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Where is Wordfast's future?
Thread poster: Comunican
Comunican
Comunican
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:41
Spanish to English
+ ...
Nov 28, 2018

Am feeling somewhat lost about which Wordfast platform I should be using for the future, and am looking for some guidance, please.
I've been using Wordfast Classic for 10 years and it's fine - as far it goes.
Then there is Wordfast Anywhere - which could be good (though I'd rather it was "good" already even if that meant it was no longer free!).
And then there is Wordfast Pro - which I find complicated (try adding a WFC TM for example - it's an unfathomable process).
... See more
Am feeling somewhat lost about which Wordfast platform I should be using for the future, and am looking for some guidance, please.
I've been using Wordfast Classic for 10 years and it's fine - as far it goes.
Then there is Wordfast Anywhere - which could be good (though I'd rather it was "good" already even if that meant it was no longer free!).
And then there is Wordfast Pro - which I find complicated (try adding a WFC TM for example - it's an unfathomable process).
There seems to be no real interoperability between the three platforms and it's hard to know where to invest my effort going forward.
Any thoughts, please - ESPECIALLY appreciated from the Wordfast team...
Thanks very much.

[Edited at 2018-11-29 14:10 GMT]
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Drew MacFadyen
Drew MacFadyen  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 05:41
Spanish to English
+ ...
Classic requires Microsoft, Pro does not. Nov 28, 2018

I’m unable to speak to the future or interoperability issues but the key difference is that WF Classic works on top of Microsoft word & requires a Microsoft license. WF Pro uses its own editor & does not require or use Microsoft software.

Regards,

Drew


 
Joseph Tein
Joseph Tein  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 02:41
Member (2009)
Spanish to English
+ ...
I like WordFast Pro Nov 29, 2018

I've been using WordFast Pro for probably 6-7 years and like what it does for me. I'm not familiar with the other two, so can't comment. But there's nothing complicated or unfathomable about it if you put in some effort or time to get to know it.

Jacek Sierakowski
P.L.F. Persio
Wolfgang Schoene
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 10:41
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
@Comunican and @Joseph Nov 29, 2018

Comunican wrote:
Am feeling somewhat lost about which Wordfast platform I should be using for the future...


The Wordfast company produces four CAT tools:
* Wordfast Classic (WFC) (via MS Word, RTF/DOC(X) format)
* Wordfast Anywhere (WFA) (via browser)
* Wordfast Pro 3 (WFP3) (Java-based, TXML format)
* Wordfast Pro 4/5 (WFP5) (Java-based, TXLF format)

They are four separate, independent, different CAT tools, aimed at different markets, workflows or types of translators. If you've been using WFC, and you want to move to another CAT tool, then moving to e.g. WFP5 would be just as much of an inconvenience as moving to e.g. Trados or MemoQ. In fact, moving from WFP 3 to WFP 5 is just as much of a shock as moving from WFP 3 to e.g. Trados or MemoQ. So if WFC no longer suits your needs, you don't have to feel like you're obligated to go for another product produced by the Wordfast company.

(In addition, as you would know as a long-time user of WFC, each major version of WFC drops some features from the previous version in order to make room for new features in the new version, so you should feel free to continue using an older version if the newer version does not support your workflow or your needs.)

Joseph Tein wrote:
I've been using WordFast Pro for probably 6-7 years...


Has it been that long? Wow, we're all getting really old. I checked the archives and yes, WFP started out in about 2008. It was initially branded as "WFP 6" because it was expected to replace "Wordfast 5" (WF5), but in 2009 the name changed to WFP 2.9 and eventually WFP 3. WFP 4/5 was first released in 2014, and was intended to replace WFP 3, but the initial public comments about that version were so negative that the Wordfast company decided to retain WFP 3 as a separate product.


[Edited at 2018-11-29 09:27 GMT]


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:41
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Letting us down Nov 29, 2018

If you're asking "will the manufacturers of hardware and software let us down in future by discontinuing, or disabling, versions of their products on which we had come to depend?" I would reply "yes".

The only way to escape this dependence is to use open-source applications, such as OmegaT, as much as possible.

[Edited at 2018-11-29 10:17 GMT]


 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 10:41
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
@Tom and @Drew Nov 29, 2018

Tom in London wrote:
If you're asking "will the manufacturers of hardware and software let us down in future by discontinuing, or disabling, versions of their products on which we had come to depend?" I would reply "yes".


