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What is the best CAT software?
Thread poster: Marie-ever
Marie-ever
Marie-ever  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 15:13
English to French
+ ...
Oct 18, 2014

Hi translators and all the linguists!

I am a freelance translator and I'm thinking about buying a CAT software (like SDL, Wordfast, MultiTermPRISM, etc) but I don't know which one is the best for me. I need one that can provide some training in my city or close by (Montreal) to manage well my projects. What are your opinions on the different choices and what's best on the market according to your experience?

Many thanks!
M.E.R


 
Selcuk Akyuz
Selcuk Akyuz  Identity Verified
Türkiye
Local time: 22:13
English to Turkish
+ ...
there is no best one Oct 18, 2014

Or none of them is the best for all.

Firstly, it is not MultiTermPRISM but MultiCorpora Prism (AFAIK a server solution not for freelancers). Multitrans by the same company is for translators. Well, I have no experience with it.

What is your operating system? Windows, Mac or Linux?

SDL is the company, currently selling only SDL Trados Studio 2014. But if a client asks for Trados it can be anything Trados 2007 Workbench for Word, TagEditor, Studio 2009-2011-
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Or none of them is the best for all.

Firstly, it is not MultiTermPRISM but MultiCorpora Prism (AFAIK a server solution not for freelancers). Multitrans by the same company is for translators. Well, I have no experience with it.

What is your operating system? Windows, Mac or Linux?

SDL is the company, currently selling only SDL Trados Studio 2014. But if a client asks for Trados it can be anything Trados 2007 Workbench for Word, TagEditor, Studio 2009-2011-2014 (and sometimes SDLX). They also have server solutions, WorldServer.

Wordfast comes with Classic, Professional and the cloud version Wordfast Anywhere.
Classic is a set of Word macros, Professional is a standalone java application. But these are completely different two programs. WF Anywhere is a free. - runs on Windows - Mac - Linux (not sure about Classic)

Other tools? memoQ, one of the best sellers in the last years. - runs natively on Windows

Across, a free one (that I will never use again). - Windows

CafeTran, (not so) new kid, amazing developer. Java program, works on all platforms.

Lastly, my preferred tool Deja Vu X. Native Windows application but some users use it on Mac as well.

There are plenty of other CAT tools, e.g. MetaTexis, Swordfish, Fluency, ... and the free but great OmegaT.

Download any of them and test for 30-45 days. It is the best way to make a decision.
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Marie-ever
Marie-ever  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 15:13
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
CAT Oct 18, 2014

My operation system is Windows and the computer have a 6 RAM and 500 Gig disk. So, I need a CAT that is not using more than my computer capacity.

I have experience with MultiCorpora PRISM but it's not for freelancers or too expensive.
I think SDL is one of the best and most use in the world, especially I see on PROZ that the translation projects are often done with SDL.

Do you use SDL 2014? cause I used an older version of 2009 at school and it was not so easy to
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My operation system is Windows and the computer have a 6 RAM and 500 Gig disk. So, I need a CAT that is not using more than my computer capacity.

I have experience with MultiCorpora PRISM but it's not for freelancers or too expensive.
I think SDL is one of the best and most use in the world, especially I see on PROZ that the translation projects are often done with SDL.

Do you use SDL 2014? cause I used an older version of 2009 at school and it was not so easy to use.

Thank you for your answer!
MER
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Selcuk Akyuz
Selcuk Akyuz  Identity Verified
Türkiye
Local time: 22:13
English to Turkish
+ ...
only DVX Oct 18, 2014

I use only Deja Vu X, for all projects and for all file formats.

I don't work for agencies who request (ask) me to use a certain CAT tool. So I am free to use my preferred CAT.

I am not sure if most projects require use of Studio. Everyday another agency writes me for a new project and wants me to use either Trados, Studio, Across, memoQ, or WordFast (and DVX of course). I say that I use Deja Vu X and ask them to send me bilingual files, xlf, sdlxliff (studio), mqxliff
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I use only Deja Vu X, for all projects and for all file formats.

I don't work for agencies who request (ask) me to use a certain CAT tool. So I am free to use my preferred CAT.

