Technical forums » Smart shoppers »
Ideal screen resolution for CAT tools
Thread poster: Catarina Lopes
Catarina Lopes
Catarina Lopes  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 09:52
Member (2013)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Dec 16, 2014

Hello everyone,

What's the ideal screen resolution to work with CAT tools, on a 15.6'' laptop?

Would 1366x768 be enough or would you recommend a higher resolution?

Thank you for your help.

Catarina Lopes

[Edited at 2014-12-16 14:28 GMT]
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 10:52
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
1000 vertical or more Dec 16, 2014

Catarina Lopes wrote:
What's the ideal screen resolution to work with CAT tools, on a 15.6'' laptop?
Would 1366x768 be enough or would you recommend a higher resolution?


I would recommend anything with a vertical resolution of more than 1000 pixels. You're probably going to have a task bar at the bottom of the screen, and CAT tools have lots of toolbars at the top of the screen, so if your screen is 768 pixels tall, you'll be working through a letterbox.
 
Catarina Lopes
Catarina Lopes  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 09:52
Member (2013)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you! Dec 16, 2014

Thank you so much for your reply, Samuel!

I'd better start looking for higher screen resolutions, then
 
Dominique Pivard
Dominique Pivard  Identity Verified
Local time: 11:52
Finnish to French
1600x900 or 1920x1080 Dec 17, 2014

Although it's a common resolution on entry-level laptops, 1366x768 is too low for most CAT tools that work in a dedicated environment. A 15.6'' display can accommodate much higher resolutions (eg. 1600x900, 1920x1080) and 1366x768 on a display of that size would only make sense if you have very poor vision (after correction).

Note that higher resolution laptops will usually cost more (it's a case of what you pay is what you get).
 
Catarina Lopes
Catarina Lopes  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 09:52
Member (2013)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Indeed, Dominique. Dec 17, 2014

There's quite a difference in price if I go for a higher resolution plus other features I was looking for.
But it's like you said: you get what you pay for

Thank you!
 
Georgi Kovachev
Georgi Kovachev  Identity Verified
Bulgaria
Local time: 11:52
Member (2010)
English to Bulgarian
+ ...
Try the difference with a LCD TV Dec 17, 2014

Hi Catarina,

I suppose you have a HD TV. If so, just couple your laptop with it and check the difference. I am confident that you will be amazed by the higher working area – this is especially handy when you compare the source and target texts.
I previously used a 19" monitor (1280 x 1024) but then switched to a 32" HD TV that I use both for watching TV (in the evening) and as a monitor and never regret having done so. Please note that you should deactivate any software pict... See more
Hi Catarina,

I suppose you have a HD TV. If so, just couple your laptop with it and check the difference. I am confident that you will be amazed by the higher working area – this is especially handy when you compare the source and target texts.
I previously used a 19" monitor (1280 x 1024) but then switched to a 32" HD TV that I use both for watching TV (in the evening) and as a monitor and never regret having done so. Please note that you should deactivate any software picture enhancement of the TV (like pixel plus, dynamic contrast and any other you can think of) when working in monitor mode – all TVs have picture settings, and you could adjust one for working with your laptop. ▲ Collapse
 
Catarina Lopes
Catarina Lopes  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 09:52
Member (2013)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
32": that's one big monitor! Dec 17, 2014

Thank you for your suggestion, Georgi.
I have to give it a try as I also have a 32" HD TV. It had already crossed my mind to get a (smaller) TV that I could also use as a separate monitor.
 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Fernanda Rocha[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Ideal screen resolution for CAT tools






CafeTran Espresso
You've never met a CAT tool this clever!

Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer. Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools. Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free

Buy now! »
TM-Town
Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business

Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.

More info »