| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Buying Trados Studio 2011 Starter version Thread poster: Anna Parish
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Anna Parish 
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:45
English to Russian
Hi, I am thinking of buying Trados software to increase my chances of registering with agencies and getting more clients. So, I would be grateful if anyone could help me with my questions.
First of all, do you think you become more attractive to clients and agencies when you add Trados to your CV? Did you see increase in how much business you were getting?
Second, I am thinking of buying Trados starter version, as the full freelancer one is too much of an investment f... See more Hi, I am thinking of buying Trados software to increase my chances of registering with agencies and getting more clients. So, I would be grateful if anyone could help me with my questions.
First of all, do you think you become more attractive to clients and agencies when you add Trados to your CV? Did you see increase in how much business you were getting?
Second, I am thinking of buying Trados starter version, as the full freelancer one is too much of an investment for me at the moment. Do you think it's worth buying the starter version or shoudl I wait and go for the full one when I can afford it?
Many thanks for your replies! ▲ Collapse
| | | | felicij
Local time: 17:45
German to Slovenian
+ ...
| Trados and other CAT tools... | Jan 29, 2013 |
...are a necessity nowadays. I work for more than 30 different outsourcers and every single one requires use of a CAT tool. I work with Trados, Across, WF, Transit and it helped me get much more work. I have been using it since 2005 (Trados 6.0 I believe).
The investment is well worth if you are good enough and if you know how to work with the tool. I would try with the full version because starter edition has some limitations...
| | | | | Starter version is fine! | Jan 29, 2013 |
Hi Anna
I started off using the starter version, and it was fine for me. As far as I remember, the only limitation has to do with the TM - I think the starter version only lets you create one, and that has a segment limit (is this correct?) - but it's quite large. I hope I'm remembering this right. Oh yes, and I think that you don't get MultiTerm - that's right. Well, that's essential, but can wait for later I think.
BUT - the starter version allows you to work with pac... See more Hi Anna
I started off using the starter version, and it was fine for me. As far as I remember, the only limitation has to do with the TM - I think the starter version only lets you create one, and that has a segment limit (is this correct?) - but it's quite large. I hope I'm remembering this right. Oh yes, and I think that you don't get MultiTerm - that's right. Well, that's essential, but can wait for later I think.
BUT - the starter version allows you to work with packages and TMs sent by agencies, so there should be no problem with this aspect. In fact, I used my starter to do quite a lot of work from agencies that came with their own TMs, complicated instructions about machine translation, etc, and the Starter handled it all perfectly.
I have to say, that I was completely new to both freelance translating and CAT tools - I started with both at the same time, so as jobs would come in, I used my Studio starter. I also bought the first level certification/training course, which in my opinion was essential (remember that I knew nothing at all about CAT tools), and I would have the manual, which I had printed and bound, open on the table beside me as I did the work.
My guess is that with a tool such as Studio, you really do need the instruction book with you at the beginning!!
This might not be true if you are already experienced with other tools, of course.
So my recommendation is: go for the starter, and use the money saved by not buying the full version to get the training that they offer.
Hope this helps!
Good luck!
Filipa ▲ Collapse
| | | | Allison Wright (X)
Portugal
Local time: 16:45
| Studio 2011 Starter Edition is good to start with | Jan 30, 2013 |
After 25 years of translating, I purchased the Starter Edition last year mainly because a good agency with whom I wanted to work required it. I had always wanted to get the full edition, but had never quite managed to afford the cost of the full version.
I would recommend the Starter Edition because:
- as already stated, agencies usually send you a TM with the job they need doing;
- you can familiarise yourself with the basic functions, and once you have done so,... See more After 25 years of translating, I purchased the Starter Edition last year mainly because a good agency with whom I wanted to work required it. I had always wanted to get the full edition, but had never quite managed to afford the cost of the full version.
I would recommend the Starter Edition because:
- as already stated, agencies usually send you a TM with the job they need doing;
- you can familiarise yourself with the basic functions, and once you have done so, invest in the full package if you think it is worth it;
- you probably will get more agency work.
With work for direct clients, you can use the "Open document" function to create your own bilingual files. Even though you do not have Multiterm with the Starter Edition, you can use the Concordance function (F3) to find previous instances of translations which do not show up as a match. This is quite useful!
- With the Starter Edition the TM is limited to 5,000 TUs (translation units, or segments) *per language pair*, and you can have up to 5 language pairs. The limitation of only having one TM open at a time means that work done using an agency's TM will not be saved to your own TM, and also you cannot open different TMs for different subject fields - with the objective of creating subject-specific terminologies of your own. What it does mean is that you can "save" those TUs for work you do for direct clients, but get lots of practice in using the CAT tool on all the work you get from agencies.
