New to Trados - how long before my productivity will increase? Thread poster: NathalieVVT (X)
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NathalieVVT (X) 
Local time: 08:23
French to English
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I have recently acquired TRADOS. How long does it take before your translation memory becomes populated enough that your productivity starts to increase.
[Subject edited by staff or moderator 2005-01-02 13:36]
| | | | Jerzy Czopik
Germany
Local time: 09:23
Member (2003)
Polish to German
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| From nill till never | Jan 2, 2005 |
Thi is the same, as you would ask how fast you´ll get rich with your new job.
This depends on to many factors, so the answer may vary strong.
Within some projects it works immediately, with others you´ll need some time, and with some projects you will never reach any increase.
Regards
Jerzy
| | | | Kevin Fulton
United States
Local time: 03:23
German to English
| Variety of factors | Jan 2, 2005 |
As Jerzy pointed out, you may never see a serious increase in productivity. A primary factor is whether you get jobs with repetitive text / terminology. I bought my first CAT tool for a very specific job which had a *lot* of repetitions, so the benefit was realized almost immediately, since the job was divided among several translators, and I was able to do more than initially planned. However, for several months afterward, all my jobs arrived as hardcopy, and I wasn't able to use my tool (this ... See more As Jerzy pointed out, you may never see a serious increase in productivity. A primary factor is whether you get jobs with repetitive text / terminology. I bought my first CAT tool for a very specific job which had a *lot* of repetitions, so the benefit was realized almost immediately, since the job was divided among several translators, and I was able to do more than initially planned. However, for several months afterward, all my jobs arrived as hardcopy, and I wasn't able to use my tool (this was before scanners became inexpensive).
Based upon my own experience, I would estimate that it may take a year or two before you see any productivity gains. You will notice, however, that gradually you will be able to leverage your translation memories.
Another factor is whether you have a client who gives you similar texts. For the past 4 years one client has provided me with dozens of related texts and my productivity has increased substantially, not only with this client, but with others who provide me with similar documents. ▲ Collapse
| | | | NathalieVVT (X)
Local time: 08:23
French to English
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TOPIC STARTER | Thank you - what about sharing Translation Memories? | Jan 2, 2005 |
Thank you both, your comments confirmed my doubts. However, why can't translators share Translations Memories? Has anyone heard of this being done before? Or is this just a stupid idea?
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Ralf Lemster
Germany
Local time: 09:23
English to German
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| Sharing production assets? | Jan 2, 2005 |
Hi Nathalie,
To give you a meaningful answer your original question, we would need to know more about the type of texts you're working on.
However, why can't translators share Translations Memories?
While this isn't impossible, it's mostly a financial issue: bear in mind that translation memories are production assets. In a translation business, TMs and termbases can represent a core business asset; depending on your area of specialisation, it may constitute a competitive advantage.
In my experience, many translators are interested in sharing databases, but few are willing to pay for this - which might explain the lack of offers in this respect.
Best regards,
Ralf
| | | | NathalieVVT (X)
Local time: 08:23
French to English
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TOPIC STARTER | Sharing or buying Translation Memories? | Jan 2, 2005 |
Hi Ralf,
You've made a very interesting point but I'd still be interested to find out through this forum how popular the idea of sharing or buying TMs is.
To answer your first question, I was just curious and didn't have any particular subjects or projects in mind.
Nathalie
| | | | Kevin Fulton
United States
Local time: 03:23
German to English
| Sharing/buying TMs | Jan 2, 2005 |
As Ralf pointed out, there are a number of issues related to sharing translation memories. One has to do with client proprietary/confidential information. I have lots of segments with all sorts of useful terminology, but much of this relates to information my clients would not necessarily want disclosed (which is why translators are frequently asked to sign confidentiality agreements!). Editing the segments to remove clients' names/financial information would be a major task and not worth the ef... See more As Ralf pointed out, there are a number of issues related to sharing translation memories. One has to do with client proprietary/confidential information. I have lots of segments with all sorts of useful terminology, but much of this relates to information my clients would not necessarily want disclosed (which is why translators are frequently asked to sign confidentiality agreements!). Editing the segments to remove clients' names/financial information would be a major task and not worth the effort.
The other issue is that there are few translators whose TMs could be counted upon as being 100% reliable. I know that there have been a few times when I haven't updated my TM in response to a client's feedback, and I consider myself relatively conscientious. In addition, some people are better translators than others. I would be very hesitant to use the TM of someone I didn't know personally.
Since many translators are in direct competition with one another, you'll find few good translators willing give away their competitive advantage, as Ralf also pointed out. I'm on good terms (please forgive the pun) with many translators in the greater Detroit area, but I don't know any who would share their databases. Once I offered to buy a terminology database from a respected colleague (it was in a database format and not easily adapted to a TM or termbase), and he refused, even though I offered him what I would pay for a good dictionary.
I would be very cautious about acquiring a TM from someone. There are just too many risks involved. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Nina Snoj
Slovenia
Spanish to Slovenian
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| Sharing is okay | Jan 2, 2005 |
As soon as my translation memory for Spanish-Slovene legal terms is finished, I am more then happy to pass a copy to my colleague (and competitor) because in a small country such as Slovenia, where we still don't have a proper general Slovene Spanish dictionary, let alone a juridic one, we must share..when this is bilateral sharing, of course.
If TMs are considered as assets and, I agree, very valuable ones, how come that we still don't have a "TM E-bay" or something similar? Just kidding.... See more As soon as my translation memory for Spanish-Slovene legal terms is finished, I am more then happy to pass a copy to my colleague (and competitor) because in a small country such as Slovenia, where we still don't have a proper general Slovene Spanish dictionary, let alone a juridic one, we must share..when this is bilateral sharing, of course.
If TMs are considered as assets and, I agree, very valuable ones, how come that we still don't have a "TM E-bay" or something similar? Just kidding....
Happy new year to the whole Proz com!
Nina
[Edited at 2005-01-02 20:50]
[Edited at 2005-01-02 20:51]
[Edited at 2005-01-02 20:51] ▲ Collapse
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