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Working without CAT tools?
Thread poster: Sissel Louise Kalleklev
Dominique Cook
Dominique Cook  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:03
Member (2020)
English to French
+ ...
using or not using a CAT tool Jan 13, 2020

I resisted using any CAT tools for many years, I then got two of them and thanks to that I gained two regular agencies who work almost always with those tools, namely Trados and Déjà Vu. However, with a lot of customers, agencies or direct, I don't use them, if fact some don't want them to be used. Both of these are easy to use.

Laurent Mercky
 
Robert Rietvelt
Robert Rietvelt  Identity Verified
Local time: 16:03
Member (2006)
Spanish to Dutch
+ ...
I use my CAT mainly as .... Jan 13, 2020

... a dictionary! Especially when I am working on (german) technical texts with weird terminology, so I don't have to invent the wheel all over again. Furthermore, CAT's come in handy by issues with consistency and repetitions.

Anyhow, with or without a CAT-tool, it is still me who is doing the translation.

[Edited at 2020-01-13 13:06 GMT]

[Edited at 2020-01-13 13:26 GMT]


Sheila Wilson
Christine Andersen
 
Multiverse Solutions s.r.o. (X)
Multiverse Solutions s.r.o. (X)
Local time: 16:03
Polish to English
+ ...
Depends what you count for Jan 17, 2020

If you translate for business, money earned per hour is a nice measure of performance. Some texts are perfect for a quick and easy Word run. For other, nothing compares with direct dictation. And there are those for which CAT is the only reasonable approach. All this applies to text-only work.

For a full-scale business, you will probably need (over time) a bunch of other programs for editing, converting and processing purposes.

So it is not a matter of what to have, but
... See more
If you translate for business, money earned per hour is a nice measure of performance. Some texts are perfect for a quick and easy Word run. For other, nothing compares with direct dictation. And there are those for which CAT is the only reasonable approach. All this applies to text-only work.

For a full-scale business, you will probably need (over time) a bunch of other programs for editing, converting and processing purposes.

So it is not a matter of what to have, but rather a question of what you need. And if you really need it - or it is just a one-off job.

Learning to use the software is far more important than using it occasionally.

And there are other factors that contribute to translation performance, like hardware setup, system configuration, typing skills, or workplace ergonomics.

Add to this human performance - your general knowledge, areas of special interest, readiness to learn, mental flexibility, coping with stress, time planning and job organisation skills, etc.

And if you opt for CAT, the program alone is practically useless without professional, top-class glossaries. And these are best developed by yourself (= lots of time) or bought.

So the CAT tool alone is just a tiny part of the translation process.
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