Your input on CAT Tools with specific requirements
Thread poster: Bert Plourde
Bert Plourde
Bert Plourde
Thailand
Local time: 20:49
French to English
+ ...
Sep 13, 2020

Hello everyone and my first post here. A little background... I have been doing some translation work for decades as part of my work in Sales & Marketing. Although this was by no means a major part of my work. A year ago I started as a freelance with 3 different industries with a fixed set of customers. I enjoy this work and work mainly with Word docs and some online tools for help and verifications (DeepL, Google Translate).

About 6 months ago one of my customer started using Memso
... See more
Hello everyone and my first post here. A little background... I have been doing some translation work for decades as part of my work in Sales & Marketing. Although this was by no means a major part of my work. A year ago I started as a freelance with 3 different industries with a fixed set of customers. I enjoy this work and work mainly with Word docs and some online tools for help and verifications (DeepL, Google Translate).

About 6 months ago one of my customer started using Memsource (I had not been aware of CAT tools until then). I don't know exactly why but Memsource leaves me underwhelmed - I end up exporting the document into word and upload it back when done.

I would welcome your suggestions if you have had the opportunity to test various CAT Tools. I like my work to be focused on the text rather than be confused with a myriad of options, tools, widgets and a busy screen. Since I work in different industries (some very technical) I would like whatever CAT Tool I choose to have a very robust Term and glossary feature. In some industries, one term may have 2 or more definition depending on its application/context etc... Therefore, I'd like to store and manage multiple definitions to one term if possible.

I have looked but not tested the following and leaving my thoughts to see if I can get your input:

Wordfast: Watched some Youtube videos. Correct me if I'm wrong but it feels like a Win95 application

Déjà-vu : I liked what I saw but looking deeper it looks like development has stopped since the original owner passed away. This was further strengthened on their web site as the X4 version button brings you to the X3 page with no updated info on X4. All the videos are many years old. So I dont have a good feeling.

SDL: Looks very strong in TM but has a steep price and learning curve it seems.

SmartCat: Has many good reviews on this site but many mention it is light in features and focus on market place (jobs) which is not a selling point for me at this time.

As you can see, I want my cake and eat it too! I want a clean UI / Interface with a strong set of tools. I am willing to pay for the tool but if someone has a good suggesting for a free version so much the better... I would rather PC based than cloud based but since I use many cloud based apps anyway, its not a deal killer.

I know many of these apps offer a 30 days trial. Since I am doing this part time, I cannot afford the time to test all the CAT tools out there to settle on one. This is why I would like to ask the experts here on this site.

Thanks again for your input
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Bert Plourde
Bert Plourde
Thailand
Local time: 20:49
French to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Other options... Sep 13, 2020

Just wondering if there are CAT add-on tools that can be used "within" Mircosoft Word or Excel instead of a stand alone version?

 
Natalie
Natalie  Identity Verified
Poland
Local time: 14:49
Member (2002)
English to Russian
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Moderator of this forum
SITE LOCALIZER
All this has been discussed so many times Sep 13, 2020

Just browse this forum ( https://www.proz.com/forum/1 ), and you will find many similar threads about the fastest, cheapest, most efficient, most convenient, eas... See more
Just browse this forum ( https://www.proz.com/forum/1 ), and you will find many similar threads about the fastest, cheapest, most efficient, most convenient, easiest etc. CAT tools, for example:
https://www.proz.com/topic/346061
https://www.proz.com/topic/345494
https://www.proz.com/topic/343841
https://www.proz.com/topic/342701
https://www.proz.com/topic/233380
https://www.proz.com/topic/338636
https://www.proz.com/topic/329563
https://www.proz.com/topic/286081
https://www.proz.com/topic/336632
https://www.proz.com/topic/335435
etc etc etc
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Jorge Payan
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 14:49
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
@user_3042476 Sep 13, 2020

user_3042476 wrote:
About 6 months ago one of my customer started using Memsource (I had not been aware of CAT tools until then). I don't know exactly why but Memsource leaves me underwhelmed - I end up exporting the document into word and upload it back when done.


