| Páginas sobre el tema: [1 2] > | Poll: If a CAT tool has increased your revenues, it is because... Autor de la hebra: ProZ.com Staff
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| | | Where did this idea come from? | Sep 6, 2016 |
I believe this person who thought of this poll has never used a CAT tool because a CAT tool would NEVER increase one's revenues but is quite the opposite.
| | | | neilmac
España
Local time: 09:21
español al inglés
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I find the obsession with "more, more, more" expressed by the tiresome notion of "increasing revenues" distasteful. Not all translators are struggling or grasping; some of us are content with the amount of work/clients/income we have.
PS: Questions like this always seem to assume that if one is successful it is by design. On the contrary, I have no idea how I ended up with my current client portfolio, other than by word-of-mouth recommendation from satisfied customers. I certainly d... See more I find the obsession with "more, more, more" expressed by the tiresome notion of "increasing revenues" distasteful. Not all translators are struggling or grasping; some of us are content with the amount of work/clients/income we have.
PS: Questions like this always seem to assume that if one is successful it is by design. On the contrary, I have no idea how I ended up with my current client portfolio, other than by word-of-mouth recommendation from satisfied customers. I certainly didn't set out with a scheme or plan, which, as the bard reminds us, "gang aft agley".
[Edited at 2016-09-06 08:38 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | EvaVer (X) 
Local time: 09:21
checo al francés
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that some clients require the use of a CAT tool, so yes, I couldn't work for certain clients without one.
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Michael Harris
Alemania
Local time: 09:21
Miembro 2006
alemán al inglés
Yasutomo Kanazawa wrote:
I believe this person who thought of this poll has never used a CAT tool because a CAT tool would NEVER increase one's revenues but is quite the opposite.
That is not quite true. In some cases customers are not aware how CAT tools work and if I get a translation with 50% 100% matches that are paid to 100% (which is not the norm!!!) then I increase my revenue - do you use a CAT tool?
I am quite content with the work / customers that I have which does not mean that I push in more than I can handle, but the CAT tool has increase my efficiency and I would definately not be earning what I do if I did not use a CAT tool.
This would obviously be a different case for those where using a CAT tool is not any use....
[Edited at 2016-09-06 14:49 GMT]
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Because I get the work done faster.
(I should add: I use CAT for my convenience, not for the customer's; I don't charge less for matches)
[Edited at 2016-09-06 09:56 GMT]
| | | | Chié_JP
Japón
Local time: 16:21
Miembro 2013
inglés al japonés
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| CAT tool can reduce time but increase our workload. | Sep 6, 2016 |
CAT tool can reduce rate but also increase workload. Wish they can spare me some tag spree! I have never seen a CAT tool that can always reduce tasks instead of increasing.
We pay for them and got rate - cut so sometimes I wonder what is going on.
Someone said translators need to buy an espresso machine on their own just in order to buy a cup of coffee at kiosk every morning...
Yasutomo Kanazawa wrote:
I believe this person who thought of this poll has never used a CAT tool because a CAT tool would NEVER increase one's revenues but is quite the opposite.
| | | | | I don't use CAT tools! | Sep 6, 2016 |
I’m one of those translators that are on their way to extinction, also known in the trade as dinosaurs, because I don’t use CAT tools. In general, the type of work I do is neither very technical nor repetitive, with one exception: I have a long-standing customer for whom I have been translating medical devices certifications and, though these tend to be very similar, I don’t need to spend money on a CAT tool just to change a date or a name. Anyway, call me old-fashioned, but I’ve always ... See more I’m one of those translators that are on their way to extinction, also known in the trade as dinosaurs, because I don’t use CAT tools. In general, the type of work I do is neither very technical nor repetitive, with one exception: I have a long-standing customer for whom I have been translating medical devices certifications and, though these tend to be very similar, I don’t need to spend money on a CAT tool just to change a date or a name. Anyway, call me old-fashioned, but I’ve always approached my craft more as an artisan… ▲ Collapse
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Ana Vozone
Local time: 08:21
Miembro 2010
inglés al portugués
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| Other, including peace of mind... | Sep 6, 2016 |
I have used CAT tools (Trados initially, now Studio as well, and Wordbee) for many years now.
I find that the basic Trados help(ed)(s) me immensely, as it shows sentences one by one, neatly, so it immediately decreases the chance of skipping sentences or paragraphs. For this feature alone, CAT tools are a plus.
The basic Trados (and, of course, the more sophisticated Studio) has the WinAlign feature, which lets you create memories and, therefore, create a terminology so... See more I have used CAT tools (Trados initially, now Studio as well, and Wordbee) for many years now.
I find that the basic Trados help(ed)(s) me immensely, as it shows sentences one by one, neatly, so it immediately decreases the chance of skipping sentences or paragraphs. For this feature alone, CAT tools are a plus.
The basic Trados (and, of course, the more sophisticated Studio) has the WinAlign feature, which lets you create memories and, therefore, create a terminology source. This is a fantastic feature as well.
I have clients that only work with me because I have CAT tools. That is a plus too, so I get more clients because of CAT tools. More clients, more revenue and certainly more choice.
I know I work faster because of CAT tools and always use Trados, even if the client does not require that I do.