I am not sure if most projects require use of Studio. Everyday another agency writes me for a new project and wants me to use either Trados, Studio, Across, memoQ, or WordFast (and DVX of course). I say that I use Deja Vu X and ask them to send me bilingual files, xlf, sdlxliff (studio), mqxliff (memoq) or txml (wordfast pro) files. They mostly agree.

As a freelancer, I am free to choose my CAT tool (and dictionaries).

Selcuk
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Marie-ever
Marie-ever  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 15:13
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
CAT Oct 18, 2014

ok thank you for your opinions and comments!
Very useful.
Marie-Eve


 
Tanja 1
Tanja 1
Germany
Local time: 20:13
German to English
+ ...
it depends on your opinion, I think Oct 19, 2014

Well I now have started again to work with CAT-Tools. I earlier tried out MemoQ and another software whose name I can't remember at the moment. At the moment I'm working with WordFast (but I still have to adapt my pc system to it because I'm working with visual aid software).
To come back to your question - I don't think that there is the best software for all translators on the market - it always depends on your preferences.


 
Rachel Waddington
Rachel Waddington  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:13
Dutch to English
+ ...
MemoQ Oct 19, 2014

MemoQ is very good and also very easy to use and well thought-out.

Trados is powerful but in my opinion difficult to learn and overly complicated - but many agencies insist on it so you may limit who you can work with if you don't have this tool.

I suspect you will get a different answer from everyone on this. As someone has said, there is no one answer to your question!


 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 20:13
Spanish to English
+ ...
WFC for me Oct 19, 2014

Wordfast Classic is what I use - I don't even exploit many of its features but am happy with it. You don't really need much training in it as you can learn the basics in about an hour.

I'd avoid Trados like the plague, as I find it too costly and complicated. However, many agencies work with it so if that is where most of your work is coming from, you might have to consider it. The only other SW I tried was Deja Vú, which was easy enough to use, but I didn't really like the interfa
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Wordfast Classic is what I use - I don't even exploit many of its features but am happy with it. You don't really need much training in it as you can learn the basics in about an hour.

I'd avoid Trados like the plague, as I find it too costly and complicated. However, many agencies work with it so if that is where most of your work is coming from, you might have to consider it. The only other SW I tried was Deja Vú, which was easy enough to use, but I didn't really like the interface.
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LEXpert
LEXpert  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 14:13
Member (2008)
Croatian to English
+ ...
MemoQ Oct 19, 2014

I use MemoQ most of the time, and Trados Studio and WFP when compelled to do so by the customer.
WFP is achingly slow. Trados is powerful (terminology management is excellent, in particular), but it is highly prone to bugs and errors. Even with my relatively low volume of Trados usage, it has on several occasions destroyed hours or even days of work by declaring that the target file could not be created, among other issues. By contrast, despite using MemoQ all the time, I've never encounte
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I use MemoQ most of the time, and Trados Studio and WFP when compelled to do so by the customer.
WFP is achingly slow. Trados is powerful (terminology management is excellent, in particular), but it is highly prone to bugs and errors. Even with my relatively low volume of Trados usage, it has on several occasions destroyed hours or even days of work by declaring that the target file could not be created, among other issues. By contrast, despite using MemoQ all the time, I've never encountered a serious error or one that could not be resolved by restarting the software.

If I had to pick one, I'd go with MemoQ, but if your customers insist on a particular package you may need to be flexible.

Any modern computer beyond the low-end consumer range should be able to handle any CAT tool, so your hardware configuration shouldn't be an issue.
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Stanislav Pokorny
Stanislav Pokorny  Identity Verified
Czech Republic
Local time: 20:13
English to Czech
+ ...
Exactly Oct 19, 2014

Rudolf Vedo CT wrote:
Any modern computer beyond the low-end consumer range should be able to handle any CAT tool, so your hardware configuration shouldn't be an issue.


Seconded. Moreover, AFAIK, all tools are 32-bit apps, so they cannot address more than 4 GB RAM (in theory; it will be somewhere between 3 and 3.5 GB in practice) anyway.

