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Poll: How dependent are you on CAT tools?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
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Dec 17, 2014

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How dependent are you on CAT tools?".

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Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
The question doesn't match the answers Dec 17, 2014

I use Wordfast most of the time but I am in no way dependent on it.

I have now tried Studio 2014 and it's better than it used to be but it still makes you do extra things you don't want or need to do. You'd have thought translation software would be geared towards the needs of, um, translators, but no.


 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 22:43
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other Dec 17, 2014

I’m not at all CAT tool dependent! I’m pretty sure that I'm dependent on coffee in the sense that I drink it every day and that I'd hate to give it up…By the way, it’s time for an espresso, what else?

 
Mike Sadler (X)
Mike Sadler (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:43
Spanish to English
+ ...
Studio drives me mad but I wouldn't be without it Dec 17, 2014

There is so much I really dislike about Trados software, but it also massively increases my productivity, hence earnings.
I feel a bit like I'm caught in a trap of my own making as I have invested so much time in learning how to use the software that I am reluctant to switch to anything else, even though what I've got is so fragile and unreliable.


 
Tim Drayton
Tim Drayton  Identity Verified
Cyprus
Local time: 00:43
Turkish to English
+ ...
I use them rarely/never Dec 17, 2014

Never. I have a pretty good translation memory inside my skull.

 
José Henrique Lamensdorf
José Henrique Lamensdorf  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 19:43
English to Portuguese
+ ...
In memoriam
Non sequitur Dec 17, 2014

Chris S wrote:

I use Wordfast most of the time but I am in no way dependent on it.


Definitely!

I use WordFast Classic most of the time, because it preserves formatting in MS Word. Anyone who has ever used a decent DTP app (or even a decent word processor) knows that proper formatting in Word is an uphill battle (often on slippery ground).

Most of my jobs have less than 5% repeats, and NO fuzzy matches. If the number of repeated segments is higher, I simply don't charge for them, they are no-brainers.

However I am not at all dependent on CAT tools. Evidence of that is that I delete all my TMs after use, unless it's a recurring client that demands consistency over time.

The kind of "dependency" i see being asked here is the same I've seen in many drivers who are truly dependent on automatic transmission. They wouldn't be able to use a stickshift & clutch to move a vehicle out of a driveway.


 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 23:43
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
Me too Dec 17, 2014

I use my CAT as much as possible, and quite like it.

But if the client sends me a 'dead' PDF or a handwritten text, then provided I can read it, I simply translate without the CAT.

It's a tool. It has its uses. But I am the translator.

Sometimes I think people are getting dependent in an addictive way to CATs, TMs and mechanised aids. There are some things in industry that machines do better than humans, especially when it comes to highly repetitive precis
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I use my CAT as much as possible, and quite like it.

But if the client sends me a 'dead' PDF or a handwritten text, then provided I can read it, I simply translate without the CAT.

It's a tool. It has its uses. But I am the translator.

Sometimes I think people are getting dependent in an addictive way to CATs, TMs and mechanised aids. There are some things in industry that machines do better than humans, especially when it comes to highly repetitive precision work.

Translation is not nearly as repetitive as many people imagine, and while consistency is a good thing, repetitions should always be checked in context.

That is what humans do far better than computers. We do not simply weigh up the odds. We react to the situation as well as the words: person, tone of voice, body language, or all sorts of things we can 'read between the lines' of a text, which a computer cannot.

I would hate to be without a lot of my dictionaries and resources - that is why I spend good money on them. But I am more dependent on the Internet to deliver my texts and keep in contact with clients. I can do without any of the others if I have to.
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Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Yetta Jensen Bogarde  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 23:43
Member (2012)
English to Danish
+ ...
I use Wordfast Pro most of the time Dec 17, 2014

and I really appreciate it a lot - as mentioned before, not least for the automatic formating.

But dependence is not the right word; of course we can do without it if necessary, but why should we?

[Edited at 2014-12-17 10:34 GMT]


 
Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 23:43
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Most of the time Dec 17, 2014

Yetta J Bogarde wrote:

and I really appreciate it a lot - as mentioned before, not least for the automatic formating.

But dependence is not the right word; of course we can do without it if necessary, but why should we?

[Edited at 2014-12-17 10:34 GMT]


I agree with Yetta. It makes work a lot easier, especially the formatting. The only time I don't use WordFast Pro is for some of the creative work.


 
564354352 (X)
564354352 (X)  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 23:43
Danish to English
+ ...
Not in the least dependent Dec 17, 2014

But I work with Studio 2014 on practically all my translations...

It's just a tool, though, I am quite capable of translating WITHOUT a CAT tool.


 
Maxi Schwarz
Maxi Schwarz  Identity Verified
Local time: 17:43
German to English
+ ...
Don't have - don't use Dec 17, 2014

That option was entirely absent in the poll. The alternative of "rarely / never" distorts the issue, because if one rarely or never uses them, one presumably would still have one.

Were the nature of my work to change, I would also change how I work, including using a CAT tool. Some new variants have been brought out that interest me, since they may in fact meet my needs.


 
Anthony Baldwin
Anthony Baldwin  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 18:43
Portuguese to English
+ ...
WI use mine whenever possible Dec 17, 2014

Basically, anything that I can run through OmegaT, I do, often for the simple fact that it spits out a target file that looks like (is formatted according to) the source file, generally without any further effort on my part whatsoever, if not for the automatic translation of repetitions and other features.
Honestly, I rarely find myself using the glossaries and other terminology management facets of anything. TMs are moderately useful, as is
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Basically, anything that I can run through OmegaT, I do, often for the simple fact that it spits out a target file that looks like (is formatted according to) the source file, generally without any further effort on my part whatsoever, if not for the automatic translation of repetitions and other features.
Honestly, I rarely find myself using the glossaries and other terminology management facets of anything. TMs are moderately useful, as is the built-in MT option. But my favorite part is the creation of an identical target document, while allowing me to translate without having to even look at, much less worry about, formatting the darned thing.

edit:
It should be said, however, that I'm perfectly capable of formatting documents, doing extensive DTP, etc., just, it's tedious and time consuming, and if I can avoid it, I do.
Clearly, when I receive PDF files from scanned documents that are not editable or OCR-able, I reconstruct those documents by hand as I translate them, so I'm not literally (in the literal sense of that word) dependent upon the CAT software, but I sure do depend on it, frequently.

[Edited at 2014-12-17 13:36 GMT]
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Eleonora Chyc
Eleonora Chyc  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:43
Russian to Ukrainian
+ ...
Other - N/A Dec 17, 2014

I don't use any CATs as I am mostly busy with interpreting,but following different and quite informative fora on Proz,I might use them in the future.

Off-topic : Thank you very much,my dear fellow linguists,for your inspiration on my way to the top (hopefully)of the profession! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Happy Hanukkah!All the best for everybody!


 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 22:43
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
CAT-dependent? No way! Feline-dependent, maybe :) Dec 17, 2014

José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:

Chris S wrote:

I use Wordfast most of the time but I am in no way dependent on it.


Definitely!

I use WordFast Classic most of the time, because it preserves formatting in MS Word.

That, plus the glossaries, plus the concordance searches, plus the various QC functions.

Dependent means "requiring someone or something for financial or other support". How can you call yourself a translator if you're dependent on a computer tool?


 
Valentina Margaria
Valentina Margaria  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 23:43
English to Italian
+ ...
Never without CAT tool! Dec 17, 2014

I always use CAT tools. For technical translation, user manuals and market research they are very very useful.

 
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