| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Do you think CAT tool knowledge is essential for translators? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you think CAT tool knowledge is essential for translators?".
This poll was originally submitted by Amar Nath. View the poll results »
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 14:43
Spanish to English
+ ...
Only a decade or two ago, some people I know still worked to a great extent without PCs, for example one colleague did all his work handwritten on paper then typed up the finished version, or got his daughter to do it on the PC. He now works in another field and no longer translates.
However, nowadays CAT knowledge is essential, although I personally have great reservations about the way the market is going, and am very wary of the ongoing imposition of "new features" and the strugg... See more Only a decade or two ago, some people I know still worked to a great extent without PCs, for example one colleague did all his work handwritten on paper then typed up the finished version, or got his daughter to do it on the PC. He now works in another field and no longer translates.
However, nowadays CAT knowledge is essential, although I personally have great reservations about the way the market is going, and am very wary of the ongoing imposition of "new features" and the struggle for hegemony waged by the Trados empire and its lockstep minions.
Caveat emptor.
By the way, I consider my word processing software as CAT, since it lives on my computer and assists me...
[Edited at 2011-06-25 18:42 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Interlangue (X)
Angola
Local time: 14:43
English to French
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It may be useful but not essential.
I would not make a (decent) living if it were, would I?
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Much or most of my translation work does not require any use of CAT tools, and I could probably make a living as a translator just focusing on such work.
Literary translation, translation of scanned documents, Word and Excel documents, HTML documents etc.
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DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
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| document-centric | Jun 25, 2011 |
It depends, but IMO any knowledge might come handy some time
So I think that if one really wants to have unified and consistent papers (especially when there are many translators) then he should really consider a specific CAT tool.
Indeed, it tends to solve and avert some possible minor issues (say, infamous glossary errs) which may grow higher than hope... Right.
Yet sometimes I find difficul... See more It depends, but IMO any knowledge might come handy some time
So I think that if one really wants to have unified and consistent papers (especially when there are many translators) then he should really consider a specific CAT tool.
Indeed, it tends to solve and avert some possible minor issues (say, infamous glossary errs) which may grow higher than hope... Right.
Yet sometimes I find difficulties, say, when one should avoid repeating of the same word in UA or RU (and seldom in EN). It requires either real-time monitoring or post-processing. I think I would pay a good buck for a software doing it automatically... This is a dream. Meanwhile I have to right-click repetitive words or keep it in mind.
The first drawback is I find it fancy that CAT-translator (user?) cannot translate just translated text or tell other people how he have just translated a certain sentence, let alone retelling it. The second pitfall is errs in 96+% matches--'green is good'. Trust no one. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | It depends on the translation subjects | Jun 25, 2011 |
I think the CAT tools mostly help translators that deal with repetitive subjects. Then they can get the most of the TM.
Those who translate fiction, for example, have to rely on their own language knowledge and imagination more than on any CAT tool.
| | | | Alex Lago 
Spain
Local time: 14:43
English to Spanish
+ ...
Yes it is and not just because of what most people think, which is TM use, but because of a lot of things that have to do with productivity and data backup.
With a CAT tool you will never:
- skip a sentence in a long document
- if you have decided on a list of terminology the CAT tool will check it is consistently applied throughout the text
- it will make sure your numbers have been correctly altered
- if something happens and your computer closes down you w... See more Yes it is and not just because of what most people think, which is TM use, but because of a lot of things that have to do with productivity and data backup.
With a CAT tool you will never:
- skip a sentence in a long document
- if you have decided on a list of terminology the CAT tool will check it is consistently applied throughout the text
- it will make sure your numbers have been correctly altered
- if something happens and your computer closes down you will have all the information stored up to the time you had been working (you might have to recreate it in the file, but it will all be stored in the TM so that will be very quick)
- and for those that believe that text never repeats in their translations wait until you see you never have to bother with things like hello, yours sincerely, best regards, date, time, thank you, chapter, and lots of other repetitive loose words/mini-sentences that appear constantly in texts and all that saved time adds up
-or what about a rarely used term which you had to look for 2 years ago and spent ages looking for and now two years later it crops up again, don't worry you don't have to go crazy trying to remember the translation you settled on or going through the whole process again, it will be stored in your terminology or TM so you can search them and save a lot of hassle
So don't just think of CAT tools as storage for repetitive text, think of them as productivity tools that save you time and seeing as we translators make money solely from our available time anything that saves us time should be embraced.
I think in part the problem is that with CAT tools we have also had to put up with CAT rates and a lot of people can't make the distinction between them. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Angus Stewart
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:43
Member (2011)
French to English
+ ...
| No, but it is highly advantageous. | Jun 25, 2011 |
I think that it is still feasible to function perfectly adequately as translator without using CAT tools, particularly for those working in certain fields, such as literary translation.
However, there are clear advantages to adopting the new technology. I work in the field of legal translation and find the use of translation memory useful for speeding up the translation process of certain types of texts such as legislation or contractual documentation where there are a number of mat... See more I think that it is still feasible to function perfectly adequately as translator without using CAT tools, particularly for those working in certain fields, such as literary translation.