[Upraveno: 2014-10-19 14:06 GMT]


 
Meta Arkadia
Meta Arkadia
Local time: 02:13
English to Indonesian
+ ...
64-bit Oct 19, 2014

Stanislav Pokorny wrote:
all tools are 32-bit apps, so they cannot address more than 4 GB RAM

Nope. CafeTran is 64-bit, so it can handle very large TMs (think DGT) very fast.



Cheers,

Hans


 
Michael Beijer
Michael Beijer  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:13
Member (2009)
Dutch to English
+ ...
C to the T! Oct 19, 2014

some_text

(http://www.cafetran.com/)


 
Marie-ever
Marie-ever  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 15:13
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Is someone using particularly SDL Trados 2014? Opinions? Oct 19, 2014

I want to thank linguists for their opinion because I think freelancers using CAT tools have real opinions on the subject (you are using it daily). When you go directly to SDL Trados or MemoQ, or another CAT compagny, then it's all about selling a product so they can lie.

So, I'm not the only one to think that SDL Trados is overly complicated. I only used a little of the SDL Trados 2009 or 2010 but couldn't find how to use it by myself.

Is someone using particularly SD
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I want to thank linguists for their opinion because I think freelancers using CAT tools have real opinions on the subject (you are using it daily). When you go directly to SDL Trados or MemoQ, or another CAT compagny, then it's all about selling a product so they can lie.

So, I'm not the only one to think that SDL Trados is overly complicated. I only used a little of the SDL Trados 2009 or 2010 but couldn't find how to use it by myself.

Is someone using particularly SDL Trados 2014? Is this version easier to understand and use?

Thank you again!
Marie-Eve
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Michael Beijer
Michael Beijer  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:13
Member (2009)
Dutch to English
+ ...
@Marie-Eve: Oct 19, 2014

Please note that I am quite biased*, so everything I am about to say should be treated with a certain amount of healthy suspicion, but … I personally hate everything Trados and/or SDL have ever made. Studio is way too complicated for everyday use (and not even any good) and I would really avoid it. Just Google: Java problems MultiTerm Studio … and you'll see what I mean.

memoQ or CafeTran are my current favourites and what I would recommend. People might tell you you need
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Please note that I am quite biased*, so everything I am about to say should be treated with a certain amount of healthy suspicion, but … I personally hate everything Trados and/or SDL have ever made. Studio is way too complicated for everyday use (and not even any good) and I would really avoid it. Just Google: Java problems MultiTerm Studio … and you'll see what I mean.

memoQ or CafeTran are my current favourites and what I would recommend. People might tell you you need Trados, but that's nonsense. It's 95% marketing and hype, which all too many newbies fall for, sadly. SDL has way too much money to spend on marketing and nothing interesting to offer us freelancers.

If Kilgray isn't careful, memoQ might also go the way of Trados: bigger and bigger and more and more bloated and focused on pleasing the large agencies. I hope they manage to retain their sense of fun and adventure.

CafeTran is small (very small; in terms of users, not power!), but way more fun to use, and also much cheaper. If you want a CAT tool where the developer/owner himself will answer your email on a Sunday night: get CafeTran. If you want to wait a week for you support contract link to re-materialise inside a virtual machine SSH tunnel link to New York: get Studio. Oh yeah, and CafeTran doesn't crash, ever.

Michael

* I'm on the (tiny) Unofficial CafeTran Volunteer Team
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Dominique Pivard
Dominique Pivard  Identity Verified
Local time: 21:13
Finnish to French
Try them Oct 19, 2014

Marie-ever wrote:
Is someone using particularly SDL Trados 2014?

Of course, many people are using SDL Trados Studio 2014, given that it's the CAT tool with the largest market share. However, other people's opinions don't matter that much, because you are going to be the one using the tool(s) you end up buying (or adopting, if you go for a free one). Your best bet would therefore be to do what Selçuk suggested: take advantage of the free trials that are available for nearly all commercial tools.

Marie-ever wrote:
Is this version easier to understand and use?

If you found the previous versions (2009, 2011) complicated and difficult to use, chances are you will have the same experience with 2014, given that it's still basically the same tool. Anyway, all CAT tools can be both simple (if used at the basic level, like moving from one segment to the next) and complex at the same time (if you want to use their more advanced features).


 
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