic dictionary directly from Word. Ea
... See more
I would say that which version you should use depends on how you like to work.

If you, like me, have several special macros in Word, then you should use the Classic version.

If you prefer an independent program, then the Pro version is your choice.

Personally, I'm so used to the shortcuts in Word and special macros that I've made that I find it difficult to leave Word. I like being able to do a quick lookup in an electronic dictionary directly from Word. Easy to do a word count to see how much I have left, to use F2 to move text, to use Shift + F3 to change case, to use Shift + F7 to be able to check for synonymes, and I've set up Wordfast so that F8 starts a search, F9 copies a selection and closes the search window and F10 pastes the text as text only (to avoid the green color).

So, for me, it will be hard to leave Word as I get frustrated when there is no fast and easy way to do what I'm used to doing in a heartbeat.
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Magdalena Szewciów
Magdalena Szewciów  Identity Verified
Poland
Local time: 07:25
English to Polish
+ ...
Definately Classic! Oct 25, 2009

Mostly for the reasons already mentioned by Ulf: the fact that I translate quickly and efficiently results from my ability to quickly and efficiently use all the shortcuts "embedded" in my fingers and brain. Sounds funny, eh? I simply don't have to think about what to press next anymore.

Secondly, I have to feel in control of the file I translate. In case of standalones, I'm always worried about losing something (yeah,
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Mostly for the reasons already mentioned by Ulf: the fact that I translate quickly and efficiently results from my ability to quickly and efficiently use all the shortcuts "embedded" in my fingers and brain. Sounds funny, eh? I simply don't have to think about what to press next anymore.

Secondly, I have to feel in control of the file I translate. In case of standalones, I'm always worried about losing something (yeah, maybe it's irrational).

Thirdly, after my awful experience in working with Idiom (another standalone CAT tool), I don't feel like trying anymore. But perhaps I'll change my mind because some agencies already require WF Pro. So most probably I'll use both.

HTH
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Heinrich Pesch
Heinrich Pesch  Identity Verified
Finland
Local time: 08:25
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
There is a shortcut for that already Oct 25, 2009

Ulf Samuelsson wrote:


Personally, I'm so used to the shortcuts in Word and special macros that I've made that I find it difficult to leave Word. I like being able to do a quick lookup in an electronic dictionary directly from Word. Easy to do a word count to see how much I have left, to use F2 to move text, to use Shift + F3 to change case, to use Shift + F7 to be able to check for synonymes, and I've set up Wordfast so that F8 starts a search, F9 copies a selection and closes the search window and F10 pastes the text as text only (to avoid the green color).



You can press Contr+Alt+Ins to apply the formatting of the source segment. But I remember there being also a shortcut for copying from the concordance window:

Alt+F12 Copies any selection of text (from any Ms-Word document) into the current target segment, if a session is opened.
If, in the target segment, the selection has a zero length (it's just an insertion point), the selected text will be pasted at the insertion point. If the selection has any length, or if the selection (or insertion point) is outside the target segment, the text will be pasted at the end of the target segment.
If the newly pasted text has a format or style that is different from the target segment's general style, remember that the Ctrl+Alt+Ins shortcut can copy the source segment's style and format to the target segment.

Cheers
Heinrich


 
Michiel Leeuwenburgh
Michiel Leeuwenburgh  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 07:25
Member (2009)
English to Dutch
Classic for me! Oct 25, 2009

My first experience with a CAT was with WF Classic and I was immediately won over by its user friendliness, its transparency and, as mentioned by Magdalena, the sense of control you have over your translation. After having worked with Classic for half a year or so, I decided to check out Pro. That proved to be quite a disappointment. I found it much, much less user friendly, less transparent and I did not feel in control of the text. I immediately removed it from my computer and never looked bac... See more
My first experience with a CAT was with WF Classic and I was immediately won over by its user friendliness, its transparency and, as mentioned by Magdalena, the sense of control you have over your translation. After having worked with Classic for half a year or so, I decided to check out Pro. That proved to be quite a disappointment. I found it much, much less user friendly, less transparent and I did not feel in control of the text. I immediately removed it from my computer and never looked back!

Cheers,
Michiel
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Albert Stufkens
Albert Stufkens  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 07:25
Member (2008)
Dutch to English
+ ...
Classic or Pro Oct 25, 2009

My general impression of the previous posts is that everybody knows ABOUT the Pro version but does not really know it.
I have been using Wf Classic for many years and was very hesitant and sceptical about switching to Pro. Well, I just did it and found it challenging. It has the feel of a more mature and indeed professional program.
Although it does not need Word in the first place but in order to view the result of the translation it does use Word.
The beauty about the Pro ver
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My general impression of the previous posts is that everybody knows ABOUT the Pro version but does not really know it.
I have been using Wf Classic for many years and was very hesitant and sceptical about switching to Pro. Well, I just did it and found it challenging. It has the feel of a more mature and indeed professional program.
Although it does not need Word in the first place but in order to view the result of the translation it does use Word.
The beauty about the Pro version is that the preview in Word is already cleaned. The formatting exactly conforms to the source text, provided you do not overlook the formatting placeables during translation. But if you do overlook them then there is an automatic alert.
One overbearing advantage is the possibility to view the source and target text side by side. Of course, you can switch to the mode whereby the source and target lines are underneath each other, but this is exactly what I do not like about the Classic version.
Once you have installed and familiarized yourself with the Pro version the setting up of TMs is better organized.
Unfortunately, as yet the Pro version only accepts a Word 2003 file. So do save a Word 2007 file down to a Word 2003 file first before loading it into the program!
As far as copying a source segment including its formatting is concerned, it suffices to simply press Alt+ Insert.
The term 'standalone' is very relative. You will need to load a Word file and you can only preview in Word.
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QUOI
QUOI  Identity Verified

Chinese to English
+ ...
I'd say "Go Pro!" Oct 25, 2009

I have been using WFP intensively for a couple of months now and quite like it. I previously used WFC. Pro has shortcuts just like the classic version so it’s a matter of memorising the common ones.

