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Which CAT tool is the easiest to learn and use effectively?
Thread poster: Saghir Ahmed
Saghir Ahmed
Saghir Ahmed
Pakistan
Local time: 15:51
Member (2012)
English to Urdu
+ ...
Nov 2, 2012

Can anyone tell, which CAT tool is the easiest to learn and use effectively?

 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 11:51
Spanish to English
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Wordfast Classic Nov 2, 2012

I've used it for a few years now and have no complaints.
You can try a demo version from http://www.wordfast.net/

You can also try the WordFast Pro and Anywhere versions, but I haven't used them.

[Edited at 2012-11-02 15:06 GMT]


 
Hepburn
Hepburn  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 11:51
English to French
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Easiest cat tool to learn and use Nov 2, 2012

I think it is definitely Wordfast Classic. You can learn how to use it within an hour and then you can happily go back to it to work and have fun at the same time. I really got hooked on it. Then you will learn how to get the best out of it by putting aside an hour here an then to "explore" it and get to know all the techniques and ways to get the best ouf of it. Very responsive help too, both on the Yahoo group and through requests on their website.

Wordfast Pro is one step up and
... See more
I think it is definitely Wordfast Classic. You can learn how to use it within an hour and then you can happily go back to it to work and have fun at the same time. I really got hooked on it. Then you will learn how to get the best out of it by putting aside an hour here an then to "explore" it and get to know all the techniques and ways to get the best ouf of it. Very responsive help too, both on the Yahoo group and through requests on their website.

Wordfast Pro is one step up and I do not feel at ease with it, yet.

Claudette Hepburn
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Hermann Bruns
Hermann Bruns  Identity Verified
Local time: 11:51
English to German
MetaTexis for Word Nov 2, 2012

Hello Saghir,

according to many users, MetaTexis is even easier to use than Wordfast. It also runs in Word, and it is programmed in a way that is more standard-like. Installing is extremely easy. Moroever, the license is cheaper and it is permanent (and not temporary like the Wordfast license). You can download a fully-featured trial version anytime at www.metatexis.com.

Best regards... See more
Hello Saghir,

according to many users, MetaTexis is even easier to use than Wordfast. It also runs in Word, and it is programmed in a way that is more standard-like. Installing is extremely easy. Moroever, the license is cheaper and it is permanent (and not temporary like the Wordfast license). You can download a fully-featured trial version anytime at www.metatexis.com.

Best regards
Hermann
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Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 11:51
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Wordfast and OmegaT Nov 2, 2012

Saghir Ahmed wrote:
Can anyone tell, which CAT tool is the easiest to learn and use effectively?


I learnt Wordfast in one hour, but I have colleagues who were unable to use it even after a three hour workshop, so it depends on what you can or can't do. OmegaT is also quite simple, despite the fact that it's menus are currently rather confusing and its user manual isn't always up to date. Both these tools can be easy or difficult depending on what your source text file looks like.

The easiest CAT tool, come to think of it, is probably Wordfast Anywhere, but it is only available online, so you need a good internet connection.


 
Dominique Pivard
Dominique Pivard  Identity Verified
Local time: 12:51
Finnish to French
What people actually use Nov 3, 2012

Saghir Ahmed wrote:
Can anyone tell, which CAT tool is the easiest to learn and use effectively?

When asking such a question, you will mostly get anecdotal evidence. All major tools have a dedicated mailing list on Yahoo. Have a look at the readership of these lists and it will give you a clue of what people actually use:

Wordfast Classic: 6686 subscribers
Trados (old/new): 5669
Déjà Vu: 2454
OmegaT: 1812
SDLX: 1486
memoQ: 1051
Wordfast Pro: 815
Transit: 664
MetaTexis: 563
Wordfast Anywhere: 380

You should of course take into account some tools are newer than others: for instance, the memoQ list was founded in 2007, the Wordfast Pro list in 2008 and the Wordfast Anywhere list in 2010, while the Transit, SDLX, Trados, Déjà Vu list already existed back in 1999.