While the work I do is not always ideally suited to the kind of advantages CAT tools offer in terms of repetitions and so on, I find the format useful when revising texts prior to delivery using the QA checks, and to check that you have indeed translated everything. I very seldom translate anything without Trados anymore, unless it is a very short text, or once or twice when I have had "dead" PDFs to deal with. A number of my clients are not interested in *how* I translate. They are only interested in the finished product and therefore the use of a CAT tool does not enter into the discussion.
I have just ordered the full Studio 2011 Freelance Plus because my most translated language pair (De-En) is about to reach the 5,000 TU limit, while my other two language pairs still have some way to go, and I feel confident that I will be able to get used to all the new functions because I am already familiar with all that the Starter Edition has to offer. More importantly, I am used to all the rather strange names that Trados gives to things, which made for a very steep learning curve when I first began using the Starter Edition! Help files give me headaches! Having said that, I have not undergone any formal training (other than attend a couple of beginner webinars which taught me one or two useful tips after I had battled through a lot of things on my own).
The steep learning curve notwithstanding, I am glad I made the move. I, too, think that in the next five, ten, or twenty years (!) translators will be able to use their proficiency in CAT tools as a springboard to whatever new technologies will become standard in our field. I am a strong believer that a translator has to use their brain to think, and produce a decent translation. No machine, or CAT tool can do that for you. But I do believe that those who do not ensure that they have access to such tools will find themselves in the minority, and will find it increasingly hard to find regular work.
You can renew your Starter Edition licence every year. When you upgrade to the full edition, you will receive a deduction on the price of the full edition for the unused portion of the Starter Edition licence, e.g. in my case, I renewed my licence one month ago, so I shall have 11 months' worth of the price of renewal deducted from the price of the Freelance edition.
Corinne McKay talks about Mat Linder's new Studio 2011 manual here: http://thoughtsontranslation.com/2013/01/25/book-review-mats-linders-trados-studio-manual/ ▲ Collapse
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Steven Segaert
Estonia
Local time: 18:45
Member (2012)
English to Dutch
+ ...
| Try it out first | Jan 30, 2013 |
As there is a possibility to get a trial version of the full version of Studio, I would recommend that you try it out first. After some time, you will be able to take the list comparing the functionalities of the full version and the Starter edition, and see if you would be missing something.
You might want to pay special attention to special characters in your language, and to terminology management.
As for TU's, I'm not sure what the limitation of the Starter edition... See more As there is a possibility to get a trial version of the full version of Studio, I would recommend that you try it out first. After some time, you will be able to take the list comparing the functionalities of the full version and the Starter edition, and see if you would be missing something.
You might want to pay special attention to special characters in your language, and to terminology management.
As for TU's, I'm not sure what the limitation of the Starter edition is. If it is about the translation memory, I would submit that most translation memories may be of limited use anyway. Personally, I get much more leverage from terminology bases than I do from the translation memory.
However, that depends on the subject matter. If you are translating "lots of the same for the same persons", or technical text with standard expressions, it may very well be very useful.
If you find that you TM's don't help you much, perhaps culling them from time to time offers a solution.
I would however recommend to research whether or not the Starter edition allows you to create a project-specific TM, to send along with the translation when you are done. Almost all agencies ask for the file + the TM, so that is pretty much a must.
As for the question "does having Trados bring you more work?" - I would say it depends on the clients. I often see it mentioned that Trados is a requirement, but in reality, the client just wants to have the result delivered in a specific format, and/or wants you to make use of work already performed (through the use of a TM they provide).
Besides, if you want to market the fact that you have Trados, you probably would have to have the full version AND be able to prove that you can work with it, by obtaining certification. That in itself represents an investment of another few hundred euro.
Trados Studio is a great tool, but these days, it is one amongst many. If you are not familiar with CAT tools at all, it would be a good idea to first get clear on what they can and cannot do. The best way to do that is to try them out - http://www.proz.com/software-comparison-tool
What you need depends on how you use it. It may also be a good idea to meet up with a colleague near you to hear live reviews and to see everything in action. Maybe you could even organise a pow-wow . ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Terminology in Starter edition | Jan 30, 2013 |
Steven Segaert wrote:
As for TU's, I'm not sure what the limitation of the Starter edition is.
As per comparison table:
Limited to 5,000 Translation Units (approx. 50,000 words) for use, but unlimited when receiving packages.
Steven Segaert wrote:
If it is about the translation memory, I would submit that most translation memories may be of limited use anyway. Personally, I get much more leverage from terminology bases than I do from the translation memory.
Then, Starter would be suboptimal, as it doesn't include MultiTerm (as stated in above mentioned table).
Steven Segaert wrote:
If you are not familiar with CAT tools at all, it would be a good idea to first get clear on what they can and cannot do. The best way to do that is to try them out
Unfortunately, the trial version of Studio doesn't include MultiTerm, so you can only use the minimalist sample termbase included with the demo, not create your own or even add terms to the supplied termbase. Paul Filkin did make available a termbase with lots of languages that offers the possibility to add your own terms, but I don't think it's included when you dowload the trial.
| | | | Anna Parish
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:45
English to Russian
TOPIC STARTER | Very useful comments! | Jan 30, 2013 |
Thank you for such detailed replies, they are of great help!
