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The impossibility of "making it" as a young translator
Thread poster: Roman Lutz
Roman Lutz
Roman Lutz  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 11:12
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Trados vs. WordFast Feb 9, 2011

Sheila Wilson wrote:

Congratulations on the changes you've made to your CV and profile, Roman. I think an outsourcer will look much more favourably at your offers now. I hope so, anyway.

One thing I have to react to:
"I got myself WordFast and I am going to use it for all my future assignments until I decide to get Trados"

Why does everyone get the impression that Wordfast is some sort of a poor cousin to Trados - something to "put up with", "the best I can do for the moment". It's actually right up there on the leader board! It just doesn't seem to have the "clout" that Trados has.


Well, I guess most people (including me) think that because Trados is the most commonly used and required software, the "flagship" among the CAT tools, if you will... at least I am led to believe that looking at all the job posts stating "MUST USE TRADOS!".

But I'll happily go for WordFast, I have received a load of recommendations for it since I started this topic.



[Edited at 2011-02-09 16:43 GMT]


 
Laurent KRAULAND (X)
Laurent KRAULAND (X)  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 11:12
French to German
+ ...
The tool you feel comfortable with! Feb 9, 2011

Roman Lutz wrote:

Well, I guess most people (including me) think that because Trados is the most commonly used and required software, the "flagship" among the CAT tools, if you will... at least I am lead to believe that looking at all the job posts stating "MUST USE TRADOS!".

But I'll happily go for WordFast, I have received a load of recommendations for it since I started this topic.


Hi Roman,
most colleagues will agree that you should use the tool you feel most comfortable with! Having "upgraded" from a Windows machine to a Mac, I bought a non-mainstream CAT tool and am perfectly happy and satisfied with it. I am also not opposed to online solutions.

Some feel at ease with Trados, I don't - simple as that.


 
gram-br
gram-br  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 07:12
Portuguese to English
+ ...
CAT Tools Feb 9, 2011

On the subject of CAT tools, as Laurent has suggested, there are online or 'Cloud' tools which allow you to pay monthly and spread the cost, if the large outlay is something that concerns you.

I have been experimenting with a Cloud based CAT toll which is compatible with Trados files, with success. I would not be too concerned about job postings which "insist" on Trados - many times the job will be received in Word or pdf, to be returned in Word. Maybe the TM will be Trados format,
... See more
On the subject of CAT tools, as Laurent has suggested, there are online or 'Cloud' tools which allow you to pay monthly and spread the cost, if the large outlay is something that concerns you.

I have been experimenting with a Cloud based CAT toll which is compatible with Trados files, with success. I would not be too concerned about job postings which "insist" on Trados - many times the job will be received in Word or pdf, to be returned in Word. Maybe the TM will be Trados format, but this can be imported and exported from the Cloud based tool.

On this site, and others, I fear that 'winning' many of the posted jobs has more to do with how low you take your rate rather than experience.

Graham
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opolt
opolt  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 11:12
English to German
+ ...
KudoZ Feb 9, 2011

I would second what has been said about KudoZ participation. There has been a lot of criticism lately of the KudoZ system in these forums, but it's not only out there to gain some points -- it can also be a useful tool to "proove it to yourself", meaning that you can use it to test how good (or bad) you are, compared to others, in your speciality fields. If the result should be that you can't really compete (yet), I'd say it's time to face the reality check, roll up your sleeves, go to the libra... See more
I would second what has been said about KudoZ participation. There has been a lot of criticism lately of the KudoZ system in these forums, but it's not only out there to gain some points -- it can also be a useful tool to "proove it to yourself", meaning that you can use it to test how good (or bad) you are, compared to others, in your speciality fields. If the result should be that you can't really compete (yet), I'd say it's time to face the reality check, roll up your sleeves, go to the library and indulge in some serious self study.

Furthermore, participating in KudoZ activities is in itself a good way to learn about a given subject.

All of which doesn't give you any jobs, of course. But in your language pairs, you really need to be specialized these days, there's no way around that.

Good luck!


[Edited at 2011-02-09 18:45 GMT]
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Olga Hatzigeorgiou
Olga Hatzigeorgiou  Identity Verified
Greece
Local time: 12:12
English to Greek
+ ...
Direct clients Feb 9, 2011

hello to everyone,
you are saying about direct clients, but how can we find them? If for example one of my specializations is light psychology or self help books, where can I find direct clients?
I think too that it is too difficult to get established and find jobs through various sites
Thank you all for the advise and the interest


 
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The impossibility of "making it" as a young translator







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