For some products, "discontinue" means that the product is no longer available. But the most recent versions of all of Wordfast's products are still available (and you can still buy a license for any of them). And if you want to use a different version that is not currently on the Wordfast web site, you can copy it from a friend and legally use it as long as you get a license for it (which you still can).

Drew MacFadyen wrote:
The key difference is that WF Classic works on top of Microsoft Word and requires a Microsoft license.


WFC does not require a Microsoft Office license. You can access all of WFC's features even if you're using a pirated installation of MS Word.


neilmac
 
B D Finch
B D Finch  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 10:41
French to English
+ ...
Cloud concerns Nov 29, 2018

I never investigated Wordfast Anywhere when I made the transition from WFP3 to WFP5. The reason I didn't was that I was concerned about confidentiality in a Cloud-based system. Do people agree that this is a valid concern?

Tom in London
 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:41
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Yes - a very immediate concern Nov 29, 2018

B D Finch wrote:

I never investigated Wordfast Anywhere when I made the transition from WFP3 to WFP5. The reason I didn't was that I was concerned about confidentiality in a Cloud-based system. Do people agree that this is a valid concern?


If you use the Cloud, you have no idea where the servers are. They could be anywhere: Kazakstan, China, India....

Cloud security breaches happen all the time.

One recent example:

"ICO fines Uber £385,000 following its 2016 data breach" http://tinyurl.com/ybxraged

[Edited at 2018-11-29 14:23 GMT]


 
Comunican
Comunican
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:41
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Yes, I need to put the time and effort in ;-) Nov 29, 2018

Joseph Tein wrote: there's nothing complicated or unfathomable about it if you put in some effort or time to get to know it.


I got stuck simply trying to import my existing TMs from WFC - surely that should be an easy intuitive thing?
But yes, I accept that I should read the manual and make the effort. But before doing so I wanted to get some idea of where Wordfast is going with its different platforms - hence the reason for my post.


 
Comunican
Comunican
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:41
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Maybe mix and match Wf's different platforms? Nov 29, 2018

Samuel Murray wrote:
The Wordfast company produces four CAT tools:
* Wordfast Classic (WFC) (via MS Word, RTF/DOC(X) format)
* Wordfast Anywhere (WFA) (via browser)
* Wordfast Pro 3 (WFP3) (Java-based, TXML format)
* Wordfast Pro 4/5 (WFP5) (Java-based, TXLF format)
They are four separate, independent, different CAT tools, aimed at different markets, workflows or types of translators.


Thanks Samuel, I much appreciate that overview, which I'd not previously been aware about.

Out of loyalty, I'd like to stick with Wordfast if possible. Maybe the secret is to use a mix of WFC, WFP5 and WFA...

Seeing as you seem to be quite knowledgeable about tech things, I don't suppose you know of a way of sharing the same TM across the three platforms without having to import/export repeatedly?
Cheers!


 
Comunican
Comunican
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:41
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
No, wasn't asking that Nov 29, 2018

Tom in London wrote:
If you're asking "will the manufacturers of hardware and software let us down in future by discontinuing, or disabling, versions of their products on which we had come to depend?"


Hi Tom
No, I wasn't really asking that really - I just want to decide where to focus as I feel WFC is somewhat dated these days.
Cheers


 
Comunican
Comunican
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:41
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
No pirated copies for me! Nov 29, 2018

Samuel Murray wrote:
You can access all of WFC's features even if you're using a pirated installation of MS Word.


I would never use pirated copies of software, especially not for my professional life (but also not in my personal life either)....
O-)


 
Comunican
Comunican
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:41
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
My research led me to believe that WFA is secure Nov 29, 2018

B D Finch wrote:

I never investigated Wordfast Anywhere when I made the transition from WFP3 to WFP5. The reason I didn't was that I was concerned about confidentiality in a Cloud-based system. Do people agree that this is a valid concern?


My research led me to believe that WFA is secure, and I have a longstanding relationship with Wordfast products, so I believe my trust is well placed.


 
John Di Rico
John Di Rico  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 10:41
Member (2006)
French to English
Accessing TM and glossary from tools Nov 29, 2018

It is quite simple to access your TM from any Wordfast tool. Simply create or upload TMs on WFA. Then connect to them with WFP3, WFP5, WFC or WFA.

Stefan Stefanov
 
Comunican
Comunican
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:41
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Great thanks Nov 29, 2018

John Di Rico wrote:

It is quite simple to access your TM from any Wordfast tool. Simply create or upload TMs on WFA. Then connect to them with WFP3, WFP5, WFC or WFA.


Great, thanks John. Where could I find the details of how to connect via WFC or WFP5, please?


 
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