| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | A future for Across? Thread poster: Marcos Zattar
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| Just starting | Apr 15, 2009 |
One of my major clients is starting to use Across, migrating from Trados. Since it costs me nothing, I have downloaded the system and will be attending a webinar on Across later today. So far I have only looked at a few tutorials on it, but my first impression is that it looks less complicated than Trados, and if the client wants it, I'll use it.
| | | | Uwe Schwenk (X)
United States
Local time: 11:30
English to German
Hilde Granlund wrote:
One of my major clients is starting to use Across, migrating from Trados. Since it costs me nothing, I have downloaded the system and will be attending a webinar on Across later today. So far I have only looked at a few tutorials on it, but my first impression is that it looks less complicated than Trados, and if the client wants it, I'll use it.
Welcome to the across crowd!
Uwe
| | | | Uwe Schwenk (X)
United States
Local time: 11:30
English to German
| across interaction with other CAT tools | Apr 15, 2009 |
Wolfgang Jörissen wrote: Uwe Schwenk wrote: Wolfgang Jörissen wrote:
While the tool has quite some advantages, my main regret is that it poorly interacts with other CAT tools. Wolfgang, could you possibly elaborate on this a little because I am not quite sure what you mean here? Uwe Sure, although I have to admit that I am not an Acros expert and if you can proove me wrong, I will be happy to learn something new. While evaluating the translation environment of the system, as X-SDLer correctly put it, the only export I could manage to get, was TMX, which is fair enough, but less than what some other systems have to offer. Also, some time ago, I was working with a colleague on a project with TTX files. He used Across for it and the TTX files would neatly import, but he just could not get them exported. It disappeared in the monster's mouth and the monster did not spit it out again  . If you tell me there is a proper export function, I am ready to believe you without second thoughts, but working with the TMX export was troublesome. What it burns down to: if your client requires you to work on an Across project, you will actually have to USE Across. Which is something an independent mind as myself does not really like. To put the "poor interaction" in other words: Across is not exactly the CAT hoppers's choice. [Edited at 2009-04-14 17:30 GMT]
Wolfgang,
while this is true, I do not see this as a shortcoming because across is built upon international standards.
Going directly into your question concerning TTX files, no there is no such option as an export for TTX, but this is (at least in my opinion) by design. Lets not forget that TTX is a proprietary format by SDL. Additionally, the across concept is quite different from the other tools out on the market.
Also, across is not the only one having issues with TTX. Kevin Lossner wrote an interesting article in the Proz knowledgebase for the translation of TTX files with DejaVu. In a nutshell is technical and not everyone has the skills for these type of interaction between various tools.
In regards to the last comment on your end that if your client requires across you need to use across. That also applies for SDL because if you are not sufficiently technical and use another tool, that can cause some big issues real fast.
Additionally, the across freelance version is free once you have registered with across, so from a price point of view it is a very attractive solution versus SDL.
The only real "issue" I can see with across is the change of methodology and the learning curve because if you are used for example to SDL (I used it for over a decade, before I switched last year completely to across) it is quite a change.
All in all, you have valid points and opinions and in the end it comes down to two things:
Do you want to switch completely to across, or add it as a tool to your toolbox of TM tools?
If you go for the latter the TMX option is valid across tools, so it can be done.
I personally have no regrets to having switched not only at home but also at my work.
Uwe
| | | | Francesco Amormino (X) 
Local time: 18:30
German to Italian
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| Interesting discussion so far... | Apr 15, 2009 |
Hi everybody,
my name is Francesco Amormino. I am not new nor to CAT tools as Trados or Wordfast neither to proz.com.
I just wanted to let you know that I am planning to be around for the coming future since I am soon going to start using Across, which scares me a bit and excites me a lot
Having said that... I am looking forward to contribute to positive and constructive discussions.
... See more Hi everybody,
my name is Francesco Amormino. I am not new nor to CAT tools as Trados or Wordfast neither to proz.com.
I just wanted to let you know that I am planning to be around for the coming future since I am soon going to start using Across, which scares me a bit and excites me a lot
Having said that... I am looking forward to contribute to positive and constructive discussions.
Personally, I find Across (mainly the whole SQL Server Technology behind it) a bit confusing, but I feel quite confident that in a couple of weeks things may look a bit clearer to me...
Be well,
Francesco
P.S. Be warned I've already got lots of questions... ▲ Collapse
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myska
Local time: 17:30
Spanish to English
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| Few questions to some of you | Apr 23, 2009 |
Hello again,
I am glad to be able to join this wonderful discussion again. I have read all of your posts and I have few things I'd like to comment on.
Marcos de Miranda Zattar wrote:
- everywhere you can read that the Trados dominance prevents great systems like Across to spread out in the market
Marcos, I'd like to ask you where you read this about Across. Would it be possible for you to provide a link? Thank you
Oh, I see that I can only quote one person at a time, therefore I deeply appologize since I have few more comments to make that require quoting your words and thus you'll see a lot of my posts
Martina
| | | | myska
Local time: 17:30
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Little bit of clarification | Apr 23, 2009 |
Hi Telemarker,
Telemarker wrote:
Ok, then if this is the right place, then from what I've seen testing Across for the past few months, Across users need all the help they can get! (for info: I have spent the past 15 years in various software houses testing and providing end user support over a wide range of applications and platforms by the way).