Most notably working in Pro, I don't have to go through several steps to select different TMs and terminology lists, it's a matter of selecting the relevant ones from the list in the set up. This makes it easier to revise a translation at a later stage as well.


 
Cristina Lo Bianco
Cristina Lo Bianco  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 07:25
Member (2008)
English to Italian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
What about excel files? Oct 25, 2009

Thanks a lot for all the advice you already gave me!

What about using Wordfast with excel files? Classic or Pro in that case?

Thanks again,
Cristina


 
QUOI
QUOI  Identity Verified

Chinese to English
+ ...
Both can deal with Excel files Oct 25, 2009

Both can translate Excel files. WFC does it in Word (write to a blank word document extracting source text row-by-row from Excel file). Pro imports Excel files directly again making it less fiddly.

Cristina Lo Bianco wrote:

Thanks a lot for all the advice you already gave me!

What about using Wordfast with excel files? Classic or Pro in that case?

Thanks again,
Cristina


 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 07:25
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Some of my gripes with Pro Oct 25, 2009

Albert Stufkens wrote:
The beauty about the Pro version is that the preview in Word is already cleaned. The formatting exactly conforms to the source text, provided you do not overlook the formatting placeables during translation. But if you do overlook them then there is an automatic alert. ... One overbearing advantage is the possibility to view the source and target text side by side. Of course, you can switch to the mode whereby the source and target lines are underneath each other, but this is exactly what I do not like about the Classic version.


The ability to preview in MS Word depends on the type of TXML file your client sends you. If it is a non-skeletal file, you can't preview in MS Word. And also, if it is such a file, then you can't spell-check it either, unless WFP happens to have your language. You can check if your TXML file is skeletal by checking if the "MS Word" button is greyed out or not. If it is greyed out, then you're out of luck, as you can't spell-check your translation.

I dislike the side-by-side view but I understand that some people prefer it. The above-and-below view in WFP isn't really the same as the view in WFC because you can't see the formatting and you can't see the layout. This is my biggest gripe with WFP, namely that instead of translating a document, you translate disembodied sentences. But the same applies for all of the non-inline CAT tools these days.

And if you want to see what an UT tag is for, you have to hover your mouse over it. Why? Why not just show it in the clear?

Whenever I open a TXML file that has a different language combination than the current or previously opened project, WF tells me that I have to choose a different project, and gives me a list of them, but doesn't tell me which of the listed projects will allow me to open the TXML file (as some of them may not have language codes compatible with my TXML file). And you can't open two or more TXML files at the same time unless their language combinations are exactly the same.


 
DZiW (X)
DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
+ ...
classic* Oct 25, 2009

IMO classic is better because
- it's tiny (comparing to PRO)
- it doesn't require additional CPU/ MEM (what for?)
- an intuitive interface (hey, ain't it like Word?))
- no messing with JAVA (and other 3rd-parties)
- you cannot 'accidentally' delete the source file (and fail the job)
- you can *always* start TM updating (Ctrl+Down while viewing a document)
- you can open all collateral files in another windows
. . .

So, *IF* you have MS
... See more
IMO classic is better because
- it's tiny (comparing to PRO)
- it doesn't require additional CPU/ MEM (what for?)
- an intuitive interface (hey, ain't it like Word?))
- no messing with JAVA (and other 3rd-parties)
- you cannot 'accidentally' delete the source file (and fail the job)
- you can *always* start TM updating (Ctrl+Down while viewing a document)
- you can open all collateral files in another windows
. . .

So, *IF* you have MS Office installed then WF classic is enough. Why don't you have it installed? Yes, there're always some nuances to encounter...
Anyway you can try *both* and have your own feeling.

Take it easy for it's but IMO)
Cheers
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Albert Stufkens
Albert Stufkens  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 07:25
Member (2008)
Dutch to English
+ ...
TXML file? Oct 25, 2009

Interesting comment. Fortunately, I was never sent a TXML file so far. What would be the purpose of sending a transator such a file?? Such a file indicates that a translation has already been made! It would make sense to me if a TM would be sent for further translations.

[quote]Samuel Murray wrote:

The ability to preview in MS Word depends on the type of TXML file your client sends you. If it is a non-skeletal file, you can't preview in MS Word.


 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 07:25
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Untranslated TXML files Oct 26, 2009

Albert Stufkens wrote:
I was never sent a TXML file so far. What would be the purpose of sending a transator such a file?? Such a file indicates that a translation has already been made!


The TXML file is Wordfast's answer to TTX. When you as a freelance translator load your MS Word file in Wordfast Pro, it creates an untranslated TXML file. You can then send that file to a colleague, without having to send him the original MS Word file. It's the same with TTX, and it's the same with the new SDLXLIFF format. People who translate TTX files often don't get the original files as well. An agency might send you a partially translated or a pre-translated TXML file, or an untranslated TXML file to translate, or perhaps a fully translated TXML file to proofread or review.


 
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