However, there are clear advantages to adopting the new technology. I work in the field of legal translation and find the use of translation memory useful for speeding up the translation process of certain types of texts such as legislation or contractual documentation where there are a number of matches, because an element of repetition tends to occur. It is also beneficial in terms of ensuring consistency in the way terms are translated when they re-occur within the same document.
In addition, those translators who can demonstrate a strong proficiency in the use of CAT tools have an edge in marketing their services to translation agencies. The latter are fully aware of the advantages CAT tools confer in terms of quality assurance, for example ensuring that where they are project managing a group of translators on the same project they all use the same term base. Indeed, it is now a prerequisite of eligibility to participate in many projects that the translator uses a particular CAT tool. ▲ Collapse
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I don't use Trados, Wordfast, whatever. The use of a CAT tool is not essential.
| | | | Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 14:43
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Interlangue wrote:
It may be useful but not essential.
I would not make a (decent) living if it were, would I?
You took the words right out of my fingertips.
However, the way the industry is proceeding with more and more jobs requiring CAT tools, the possibility does exist that all "good" jobs are restricted to those who work with CAT tools only.
Therefore, I'm thinking about getting one for jobs in the engineering/technical fields, though not Trados. At the same time I'm trying to get more work in the literature field - which will most probably never be dependant on or demanding CAT tools.
| | | | R. Alex Jenkins
Brazil
Local time: 09:43
Member (2006)
Portuguese to English
+ ...
| I don't know | Jun 25, 2011 |
For me, yes, CAT tools are an essential part of my life... but for others? I think it depends on the preference of each individual.
| | | | Amy Duncan (X)
Brazil
Local time: 09:43
Portuguese to English
+ ...
I was actually surprised that a majority answered "yes." I did use Trados for awhile, and didn't like it. As a writer, I found it claustrophobic, to say the least. Over time, I have found myself doing fewer and fewer documents with repetitions and moving more and more into the literary field. Also, there seems to be a never-ending flow of business documents, papers about sustainability, tourism texts, etc., etc., all of which do not require a CAT tool, so I'm not concerned about running out of w... See more I was actually surprised that a majority answered "yes." I did use Trados for awhile, and didn't like it. As a writer, I found it claustrophobic, to say the least. Over time, I have found myself doing fewer and fewer documents with repetitions and moving more and more into the literary field. Also, there seems to be a never-ending flow of business documents, papers about sustainability, tourism texts, etc., etc., all of which do not require a CAT tool, so I'm not concerned about running out of work any time soon! To those who enjoy these tools and the types of documents that one translates with them, I say fine! The broad translation field needs all of us. ▲ Collapse
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| depends on the line of work | Jun 25, 2011 |
It is not essential for literary and creative translation, but it is for technical translation (in any field, IMO).
I translate engineering/IT related material and I wouldn't think of typing a word without a CAT tool. It is not only about TMs and termbases, but because it helps you organize your work.
They have limitations, of course, and they drive you crazy every now and then... but, which software application doesn't?
| | | | | Yes. And the more the better | Jun 25, 2011 |
Alex Lago wrote:
Yes it is and not just because of what most people think, which is TM use, but because of a lot of things that have to do with productivity and data backup.
With a CAT tool you will never:
- skip a sentence in a long document
- if you have decided on a list of terminology the CAT tool will check it is consistently applied throughout the text
- it will make sure your numbers have been correctly altered
- if something happens and your computer closes down you will have all the information stored up to the time you had been working (you might have to recreate it in the file, but it will all be stored in the TM so that will be very quick)
- and for those that believe that text never repeats in their translations wait until you see you never have to bother with things like hello, yours sincerely, best regards, date, time, thank you, chapter, and lots of other repetitive loose words/mini-sentences that appear constantly in texts and all that saved time adds up
-or what about a rarely used term which you had to look for 2 years ago and spent ages looking for and now two years later it crops up again, don't worry you don't have to go crazy trying to remember the translation you settled on or going through the whole process again, it will be stored in your terminology or TM so you can search them and save a lot of hassle
So don't just think of CAT tools as storage for repetitive text, think of them as productivity tools that save you time and seeing as we translators make money solely from our available time anything that saves us time should be embraced.
I think in part the problem is that with CAT tools we have also had to put up with CAT rates and a lot of people can't make the distinction between them.
When you have a direct-client portfolio like mine, which dates from 1989 and encompasses a range of disciplines, a CAT may not be "essential," but it certainly saves you lots of time and stress.
We cannot expect clients to adapt to our own rythm/style. We have to go with the flow, and this is the era of technology.
Literary translation may be the exception to the rule, though. But scanners, format converters, word counters, etc., are key translation-assisting tools
Cheers!
[Edited at 2011-06-25 14:37 GMT]
| | | | Ahnan Alex
Indonesia
Local time: 19:43
Member (2010)
English to Indonesian
+ ...
| It depends, but we should try | Jun 25, 2011 |
I think it depends. 95% of my works does not require CAT Tool. It is a big mistake if one says that CAT Tool attracts big project. However, we should try to use one in case we are required.
Regards,
Ahnan
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