[Edited at 2012-11-03 08:15 GMT]


 
Saghir Ahmed
Saghir Ahmed
Pakistan
Local time: 15:51
Member (2012)
English to Urdu
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank You very much friends. good info. I got the idea Nov 3, 2012

Dominique Pivard wrote:

Saghir Ahmed wrote:
Can anyone tell, which CAT tool is the easiest to learn and use effectively?

When asking such a question, you will mostly get anecdotal evidence. All major tools have a dedicated mailing list on Yahoo. Have a look at the readership of these lists and it will give you a clue of what people actually use:

Wordfast Classic: 6686 subscribers
Trados (old/new): 5669
Déjà Vu: 2454
OmegaT: 1812
SDLX: 1486
memoQ: 1051
Wordfast Pro: 815
Transit: 664
MetaTexis: 563
Wordfast Anywhere: 380

You should of course take into account some tools are newer than others: for instance, the memoQ list was founded in 2007, the Wordfast Pro list in 2008 and the Wordfast Anywhere list in 2010, while the Transit, SDLX, Trados, Déjà Vu list already existed back in 1999.



[Edited at 2012-11-03 08:15 GMT]


[Edited at 2012-11-03 08:40 GMT]


 
inkweaver
inkweaver  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 11:51
French to German
+ ...
MemoQ Nov 3, 2012

My preferred tool is definitely MemoQ.

I started with Wordfast Classic and didn't like it at all, mainly because it made Word crash all the time. I then moved on to Wordfast Pro which was better since it was stable and gave me no major hassles, but when a client asked me to use MemoQ I was instantly smitten. It didn't take me long to get the hang of it and I found that it could be used intuitively to a large extent.... See more
My preferred tool is definitely MemoQ.

I started with Wordfast Classic and didn't like it at all, mainly because it made Word crash all the time. I then moved on to Wordfast Pro which was better since it was stable and gave me no major hassles, but when a client asked me to use MemoQ I was instantly smitten. It didn't take me long to get the hang of it and I found that it could be used intuitively to a large extent.

I also use Studio 2011 (Starter Edition) for one client, but I prefer MemoQ since I find it more user-friendly and I prefer the interface.

I have never had any "formal" training in any of the CAT tools I use and I am sure those tools can do many wonderful things which I am not even aware of, but for my purposes MemoQ is definitely my preferred tool. If I am not terribly mistaken you can try it free for one month.

BTW, I haven't subscribed to any mailing list.
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Guillaume Chareyron
Guillaume Chareyron  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 11:51
German to French
+ ...
Depends on what kind of files Nov 3, 2012

Dominique Pivard wrote:
You should of course take into account some tools are newer than others: for instance, the memoQ list was founded in 2007, the Wordfast Pro list in 2008 and the Wordfast Anywhere list in 2010, while the Transit, SDLX, Trados, Déjà Vu list already existed back in 1999.


You should also take into account that there are "ex-users" or "hobby users" among the members of a list, as well as heavy users who don’t suscribe to the corresponding list.

I would say, you should define what you mean with "use effectively", cause the right choice depends on several factors as, for example, the kind of files you often work on. If you regularly get word files to translate, then Wordfast could be the right tool. If you get ttx or inx files for example, I would say, have a look at memoQ, which is not so difficult to use too.

Guillaume


 
Wolfgang Jörissen
Wolfgang Jörissen  Identity Verified
Belize
Dutch to German
+ ...
The easiest to learn and most efficient tool is... Nov 3, 2012

... the one you try out and like best. Most tools have trial versions.

Josephine Cassar
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 11:51
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Yes, but... Nov 3, 2012

Dominique Pivard wrote:
Saghir Ahmed wrote:
Can anyone tell, which CAT tool is the easiest to learn and use effectively?

All major tools have a dedicated mailing list on Yahoo. Have a look at the readership of these lists and it will give you a clue of what people actually use...


Yes, but that was not the question.

As a CAT guru, which tool would you say is the easiest to learn to use effectively, if we assume a widely used source document format and a reasonably low level of computer literacy?


