Is Trados necessary? Thread poster: rslipka
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rslipka
United States
Local time: 19:57
English to Spanish
This may sound like a stupid question, but I am just starting as a freelance translator on the side, I have a fulltime job. I've signed up with a couple sites and have received a few offers. I always see everyone talking about Trados so I checked out their site and see that their products are very expensive! Is it worth it or necessary? I have done translations on the side before without using anything like this, but I have never done it as a formal profession. Any feedback would be great.<... See more This may sound like a stupid question, but I am just starting as a freelance translator on the side, I have a fulltime job. I've signed up with a couple sites and have received a few offers. I always see everyone talking about Trados so I checked out their site and see that their products are very expensive! Is it worth it or necessary? I have done translations on the side before without using anything like this, but I have never done it as a formal profession. Any feedback would be great.
Thanks. ▲ Collapse
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This topic has probably been covered many times in the past - I would suggest searching through the forums.
As for myself, I translated for many years WITHOUT Trados and had no problems.
Recently (this year) I did however purchase the software because I realized that many of the expressions in my area of specialization repeat themselves and I really like the MultiTerm part of the package.
Now I can take on projects (or parts of them) for which the client/ag... See more This topic has probably been covered many times in the past - I would suggest searching through the forums.
As for myself, I translated for many years WITHOUT Trados and had no problems.
Recently (this year) I did however purchase the software because I realized that many of the expressions in my area of specialization repeat themselves and I really like the MultiTerm part of the package.
Now I can take on projects (or parts of them) for which the client/agency requires the use of Trados. In my case, the investment has paid for itself already.
...my two cents. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Marc P (X) 
Local time: 02:57
German to English
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| Trados is not expensive | May 11, 2005 |
Under the right circumstances and in the right hands, a translation memory application can easily deliver efficiency gains of 10% or 20%, in some cases much more. If those savings are compared to the turnover of a professional user, Trados cannot be considered expensive.
It is of course possible to translate without Trados, or any form of translation memory software for that matter.
Marc
| | | | Latin_Hellas (X)
United States
Local time: 02:57
Italian to English
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| CAT necessary, Trados agency, Wordfast freelancer | May 11, 2005 |
Generally speaking today some kind of CAT tool is necessary if high volume and efficiency are cornerstones of your work. There are alternatives to Trados, however, which is indeed relatively expensive. Wordfast (http://www.wordfast.net/) is generally compatible with Trados. Again, there are yet other alternatives. As mentioned, put key words in the forum search for greater detail.
Best of luck,... See more Generally speaking today some kind of CAT tool is necessary if high volume and efficiency are cornerstones of your work. There are alternatives to Trados, however, which is indeed relatively expensive. Wordfast (http://www.wordfast.net/) is generally compatible with Trados. Again, there are yet other alternatives. As mentioned, put key words in the forum search for greater detail.
Best of luck,
bale002 ▲ Collapse
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| Compatibility and Expensive | May 11, 2005 |
Hello,
Approx. 60 % of our Translations must done with Trados TagEditor.
Can Wordfast handle Trados ttx files ?
Can Wordfast handle Trados filter and project settings ?
I believe Wordfast is only compatible to create Word files in a Trados similar way. This no really compatibility.
The price for Trados freelance is approx. 600 EUR. A normal freelance translator will get a yearly income of approx. 30.000 - 70.000 EUR (some have an higher income). 600 EUR = 2% of 30.000 EUR. Is this expensive ? (The price of Trados will reduce your income tax). How is the cost situation for a taxi driver ? 2% for a new taxi every 5 years ?
With kind regards
Hans
| | | | | You can work as a freelancer without CAT tools... | May 11, 2005 |
but it's like working with one hand tied to your back. You will get more jobs that will be better paid and from nicer agencies if you have CAT tools. They pay for themselves very quickly - once you have put the effort into learning how to use them. Choose one and learn how to use it really well - use it better than the agencies that ask for it and they'll love you. I would have earned much less over the years if I hadn't put in the effort to get to grips with CAT tools.
Happy translating... See more but it's like working with one hand tied to your back. You will get more jobs that will be better paid and from nicer agencies if you have CAT tools. They pay for themselves very quickly - once you have put the effort into learning how to use them. Choose one and learn how to use it really well - use it better than the agencies that ask for it and they'll love you. I would have earned much less over the years if I hadn't put in the effort to get to grips with CAT tools.
Happy translating
Gillian ▲ Collapse
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 02:57
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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| Trados is expensive | May 11, 2005 |
DSC wrote:
The price for Trados freelance is approx. 600 EUR. A normal freelance translator will get a yearly income of approx. 30.000 - 70.000 EUR (some have an higher income). 600 EUR = 2% of 30.000 EUR. Is this expensive?
The OP is a moonlighter (a salaried freelancer or a part-time freelancer).
I'm a moonlighter too: my salary is used up completely by other expenses, and my freelance income (which is is used to supplement my salary for ordinary expenses) is approx EUR 3 000 per annum. EUR 600 is 20% of that... expensive.
If your annual income is EUR 30 000, how much of it goes to taxes, housing, general living expenses etc? Rather calculate the cost of Trados against the nett income... it'll be more than 2%.
Wordfast, on the other hand, costs between EUR 100 and 200, which is certainly more affordable. But I don't advocate either... try them both. WF is "compatible" with Trados in the sense that a WF user can work alongside Trados users on a single project with very little hassle, if the project manager is computer literate.
| | | | Sonja Tomaskovic (X)
Germany
Local time: 02:57
English to German
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| It is a simple matter of profitability | May 11, 2005 |
... or to say it in other words: how many of your clients ask you to work with Trados exclusively?