So, CAT tools have increased my revenue, because they allow me to work faster and to have more clients. ▲ Collapse
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It is quite difficult to calculate any increase in revenue directly imputable to the CAT tools. I can tell my impression though. With all the time I have lost because of CAT tools in general in 10 years, I would say that my impression is that they did not help increase my revenue in terms of making me work faster.
| | | | | I can sometimes be more productive | Sep 6, 2016 |
That gives a higher rate per hour, but I imagine the poll is referring to rate per word (?) so I answered "other"".
I never let clients tell me what discounts to give them (that's just absurd in my book) and to be honest I use my CAT mostly for QA, the glossaries and concordance searches. But occasionally I have a client who comes up with very similar texts time and time again. I have one at the moment and I charged 100% at first but now that my TM is proving extremely useful I offe... See more That gives a higher rate per hour, but I imagine the poll is referring to rate per word (?) so I answered "other"".
I never let clients tell me what discounts to give them (that's just absurd in my book) and to be honest I use my CAT mostly for QA, the glossaries and concordance searches. But occasionally I have a client who comes up with very similar texts time and time again. I have one at the moment and I charged 100% at first but now that my TM is proving extremely useful I offer a discount. His invoice states the full rate for the job, with a second line giving a negative amount. It's calculated from a 50% discount on reps/100%s and 25% on 85+% fuzzies. I don't go into that detail with him though. I just tell him the truth: we're sharing the benefits of my CAT tool. Hopefully he'll think twice about going elsewhere, and I'll keep earning well from a good client. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Maybe so, but there are conditions. | Sep 6, 2016 |
Michael Harris wrote: Yasutomo Kanazawa wrote:
I believe this person who thought of this poll has never used a CAT tool because a CAT tool would NEVER increase one's revenues but is quite the opposite. That is not quite true. In some cases customers are not aware how CAT tools work and if I get a translation with 50% 100% matches that are paid to 100% (which is not the norm!!!) then I increase my revenue - do you use a CAT tool? I am quite content with the work / customers that I have which does not mean that I push in more than I can handle, but the CAT tool has increase my efficiency and I would definately not be earning what I do if I did not use a CAT tool. This would obviously be a different case for those where using a CAT tool is not any use.... [Edited at 2016-09-06 09:30 GMT]
Only in some cases where an agency is not involved (direct clients). Yes I do have and use a CAT tool, so I know how it works.
Like you mentioned above, there are certain conditions to be met in order to boost your revenues.
But most of the time, use of a CAT tool forces you to negotiate with your clients regarding "Trados breakdowns", a term which most translators hate to hear or see.
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Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 03:21
inglés al español
+ ...
If you believe using a CAT tool (or any software tool) has increased your revenues, you are either a salesman or a misinformed and gullible person.
Software companies thrive because they keep selling the same software program, only with more bells and whistles with each new version. Most of us have experienced this. A run-of-the-mill word processor, such as WordPerfect or Word, should be sufficient to write any document with just enough formatting. But, no, software companies have t... See more If you believe using a CAT tool (or any software tool) has increased your revenues, you are either a salesman or a misinformed and gullible person.
Software companies thrive because they keep selling the same software program, only with more bells and whistles with each new version. Most of us have experienced this. A run-of-the-mill word processor, such as WordPerfect or Word, should be sufficient to write any document with just enough formatting. But, no, software companies have to add more stuff to it.
Speaking of CAT tools, I believe they reached their peak years ago. In other words, even incremental improvements are insignificant to a translator. I've been using Trados and Dejà Vú since 1998 and 1999, respectively, and I've seen how they've improved. But beyond a certain point, so-called improvements are meaningless. In fact, some new features require you to do more clicks, which is the opposite of being “productive.”
Like Neillmac, I find this obsession with speed, productivity and increased revenues or sales by means of using a tool, feline or otherwise, quite distasteful and a waste of time.
Maybe the poll author is trying to convince himself that he needs a newer or shinier CAT tool to be more marketable or to become a better translator. I said it before: if you don't excel at writing, you have no business being a translator. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Julian Holmes
Japón
Local time: 16:21
Miembro 2011
japonés al inglés
This may be true up to a point, but increased revenue comes at a cost. Like that? 
I prefer to use CAT tools since they offer me big features that ensure that I can get a better job done by ensuring accuracy and consistency in big files and across various files that comprise a big project. Use of CAT tools is the norm in technical translation. Period!
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 03:21
inglés al español
+ ...
| The CAT tool's meow | Sep 6, 2016 |
Julian Holmes wrote: This may be true up to a point, but increased revenue comes at a cost. Like that? I prefer to use CAT tools since they offer me big features that ensure that I can get a better job done by ensuring accuracy and consistency in big files and across various files that comprise a big project. Use of CAT tools is the norm in technical translation. Period!
You sound like you took too much coffee today, heheh.
Far be it from me to be an either-or kind of guy. Some software programs are a necessity. For example, I may be a well-trained technical writer, steeped in all the do's and dont's of writing manuals, but the marketplace (i.e. clients, colleagues, etc.) will ask me to produce documents using AuthorIt, MadCap or some other software package.
I tread carefully around the word “consistency” in translation, which has become a buzzword among software salespeople, translators and terminologists. Just sayin'
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