Back in Business and Questions about CAT Tools Thread poster: Leena vom Hofe
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Leena vom Hofe 
Germany
Local time: 00:08
Member (2005)
English to German
+ ...
Hi everybody,
It's been a while since I last posted here. I have been in employment as a copywriter for a few years and am back in freelancing now.
Looking forward to translating again!
As a kind of newbie, I am just preparing for the first projects and I realised that I still own SDL Trados Studio 2017 which might be quite outdated now.
Hence my question: do you all still wor... See more Hi everybody,
It's been a while since I last posted here. I have been in employment as a copywriter for a few years and am back in freelancing now.
Looking forward to translating again!
As a kind of newbie, I am just preparing for the first projects and I realised that I still own SDL Trados Studio 2017 which might be quite outdated now.
Hence my question: do you all still work a lot with Trados? When I changed into copywriting many translation agencies worked with other solutions like Smartling, MemoQ-Licences etc. I guess that has been a trend which might now be state of the art, right?
How important do you think Trados still is?
Do I need a new version of it right away? Are you all still using it?
There is this discount of 40% right now. So I am considering buying the new version (too late for an upgrade).
But I wanted to check with you how important you think this is.
Thanks for many answers.
Have a lovely time and I am happy to be back in translation!
Leena ▲ Collapse
| | | | Jonathan Norris
Mexico
Local time: 15:08
Member (2009)
Spanish to English
+ ...
That's great you were able to find work as a copywriter, what sort of content were you writing?
I think if you're going to be a professional and expect to make a living at translation, it's a good idea to get yourself a dependable CAT tool. The benefits far outweigh the cost, and as you point out there are always discounts available.
I'd just suggest making sure that is the cheapest route, since I recently used a similar discount only to find I could have renewed m... See more That's great you were able to find work as a copywriter, what sort of content were you writing?
I think if you're going to be a professional and expect to make a living at translation, it's a good idea to get yourself a dependable CAT tool. The benefits far outweigh the cost, and as you point out there are always discounts available.
I'd just suggest making sure that is the cheapest route, since I recently used a similar discount only to find I could have renewed my prior license for even less.
As for which tool to use, Trados is still an industry leader and a terrific option. Other newer companies are trying to carve out a market share by offering even more functionality, and different agencies may sometimes require a specific tool.
To get yourself reoriented in the practice, I'd say rely on the one you know for a while. You can always branch out later on.
Welcome back to translation, best of luck to you! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Leena vom Hofe
Germany
Local time: 00:08
Member (2005)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Trados vs browser-based solutions | Oct 2 |
Hi Jonathan,
Thanks for your answer. I worked for two German companies providing data-to-text services mainly for e-commerce use. It was very interesting converting structured data into text using AX Semantics and textengine.io.
But I also wrote blogs, whitepapers, website texts etc for them.
Also trained in SEO.
Concerning Trados, yes, I think I'll stick with it first. I was just thinking that maybe many agencies (I think I'll start working for age... See more Hi Jonathan,
Thanks for your answer. I worked for two German companies providing data-to-text services mainly for e-commerce use. It was very interesting converting structured data into text using AX Semantics and textengine.io.
But I also wrote blogs, whitepapers, website texts etc for them.
Also trained in SEO.
Concerning Trados, yes, I think I'll stick with it first. I was just thinking that maybe many agencies (I think I'll start working for agencies first) had own solutions now or switched to browser-based tools like Smartling etc.
What's your experience? In how many percent of cases do you still need Trados?
Thanks again for your answer and all the others: please feel free to send your ideas as well.
Have a lovely day
Leena
PS: I tried to upgrade for a lower rate, but I am too late and missed the upgrade period for my old version... So I will have to pay the full price. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Marjolein Snippe
Netherlands
Local time: 00:08
Member (2012)
English to Dutch
+ ...
| Trados, MemoQ or Wordfast | Oct 2 |
I am doing fine without Trados - my clients use MemoQ (providing a CAL license for me to use) or send me packages which I translate in Wordfast; however, I do think you need one of these three for most clients (not all - I know there are still some people (hello, Teresa ) who do not use CAT tools).