Based on what I've read I think I will give starter version a go to get some idea of how CAT tools work as I have never worked with them before. It will give me a chance to learn how to use it and I might also get some training or buy a manual. I am also getting an impression that even though clients don't care whether you use Trados or not as long as you deliver the translation, having Trados on your CV could help get fo... See more Thank you for such detailed replies, they are of great help!
Based on what I've read I think I will give starter version a go to get some idea of how CAT tools work as I have never worked with them before. It will give me a chance to learn how to use it and I might also get some training or buy a manual. I am also getting an impression that even though clients don't care whether you use Trados or not as long as you deliver the translation, having Trados on your CV could help get foot in the door with the agencies.
Many thanks
Anna ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Link to Paul's sample termbase with all languages | Jan 30, 2013 |
Dominique Pivard wrote:
Unfortunately, the trial version of Studio doesn't include MultiTerm, so you can only use the minimalist sample termbase included with the demo, not create your own or even add terms to the supplied termbase. Paul Filkin did make available a termbase with lots of languages that offers the possibility to add your own terms, but I don't think it's included when you dowload the trial.
Incidentally, the link can be found in the following post by Paul on his blog:
http://multifarious.filkin.com/2013/01/30/imrthtl/
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| Exactly what does the 5000 TU's limit of Trados Studio Starter version mean? | Dec 30, 2013 |
Excuse my elemental question. What does the 5,000 Translation Units limit mean? Does it mean that
1. once you reach that limit the program is no longer functional and you are cordially invited to upgrade to Studio 21014 full version? or, does it mean that
2. once your TM reaches 5,000 TU's the program is no longer functional?
3. You are limited to jobs that do not exceed this 5,000 TU's limit?
Carlos E. Ferrero
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... that you cannot use a TM of your own that is more than 5000 TUs. If you are given a Project Package that contains a TM with more TUs then this is fine... but you cannot use one of your own making once it exceeds this number not can you add one that someone else provides (outside of a Project Package) if it exceeds this limit.
Regards
Paul
| | | | | Thank you, Paul (of Trados Support) | Dec 31, 2013 |
Thank you Paul. I am impressed by your prompt, brief and good explanation.
Carlos E. Ferrero
| | | | | Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member for the following reason: Unedited since a day |
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| Not able to open documents once exceeded 5000 TM | Jan 29, 2014 |
I'm sorry Paul but I'm now facing a different answer of the program.
1) I've exceeded the 5000 TM
2) I've removed the TM by my program, exporting them
3) I was opening the document of the customer, in order to translate it WITHOUT my own TM
SDL tells me "YOU are not able to open the document caus you exceeded the 5000 TM, do you want to remove the TM from the file?"
Thanks for your anwer by now.
| | | | Emma Goldsmith
Spain
Local time: 17:45
Member (2004)
Spanish to English
| Package or project? | Jan 29, 2014 |
Fabiola Baraldi wrote:
1) I've exceeded the 5000 TM
2) I've removed the TM by my program, exporting them
3) I was opening the document of the customer, in order to translate it WITHOUT my own TM
Does your client's TM form part of a package? Is so, there shouldn't be a problem.
If, however, your client sent you a TM as a separate file and you've added it to your own project, then Studio will think it's your own TM and throw the the error message you describe.
Note that there's a difference here between "package" and "project".
| | | | | TM sometimes doesn't work (Studio Starter) | Apr 17, 2014 |
Hi!
Still regarding this topic:
I have a colleague that uses Studio Starter 2014 (I convinced her to give it it a try) and she is not impressed at all!
From time to time she has major problems with the TM.
She selects the TM under 'Project Settings' - All language projects, but it doesn't seem to be selected.
As you can see from the image bellow, it ha... See more Hi!
Still regarding this topic:
I have a colleague that uses Studio Starter 2014 (I convinced her to give it it a try) and she is not impressed at all!
From time to time she has major problems with the TM.
She selects the TM under 'Project Settings' - All language projects, but it doesn't seem to be selected.
As you can see from the image bellow, it has less than 5000 U:
www.salsatraducoes.com/trados_starter.png
She tried different things that sometimes seem to work:
- restart the PC and studio
- change the TM location
- select the TM under in 'Language Pairs Using Different Translation Providers'
As you can imagine all this is very time consuming and annoying.
Unfortunately yesterday nothing seemed to work for her. She is under pressure as she has a big project going on and all I can say is that she is really upset and willing to throw the damn thing away.
Could this be a bug? Not a great way of getting more clients, I’m afraid...
Any ideas?
Thanks!
Happy Easter!
[Edited at 2014-04-17 08:27 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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