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Poll: User-friendly and Competitive on the market: which CAT Tool is the best choice?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Feb 23, 2016

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "User-friendly and Competitive on the market: which CAT Tool is the best choice?".

This poll was originally submitted by Ketty Federico. View the poll results »



 
Ed Ashley
Ed Ashley  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:44
French to English
+ ...
Has anybody tried all of them? Feb 23, 2016

A bit difficult to give a fully informed opinion otherwise!

[Edited at 2016-02-23 08:15 GMT]

[Edited at 2016-02-23 08:15 GMT]


 
Mike Sadler (X)
Mike Sadler (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:44
Spanish to English
+ ...
I wish I knew Feb 23, 2016

I plumped for Trados a few years ago as it was what was most demanded by agencies. Since then I've stopped working for agencies that demand CAT tools, but I've stuck with Trados as it's the only tool I know and it does improve my productivity, even though it is crash-prone and opaque.
I would really like to see a side-by-side comparison of the main contenders, but I've not found one yet, as if there were a clear leader, I'd switch to it.


 
Michael Harris
Michael Harris  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 11:44
Member (2006)
German to English
Other Feb 23, 2016

My preference is completely different to someone elses choice.

I have actually gone through the most of them, but have narrowed myself to Trados and Across because most of my customrs use them and they are easy to use, especially after using them for many years.
Transit is not bad, but the licence is a pain in the neck and almost nobody uses it??

I do not like MemoQ at all - personnaly.


 
Julian Holmes
Julian Holmes  Identity Verified
Japan
Local time: 19:44
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
Trados Feb 23, 2016

Because it's the only one I've been asked to use here in Japan. So, that's how I've answered - I've never used others to be able to compare 'friendliness' (fiendliness?).

The question excludes those who don't use CAT tools. How about an option for them?

Added an extra sentence

[Edited at 2016-02-23 13:31 GMT]


 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 10:44
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other Feb 23, 2016

Thanks Julian for thinking about those, like me, who don't use CAT tools.

 
Giuseppina Gatta, MA (Hons)
Giuseppina Gatta, MA (Hons)
English to Italian
+ ...
Deja Vu Feb 23, 2016

Trados has a better marketing department, but the best CAT tools (and I've tried at least 10) is definitely DejaVu.

Across wins for being the worst one (even if it's free)


 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 11:44
Spanish to English
+ ...
Wordfast Feb 23, 2016

After having a go with the big T, I decided I really didn't like anything about this expensive, "crash-prone and opaque" behemoth. After a while, someone told me about Wordfast, I tried out the Classic version, and have been using it ever since. It does everything I want or need it to, and you can learn the basics really quickly,something that you can't say about the mighty market leader.

I also tried out Déjà Vu at the behest of an agency, but I didn't really like the side-by-sid
... See more
After having a go with the big T, I decided I really didn't like anything about this expensive, "crash-prone and opaque" behemoth. After a while, someone told me about Wordfast, I tried out the Classic version, and have been using it ever since. It does everything I want or need it to, and you can learn the basics really quickly,something that you can't say about the mighty market leader.

I also tried out Déjà Vu at the behest of an agency, but I didn't really like the side-by-side column interface, because I'm used to my WF Classic now. I'm not so keen on the WF Pro or Anywhere versions, as I don't see them as providing me with anything I don't already get from Classic.
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Yasutomo Kanazawa
Yasutomo Kanazawa  Identity Verified
Japan
Local time: 19:44
Member (2005)
English to Japanese
+ ...
Other Feb 23, 2016

None.

 
Jon Hedemann
Jon Hedemann  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 11:44
English to Danish
+ ...
Other...? Feb 23, 2016

What is this 'Other' CAT software, I wonder...? It is probably a sign of those 48% (or so) of Proz.com users, who still don't use CAT software (which is baffling/appalling, in my humble opinion).

However, if not, and you are referring to a CAT software product that I am not aware of, please do us the courtesy of indicated which CAT software you are referring to in this thread.

Thank you.