I have missed out on some jobs and some potential new clients because I don't use Trados, but I have a solid base of clie... See more I am doing fine without Trados - my clients use MemoQ (providing a CAL license for me to use) or send me packages which I translate in Wordfast; however, I do think you need one of these three for most clients (not all - I know there are still some people (hello, Teresa ) who do not use CAT tools).
I have missed out on some jobs and some potential new clients because I don't use Trados, but I have a solid base of clients who do not require it. ▲ Collapse
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Leena vom Hofe wrote:
PS: I tried to upgrade for a lower rate, but I am too late and missed the upgrade period for my old version... So I will have to pay the full price.
A Dutch translator wrote:
I just got an email from RWS that this action in celebration of Translator's Day will be extended until Oct. 7.
And another one replied:
They often then discount again later in November for Black Friday.
| | | | Thomas Pfann
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:08
Member (2006)
English to German
+ ...
| Trend away from Trados | Oct 2 |
For context: I 'grew up' with Trados over the last 24 years and it has always been my go-to tool, the CAT tool I used, and liked!, the most.
However, over the last few years, as you rightly say, there has been a trend in translation agencies (and even some direct clients) towards online platforms such as Smartling, Phrase, MemoQ etc. which don't require the translator to buy their own tool or license.
Today, I use Trados relatively rarely. Only one or two clients stil... See more For context: I 'grew up' with Trados over the last 24 years and it has always been my go-to tool, the CAT tool I used, and liked!, the most.
However, over the last few years, as you rightly say, there has been a trend in translation agencies (and even some direct clients) towards online platforms such as Smartling, Phrase, MemoQ etc. which don't require the translator to buy their own tool or license.
Today, I use Trados relatively rarely. Only one or two clients still send me Trados files, but the vast majority of my agency clients uses other platforms. When I receive unprepared files for translation, I still tend to process and translate them with Trados. But generally, I probably use Trados on no more than two or three occassions each month.
I use Studio 2019 and I believe it was only last year that I upgraded from 2017. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:08
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
Thomas Pfann wrote:
Today, I use Trados relatively rarely. Only one or two clients still send me Trados files, but the vast majority of my agency clients uses other platforms. ..... But generally, I probably use Trados on no more than two or three occassions each month.
I have seen a huge shift in my pair and niche away from Trados and towards Phrase (formerly Memsource) over the past five years or so. Trades used to account for 90% of my work, and was basically the only CAT tool my clients used, and now it is probably less than 10%.
Sometimes I need another CAT tool and in those cases I do use Trados, but as is the case with Thomas that happens quite rarely these days. The issue for me has been the enormous cost of upgrading from Studio 2019, which was approaching £850 last time I checked. It used to be that the cost of upgrading was a couple of hundred quid, equivalent to that of a minor job, so that decision every few years was a bit of a no-brainer. Now that upgrading is equivalent to the cost of a large job it is much harder to justify.
Regards,
Dan
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I used to use Trados a lot and keep it updated but my clients have either moved to MemoQ or don't care what I use so I use MemoQ now. I still have Trados if I need it but I'm not updating it and I don't think I've used it for about a year.
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Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:08
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
Leena, the translation industry is in a state of flux and only a foolish person would claim to be able to see how circumstances will evolve over the next few years. If I were you I would look at a yearly subscription to CafeTran Espresso instead of investing a large sum of money in Studio for an uncertain return.
https://www.cafetran.com/buy-license/
Many people here seem t... See more Leena, the translation industry is in a state of flux and only a foolish person would claim to be able to see how circumstances will evolve over the next few years. If I were you I would look at a yearly subscription to CafeTran Espresso instead of investing a large sum of money in Studio for an uncertain return.
https://www.cafetran.com/buy-license/
Many people here seem to use CafeTran for SDL/Trados packages without any major problems, and it is much more economical and more actively developed than the desktop version of Studio. The developer is active in these forums.
Regards,
Dan ▲ Collapse
| | | | Leena vom Hofe
Germany
Local time: 00:08
Member (2005)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Thank you all so much! | Oct 2 |
Thanks to you all for your answers.