 
Jaroslaw Michalak
Jaroslaw Michalak  Identity Verified
Poland
Local time: 11:51
Member (2004)
English to Polish
SITE LOCALIZER
Usage and mailing lists Nov 4, 2012

Dominique Pivard wrote:
When asking such a question, you will mostly get anecdotal evidence. All major tools have a dedicated mailing list on Yahoo. Have a look at the readership of these lists and it will give you a clue of what people actually use:


I do not think that everyone who uses a tool really feels a need to subscribe to a Yahoo list... Especially when the usage is simple and uneventful. Such lists attract people who have questions and problems, so a high number of participants might not actually be a good thing.


 
Ricardy Ricot
Ricardy Ricot  Identity Verified
Local time: 06:51
French to English
+ ...
sdl trados Nov 4, 2012

sdl trados and omegaT were quite easy for me to learn. Though I highly prefer Trados.

 
Balasubramaniam L.
Balasubramaniam L.  Identity Verified
India
Local time: 16:21
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
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SITE LOCALIZER
It is somewhat like asking which language is the easiest to learn... Nov 4, 2012

For each, his language is the easiest.

Similarly, the CAT tool which you use the most is easiest to learn. A bit like, "chicken or egg first". But there it is.

Few translators try out more than one CAT tool. Each has his personal preference. Since CAT tools require significant investments in terms of money and since most of them have comparable functionalities, few translators think it worth-while to invest in more than one.

Any new thing, whether software
... See more
For each, his language is the easiest.

Similarly, the CAT tool which you use the most is easiest to learn. A bit like, "chicken or egg first". But there it is.

Few translators try out more than one CAT tool. Each has his personal preference. Since CAT tools require significant investments in terms of money and since most of them have comparable functionalities, few translators think it worth-while to invest in more than one.

Any new thing, whether software or language, can be expected to have a learning curve which you will have to negotiate.

So the relevant question would be, which CAT tools will serve my purpose best, and not, which is the most easy.

For, the easy one may not have the functionalities you require, or it may not be the one that your client uses and insists on you using. A significant consideration in choosing a CAT tool is client preference, over which you have little control. You can't tell your client, x cat tool is the easiest to learn, so please shift to that one. You have to comply with client requirements.

The other important consideration is functionality. Take the case of memoq. Till version 5, it had no support for Hindi, my main working language. So however easy it may have been to learn, or however great may have been its functionalities, it was of no use to me.

So, ultimately it is a personal choice and other's experience will hardly be of any use to you.

Talking of myself, I have used Wordfast, Trados, Across, and memoq and have found them all to be equally easy or equally difficult to learn.

I first used Wordfast because it was free but had a hard time learning the ropes. Next I encountered Trados, which at that time had an interface similar to Wordfast, so it was easy to pick up. In later versions of Trados, when it dumped the Word interface and developed its own proprietary interface, I had to go through the process of learning Trados all over again. I have used Across and memoq less, and consequently I still face trouble over some of their functionalities.

[2012-11-04 06:49 GMT पर संपादन हुआ]
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Dominique Pivard
Dominique Pivard  Identity Verified
Local time: 12:51
Finnish to French
List memberships do provide clues Nov 4, 2012

Jabberwock wrote:
I do not think that everyone who uses a tool really feels a need to subscribe to a Yahoo list... Especially when the usage is simple and uneventful. Such lists attract people who have questions and problems, so a high number of participants might not actually be a good thing.

I never claimed everyone using a CAT tool should subscribe to the mailing list of that tool. And I know for a fact many users don't in fact subscribe to the list dedicated to that tool. But the ratio of people who subscribe is probably more or less the same for all tools. Don't try to tell me memoQ and Trados both have 10,000 users, but only 10% of the memoQ user base subscribe (because the tool is so easy and straightward), while 60% if the Trados user base subscribe (because the tool is no more complicated and buggy). List membership is a good indicator of how widespread a tool is (at least among freelancers). The growth rate of a list is also a good indication of the growth rate of the underlying tool: to given you an example, the MetaTexis list grew from 0 to 500 subscribers in 12 years, while the memoQ list grew from 0 to 1000 subscribers in 5 years: most people would probably agree memoQ (as a tool) is also spreading faster than MetaTexis.

Of course, how widespread a tool is or how fast it is growing doesn't necessarily correlate with its ease of use, but there's always a reason why a tool is widespread and/or why it is growing fast.


 
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