 
Josef Šoltes
Josef Šoltes  Identity Verified
Czech Republic
Local time: 11:44
English to Czech
All of them are good for something Feb 23, 2016

I use old Trados 2007, new Studio 2015, Wordfast, MemoQ and a few others little more obscure CAT tools (those very occasionally, as customer demands) and have to say, every tool has something. MemoQ is quite good for dealing with text containing numbers (segments which differ just by numbers, even connected to text). Studio is in my case. the tool with the best productivity. Wordfast is easy, simple to use tool with online TMs...

 
DianeGM
DianeGM  Identity Verified
Local time: 12:44
Member (2006)
Dutch to English
+ ...
Other N/A Feb 23, 2016

= no idea.
I've only used two of the tools and I prefer one of those.
I have one major client who insists on the other one and so I have and use that too, but it wouldn't be my first choice.
I invested in my CAT tools when the market was much smaller, one of the tools was originally freeware.

@ Jon Hedemann - I am not Luddite or anything - but I don't use a CAT for all my work - this is changing slowly, but very slowly. I handle a large volume of medical translatio
... See more
= no idea.
I've only used two of the tools and I prefer one of those.
I have one major client who insists on the other one and so I have and use that too, but it wouldn't be my first choice.
I invested in my CAT tools when the market was much smaller, one of the tools was originally freeware.

@ Jon Hedemann - I am not Luddite or anything - but I don't use a CAT for all my work - this is changing slowly, but very slowly. I handle a large volume of medical translation which still arrives as handwritten scanned pdfs. No CAT tool I know of can offer me anything there.
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Gianluca Marras
Gianluca Marras  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 11:44
English to Italian
An idea... Feb 23, 2016

I voted Wordfast and the reasons are:

-It can be used on a PC and on a MAC (without parallels or other stuff)
-Price
-user-friendly
-good and useful features

Then, it is obvious that everybody has his/her own preferred CAT tool.
Trados seems to be the only CAT tool needed to find jobs... but sorry I will never follow marketing criteria and above all I will never instal windows on my MAC!!...
See more
I voted Wordfast and the reasons are:

-It can be used on a PC and on a MAC (without parallels or other stuff)
-Price
-user-friendly
-good and useful features

Then, it is obvious that everybody has his/her own preferred CAT tool.
Trados seems to be the only CAT tool needed to find jobs... but sorry I will never follow marketing criteria and above all I will never instal windows on my MAC!!

Wordfast in my case suits my needs perfectly and at a reasonable price.
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Jessica Noyes
Jessica Noyes  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:44
Member
Spanish to English
+ ...
Other CAT tool Feb 23, 2016

@ Jon: CafeTran Espresso

 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 11:44
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
Don't know, but I prefer Trados Feb 23, 2016

I do know there is a steep learning curve, even steeper than when I was dragged into using Trados 3 or thereabouts, by my employer. A lot has happened since then - dongles and Java are history, and there really are a lot of smart features in the latest version of Studio, which you can use or ignore as appropriate. It is stable on my system and suits me fine.

My knowledge of other CATS is limited, but I have simply refused to work with one or two online systems because they were a pa
... See more
I do know there is a steep learning curve, even steeper than when I was dragged into using Trados 3 or thereabouts, by my employer. A lot has happened since then - dongles and Java are history, and there really are a lot of smart features in the latest version of Studio, which you can use or ignore as appropriate. It is stable on my system and suits me fine.

My knowledge of other CATS is limited, but I have simply refused to work with one or two online systems because they were a pain and lacked all the features that make a CAT an advantage for me (and other translators).

If you can't enter long strings in the glossary, so they are entered at a couple of strokes, and build up a memory to keep for yourself and FIND THINGS in it, then the CAT is only working for the agency, not for you.

Trados sells well, and the best agencies I work with use it so that we both benefit from it.

Competitive on the market?
Trados may not be the cheapest, but IMHO you get value for money, and that is always a good sales argument. It does actually seem to keep going, even in competition with the ones that give some kind of value for free.
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Poll: User-friendly and Competitive on the market: which CAT Tool is the best choice?






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