I am a bit shocked and (I must admit) a bit sad that Trados suffered such a loss in market share (I used to love working with it once Studio was released), but I also realise that the market changed quite a lot.
And I am curious about the news in the industry. So I'll definitely have a look at all your mentioned tools.
Thanks a million for your answers and good wishes.
That helps a lot in my decision process.
... See more Thanks to you all for your answers.
I am a bit shocked and (I must admit) a bit sad that Trados suffered such a loss in market share (I used to love working with it once Studio was released), but I also realise that the market changed quite a lot.
And I am curious about the news in the industry. So I'll definitely have a look at all your mentioned tools.
Thanks a million for your answers and good wishes.
That helps a lot in my decision process.
Leena ▲ Collapse
| | | | Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:08
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
Leena vom Hofe wrote:
I am a bit shocked and (I must admit) a bit sad that Trados suffered such a loss in market share
The problem from my perspective is that the software has undergone many changes since 2018, when I last bought a license, but there is nothing in those changes that justifies an upgrade for me.
They are all minor enhancements that one would have thought justified no more than a small increment after the decimal point of the version number. I would characterize it as "nice to have" rather than "must have" functionality, and £200 each time I expect more than "nice to have".
I'm happy to pay for good software, but I just don't see the value in what has been offered over the past few years by SDL/RWS.
I am inclined to think they have basically given up on major development of Studio, and are just marking time, while focusing effectively all their efforts on web and other technologies that are not necessarily used or seen by freelancers.
Regards,
Dan
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Yes, I still don’t work with CAT tools and I’m still here. Of course, I have missed out on some jobs and some potential new clients because I don't use CAT tools. I'm fast approaching the end of my career and what I want now is just to keep my client base happy for as long as I can (which doesn't mean I won't take on new clients...). I also have some customers who insist on CAT tools and send me an export file for me to work on.
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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida wrote:
Yes, I still don’t work with CAT tools and I’m still here. Of course, I have missed out on some jobs and some potential new clients because I don't use CAT tools. I'm fast approaching the end of my career and what I want now is just to keep my client base happy for as long as I can (which doesn't mean I won't take on new clients...). I also have some customers who insist on CAT tools and send me an export file to work on.
I can totally relate to your situation though I'm not so fast approaching the end of my career I've found myself resisting translating segments instead of full paragraphs as in the good ol' days... there is still something I really don't like about CATs...
However I decided to go for a MemoQ License and trained on the use. I won't say I feel thrilled not by MemoQ but by the whole experience of a CAT Tool but I must admit it helps with productivity and with the fact that some agencies I work for seem happy with my having the tool.
All in all, to add to the thread, MemoQ has been a very friendly tool in the end, considering my resistance... and I'm not missing so many new clients
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Dan Lucas wrote:
Thomas Pfann wrote:
Today, I use Trados relatively rarely. Only one or two clients still send me Trados files, but the vast majority of my agency clients uses other platforms. ..... But generally, I probably use Trados on no more than two or three occassions each month.
I have seen a huge shift in my pair and niche away from Trados and towards Phrase (formerly Memsource) over the past five years or so. Trades used to account for 90% of my work, and was basically the only CAT tool my clients used, and now it is probably less than 10%.
Sometimes I need another CAT tool and in those cases I do use Trados, but as is the case with Thomas that happens quite rarely these days. The issue for me has been the enormous cost of upgrading from Studio 2019, which was approaching £850 last time I checked. It used to be that the cost of upgrading was a couple of hundred quid, equivalent to that of a minor job, so that decision every few years was a bit of a no-brainer. Now that upgrading is equivalent to the cost of a large job it is much harder to justify.
Regards,
Dan
I own a Trados license, and I'm still thinking about the upgrade from 2022 to 2024 during the 40% discount period.
There are several reasons why I'm pondering and hesitant to upgrade my license, but one of the biggest reason is that I'm getting less work which requires Trados. Over the past few years, I was offered work which required Memosource (Phrase), XTM Cloud, and Memo-Q. I don't have a license for all of these softwares, but my client would make me accessible to their platforms without even having one. Times have really changed when Trados was dominant in the market.
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