Poll: Which CAT tool do you use the most?

Diarmuid Kennan wrote:


Yes, it would be interesting to track usage trends over time. I only use Trados, but I have noticed a growing number of my clients are switching to MemoQ. The good news is that the CAT tools seem to be increasingly compatible, so in the future, it may be irrelevant which tool you use.

Diarmuid Kennan wrote:
Yes, it would be interesting to track usage trends over time. I only use Trados, but I have noticed a growing number of my clients are switching to MemoQ. The good news is that the CAT tools seem to be increasingly compatible, so in the future, it may be irrelevant which tool you use.

DarwinE wrote:
....
After graduation when I had my choice of the three, guess which one I picked? As a student fresh out of college, ready to tackle on my accrued debt?

MateCAT does just what I needed it to do, for the kind of tasks I'm assigned. Nothing extraordinarily high-tech. And it's free. I will never pay for Trados, not even with the group buy discount.

Christine Andersen wrote:



Of course, I am at the other end of my career, pension secured and able to pick and choose what work I take on. So I can afford to pay for software - and I find Trados is worth every cent. I am not blaming DarwinE or others with the same attitude. I remember struggling through the lean years, so it is a good thing there are free CATs to help students and beginners on they way. They have enough bills as it is.

However, I cannot help thinking you should never say never. Software developers have to live. There are thousands of posts on this website and others bewailing the fact that clients will not pay for translation, and that free machine translation lowers standards and takes away our livelihoods.

Think about it. Maybe you will never pay for Trados, but no software 'just grows'. It is up to you whether you like the light, basic CATs or are willing to spend time learning to benefit from the ones with advanced features. Either way, they are all the result of hard work and careful programming and coding. Somebody pays, somewhere. So when you can afford it, you might want to pay for the guarantees, the updates and the support - just to be sure they are there when you need them.

Mario Freitas wrote:



I'm also noticing this trend. I was actually one of the first ones to change. I started with Trados, but I figure the main purpose of a CAT is saving time, which Trados does not really allow with so many features and resources. I ended up not saving time with Trados, whereas MemoQ saves me almost 50% of my time and more than 50% of my typing. That's a real CAT!

Mario Chavez wrote:

Would I hire an architect that does the building design on free software? Would I pay a mechanic to work in my car with obsolete tools? Would I entrust a carpenter or cabinet maker to renovate my kitchen by using a ruler, wallpaper from a thriftshop and fasteners bought at a second-hand store?

Free apps and free software packages are ok to learn the basics, the ropes. But the more specialized one becomes, one needs to use the right tools for the job.

More to the point: would I entrust the translation of a legal document or an SDS to a wet-behind-the-ears translator who only uses pocket-sized dictionaries and consults Linguee on the Internet?

If I want to be respected as a professional and get paid professional fees, I need to use professional- or industry-grade tools, machinery and software. In any event, a judicious customer will pay for my expertise, not my tools.

Chie. I wrote:

I am a bit confused about MT feature. do they send my client's file information to automated database or not？ MemoQ even had default link with Google Translate MT engine and I was startled for confidentiality issue. Latest Trados also has MT - I need to clarify !