I was wondering what you meant by: "Across users need all the help they can get!" I you implying that to learn to use Across is not exactly a breeze? And if so, could you tell us why you think so?
I am not trying to argue with you or anything, I am purely interested in your view since I am evaluating Across (personal edition) in my postgraduate essay.
Thank you,
Martina
| | | | myska
Local time: 17:30
Spanish to English
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| Another clarification | Apr 23, 2009 |
Uwe Schwenk wrote:
Marcos,
- in regards to your conclusion that because people do not talk about it too much and therefore its not used heavily, I would disagree with that conclusion. Thats more of an issue for across marketing
[Bearbeitet am 2009-04-08 13:51 GMT]
Hi Uwe,
nice to see that you are a happy Across user. I'd like to say that I agree with you on various points, especially that the fact that Across is not talked about much is not down to the product itself and its quality but to the lack of effective marketing. Do you think that this is due to the fact that the major product offered by Across is not the personal edition but the Server? Or is their marketing not very efficient in general?
All the best,
Martina
| | | | myska
Local time: 17:30
Spanish to English
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| Your opinion | Apr 23, 2009 |
X-SDLer wrote:
As for longevity...Across released in 2008 a money back guarantee that they would not sell out as so many others have in the past...Trados, Passolo, Idiom...Bankruptcy??? How many of you know that Across is a Nero company??? The financial depth of Across is deep and will help them weather the current economics global conditions into tomorrow.
Hi X-SDLer,
can I ask you where I could find this money back guarantee statement by Across?
Also, could I ask you what you like about Across so much? Is there anything you would improve or anything you find not so satisfactory about it? I woud be really interested to know your opinion on this CAT tool.
Thak you,
Martina
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myska
Local time: 17:30
Spanish to English
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Jim Freville wrote:
2) MARKET PRESENCE & ADOPTION:
To date we have over 25 dedicated LSP partners throughout the world. Unlike our competitors, we don't like providing them with a prospect list to call on.
Because we don't have a sales model directed towards the freelance community, it is hard for us to accurately number the total freelance users. As I mentioned above, our technology is freely available to the freelance translator. I can tell you that 1000's of downloads of the crossDesk software have occurred over the past few years! Most of which used a former translation technology (Trados, SDLX, Idiom, Wordfast).
4) DATA MIGRATION:
Because Across Systems is the only remaining INDEPENDANT translation technology company left, we have made our software the most universally accessibility & standard to allow for quick and dependable export and importation of TMs and Terms. I invite you to test this claim!
I will like to close with a question to Martina:
Are you looking for a CAT tool for personal use or to manage the translation process for your company? If you need a complete solution, what can I provide you about the across Language Server? If you are looking for a tool for your personal use, are you looking exclusively at crossDesk?
I encourage all and any responses and feedback. I invite the open discussion!!!
Hello Jim
I am not used to using this "quote" option in my replies therefore I do appologize that I am not using it so well.
As to your question that you directed to me, I am currently using the crossDesk - Across personal edition - for my evaluation which is part of my postgraduate essay I am working on.
I was pleased to see that you were encouraging an open discussion on the topic of Across. I cannot agree more.
You mentioned that it is hard to give a correct number of all the freelance translators that are using Across. I am a bit confused about that since I thought that they have to register with Across if they want to download the Personal Edition for free. Is this not so? If it is true then there should not be a problem getting an exact number on all of the users in this category. Pleae correct me if I am wrong.
You also mentioned that Across allows for quick and dependable export and importation of both TMs and terms. I can agree on TMs but I am not so sure on terms. I've tried several times to import my Wordfast TM following carefully the Across Wizard, saved my terminology bank as Excel (I don't have access to my computer now so I am not sure how it was called exactly but the point is that I followed the instructions very carefully). I just could not get it working. It would not let me beyond a certain point and the cursor was indicating that the program was thinking. And it was thinking hard, almost to the point of crushing the system. Crushing did not happen but nothing else happened either. I've tried several times and could not succeed. Would you have any recommendations? May be saving my terminology as Excel (saving it as Excel exactly as it was instructed) was not the best choice. Is there an easy way to import Wordfast terminology into Across?
Overall, I think that Across is a very powerful tool that offers many features other TM tools don't especially with its focus on organizing the work of a translator. I find this an excellent quality of the program that pretty much underlies the philosophy behind it. I am also nicely suprised by the quality of learning support in the form of online documentations, tutorials and webinars, and then of course, excellent wizards that accompany nearly your every step while working with the personal edition. The leading brands could learn a lot from Across in this respect. What I especially like is that the tutorials are interactive and that the manuals very well organized, accompanied by lively pictures as little pointers to the content of the information you are about to find in each paragraph and the amazing little summaries on the side on some of the paragraphs that makes the whole reading once again so much more fun.
Thank you for you reply
Martina
| | | | Eric Hahn (X)
France
Local time: 18:30
French to German
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X-SDLer wrote:
Yes, Across does offer translating tools and editing environments, but the across Language Server 4.0 is a system, not a desktop software tool...and by the way, the translating environment is FREE!
Yes, the Personal Edition for freelance translators is free. It's a full version and the only restriction seems to concern the server access.
BTW, it should be possible to preview/open document files without having Microsoft Office installed ! With Wordfast Pro and StarOffice, this is no problem ...
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