It can take some time to get used to CAT tools when you're used to not using them, especially when you're used to being productive without them. It's almost like learning to use a different keyboard layout.

I like my work to be focused on the text rather than be confused with a myriad of options, tools, widgets and a busy screen.


Some CAT tools try to put "everything" on the screen, just in case you might need it. (-:

I would like whatever CAT Tool I choose to have a very robust term and glossary feature. In some industries, one term may have 2 or more definition depending on its application/context etc... Therefore, I'd like to store and manage multiple definitions to one term if possible.


99% of CAT tools that have a glossary feature give you the option of at least adding a comment to the term, which you can use for the definition or anything else that you might want to write about the term.

Wordfast: Watched some Youtube videos. Correct me if I'm wrong but it feels like a Win95 application


Wordfast Classic's UI is quite old, but the latest versions kept up with the latest features that other CAT tools have. The developer focuses his energies on making sure the product is stable and feature rich, and not in ensuring that the product looks nice and modern.

Wordfast Pro 3 has a menus-and-toolbars UI, and Wordfast Pro 5 has a ribbon UI (but they're also two different products). Trust me, the ribbon interface is often less productive in a CAT tool.

SDL: Looks very strong in TM but has a steep price and learning curve it seems.


The TM format of all major CAT tools are all more or less of the same strength. I don't think Trados' learning curve is any worse than other CAT tools.

I want a clean UI / Interface with a strong set of tools.


Although some CAT tools allow you to minimize the various panes, I'm afraid this is just something you're going to get used to. It's like being fond of the clean UI in Microsoft Paint and then not liking the confused look of Adobe Photoshop, or hearkening back to the clean UI of Notepad when you first start using Microsoft Word. With more power comes more clutter.

You don't seem to have any special requirements for a CAT tool, and you're willing to pay. So my suggestion would be either Trados or MemoQ. MemoQ is more useful but it is also more confusing. With both products it's a good idea to watch several introductory videos.

user_3042476 wrote:
Just wondering if there are CAT add-on tools that can be used "within" Mircosoft Word or Excel instead of a stand alone version?


Wordfast Classic (WFC), Metatexis and Felix CAT do that. WFC is actively developed, and there is no time-limit on its demo version.

[Edited at 2020-09-13 10:30 GMT]


Bert Plourde
Recep Kurt
Jorge Payan
 
Bert Plourde
Bert Plourde
Thailand
Local time: 20:49
French to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Your CAT suggestions... Thanks Sep 13, 2020

Thank you Samuel, most helpful

 
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Germany
Local time: 14:49
English to German
In memoriam
About cakes Sep 13, 2020

If you want to keep your cake and eat it, you can simply work with two screens, one for your CAT and one for your source document, e. g. Word. Many translators work like that. But I believe that this is simply a matter of getting used to working in a CAT. As long as all your source documents are only Word, it might be feasible to work in Word all the time, but as soon as you get other formats to work on (for example HTML or some InDesign or other publishing stuff), it's not so much fun to work i... See more
If you want to keep your cake and eat it, you can simply work with two screens, one for your CAT and one for your source document, e. g. Word. Many translators work like that. But I believe that this is simply a matter of getting used to working in a CAT. As long as all your source documents are only Word, it might be feasible to work in Word all the time, but as soon as you get other formats to work on (for example HTML or some InDesign or other publishing stuff), it's not so much fun to work in the source directly.

Memsource actually has a pretty straightforward design. If you look for a similarly clear design but with more features, I'd suggest MemoQ. But it comes down to what you feel most comfortable with. The main attribute that really makes a difference in CAT tools is if they are online or offline. Online tools are working in your browser (so that they will work on any device), but they are often too slow for fast typers, depend on heavy mouse usage, and moreover, online tools are often designed to give the client/agency more control and force the translator to work in a certain way. With offline tools, you have more control over your work and you can utilize the full power of your local device.
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Stepan Konev
Patrizia Sorbara
 


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Your input on CAT Tools with specific requirements







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