As for me, this only happens every now and then. I just got an enquiry from an agency requiring to use Trados. However, another agency which asked me to use "Trados" did so because Trados has become a synonym for CAT software in general. In fact, they just wanted me to use any CAT at all, and deliver either uncleaned files or a TMX file to import into their own CAT (which I believe was... See more ... or to say it in other words: how many of your clients ask you to work with Trados exclusively?
As for me, this only happens every now and then. I just got an enquiry from an agency requiring to use Trados. However, another agency which asked me to use "Trados" did so because Trados has become a synonym for CAT software in general. In fact, they just wanted me to use any CAT at all, and deliver either uncleaned files or a TMX file to import into their own CAT (which I believe was Trados).
If I consider economic profitability, Trados is of no use to me because it will not bring me more clients, more work, etc. From this point of view it is an expensive luxury item.
On the other side, a lot of people here have already mentioned that Trados helped them enhance their efficiency. I believe that other CAT tools can do that too, no matter which one you choose. If your clients don't dictate which CAT to choose you are not bound to Trados. I suggest you try all the available trial versions before you make any decision. I believe that all of them have their benefits and it's up to every individual to decide what advantages outweigh the disadvantages. And besides: I have seen a lot of clients who can suddenly be very satisfied with what you deliver, no matter if you use Trados, any other CAT or none at all. It shouldn't be up to the client to decide that.
Sonja ▲ Collapse
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langnet
Italy
Local time: 02:57
Italian to German
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DSC wrote:
Hello,
Approx. 60 % of our Translations must done with Trados TagEditor.
Can Wordfast handle Trados ttx files ?
No, it can't. But are .ttx files really necessary? Personally, I find the Trados Tag Editor extremely uncomfortable. It is: I hate it, though I have to work with it. As far as I know, the Tag Editor is used for translating tagged files. Tagged files in the .rtf format can be easily handled by WF with similar control functions. File tagging is possible by using the free PlusTool application. Only that this is "at first sight" less easily done and less comfortable compared to Trados; in fact: "Expert localization engineers can write other taggers [than HTML taggers], or tweak the existing one to tag XML or SGML files, or other text-based tagged formats (like MIF, StoryCollector etc.)..."
Can Wordfast handle Trados filter and project settings ?
For example? As far as I know WF can do this, but of course, WF is not Trados. See this link for that: http://www.betranslated.com/trados-wordfast.html
I believe Wordfast is only compatible to create Word files in a Trados similar way. This no really compatibility.
That's not quite true. See the link above. I think the strong point Trados has for agencies is that it is much easier to handle files and projects with it, you don't have to fumble too much around. But is this a valid reason to "impose" the use of Trados to translators for files that can be equally and easily handled with WF (such as "normal" .rft files)? Just a thought...
The price for Trados freelance is approx. 600 EUR. A normal freelance translator will get a yearly income of approx. 30.000 - 70.000 EUR (some have an higher income). 600 EUR = 2% of 30.000 EUR. Is this expensive ? (The price of Trados will reduce your income tax). How is the cost situation for a taxi driver ? 2% for a new taxi every 5 years ?
It is somewhat expensive since the Trados Freelance Edition incorporates a series of functions a freelancer doesn't really need.
[Edited at 2005-05-11 20:30]
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langnet wrote: DSC wrote:
Hello,
Approx. 60 % of our Translations must done with Trados TagEditor.
Can Wordfast handle Trados ttx files ?
No, it can't. But are .ttx files really necessary? Personally, I find the Trados Tag Editor extremely uncomfortable. It is: I hate it, though I have to work with it. As far as I know, the Tag Editor is used for translating tagged files. Tagged files in the .rtf format can be easily handled by WF with similar control functions. File tagging is possible by using the free PlusTool application. Only that this is "at first sight" less easily done and less comfortable compared to Trados; in fact: "Expert localization engineers can write other taggers [than HTML taggers], or tweak the existing one to tag XML or SGML files, or other text-based tagged formats (like MIF, StoryCollector etc.)..."
Hello,
yes ttx is the coming Trados standard. The advantage of ttx files is the possibility to use Xtranslate for following translations. Another point are the problems with handling complex word files (not tagged rtf files) or to work with word files which was edited in different word versions. In the next version of Trados it will be possible to translate word files in Tageditor too. We will see if this will be an alternative to work with word.
Tageditor makes it possible to easily make validations p.ex. for xml files. The tag verificationin Tageditor is very easy.
I know Tageditor has problems like other progras too, but i think it will be the future for work with Trados.
With kind regards
Hans
| | | | Sonja Tomaskovic (X)
Germany
Local time: 02:57
English to German
+ ...
DSC wrote:
yes ttx is the coming Trados standard.
As you mentioned, it is a Trados standard. It doesn't mean that a) other tools won't be able to handle that (DVX and SDLX already do) and b) sometimes simplicity wins. We can transform just about any document into something more complex and obscure, but that does not necessarily mean we are going to benefit from that.
Sonja
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Sonja Tomaskovic wrote: DSC wrote:
yes ttx is the coming Trados standard.
As you mentioned, it is a Trados standard. It doesn't mean that a) other tools won't be able to handle that (DVX and SDLX already do) and b) sometimes simplicity wins. We can transform just about any document into something more complex and obscure, but that does not necessarily mean we are going to benefit from that. Sonja
Hello,
i beleave, that SDLX can handle old ttx files from Trados 5.x but not from Trados 6.x (unicode coded xml files)
I don't understand, why ttx should be "complex or obscure".
TTX files are xml files with a special structure for work with Tageditor. There is no really special. It is the same with other dtp file formats. It is normal, that you didn't work in PageMaker with Quark files without problems. Don't understand the problem.
Hans
[Edited at 2005-05-12 12:39]
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