| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] | Anyone out there who doesn't use a CAT tool... Thread poster: Annika Neudecker
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Jeff Whittaker 
United States
Local time: 04:26
Member (2002)
Spanish to English
+ ...
| To CAT or not to CAT | Aug 18, 2006 |
I do not use CAT tools at this time, but who knows, I may do so in the future.
I once worked for an agency that supplied me with a free version of SDLX to use. I did not have any problem with using this software for their projects because this was somewhat like working in a spreadsheet with the source text on one side and target on the other, but did not see any benefit in using it for my other projects.
I also recently downloaded the TRADOS demo and tried it out, but... See more I do not use CAT tools at this time, but who knows, I may do so in the future.
I once worked for an agency that supplied me with a free version of SDLX to use. I did not have any problem with using this software for their projects because this was somewhat like working in a spreadsheet with the source text on one side and target on the other, but did not see any benefit in using it for my other projects.
I also recently downloaded the TRADOS demo and tried it out, but absolutely hated it. I always print out the source document and do all the terminology research, etc. before I even start typing a job and the idea of having to click on a series of commands after every sentence or paragraph is nonsensical to me.
Most of the work I receive is not in machine-readable format, there are rarely any repetitions and most importantly, I contacted all of the clients and agencies I work for and none of them use CAT tools for their into-English translations.
Bottom line is that your decision to purchase depends on your particular situation. If like me, none of your clients use or require the software, the file formats are incompatible with its use, the projects you receive are of the non-repeating type and/or the software does not support all of your language pairs, then you probably don't need it. In addition, just looking in the TRADOS forum, you will see pages and pages of people having numerous errors and other problems - sometimes at the end of a deadline. Who needs all that trouble? Better to spend more time translating and proofreading than filling up my harddrive with memory files I will never use.
There seem to have been a lot of polls lately regarding the number of people who use CAT tools and/or TRADOS. If you enjoy using CAT tools and they are useful and/or required by your clients, then by all means use them. However, do not be fooled by clever marketing campaigns that attempt to lead you to believe that you cannot be a competent translator or earn a living without one. As for becoming obsolete if you do not use them, I think that in time, they will become easier to use (and hopefully cheaper as well) and less prone to errors.
I think everyone should try them, download the demos and learn what they are all about, so that you can make an educated decision as to whether or not they would be useful to you and so you will not feel so "out of it" and you will know what people are talking about when then mention "segments", "tags", "TM files", etc. However, you certainly do not need this software to get jobs (at least in the U.S.).
[Edited at 2006-08-18 21:38] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Henry Hinds
United States
Local time: 02:26
English to Spanish
+ ...
In memoriam
Never have, never will. I do not see any possible benefit from them at all.
| | | | Balasubramaniam L.
India
Local time: 13:56
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | Don't be mislead by all the negative comments... | Aug 19, 2006 |
... expressed here against CATs. They are just expressions of human nature against any change. We are after all a lazy lot and prefer to continue in our familiar grooves rather than explore new possibilities. That requires the expenditure of energy and effort and ecology teaches us that all living organisms try to conserve energy if they can. We are no different.
But the truth is that CAT tools are productivity enhancing tools and it up to you whether you want to use them or not.... See more ... expressed here against CATs. They are just expressions of human nature against any change. We are after all a lazy lot and prefer to continue in our familiar grooves rather than explore new possibilities. That requires the expenditure of energy and effort and ecology teaches us that all living organisms try to conserve energy if they can. We are no different.
But the truth is that CAT tools are productivity enhancing tools and it up to you whether you want to use them or not.
You can compare them to the first word processing programme that appeared a few decades ago (for me it was WordStar on a DOS platform) I had felt exactly the same way about it then and had thought that the only way to do a good translation was to use a paper and pen with a thick printed dictionary for company! Now can anyone of you imagine a translator's life without Microsoft Word and the Internet?
It will take time for people to get used to CATs. Really good CATs have been on the scene for less than a decade now. (Trados began supporting Hindi only since its version 6.5 that appeared 2 years ago.) So it will take people time to get used to them and to discover their enabling features. Till then you can expect "have-nots" taking the "sour grapes" attitude. They will come around, you can be sure of that. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Irene N
United States
Local time: 03:26
English to Russian
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I have free TRADOS and don't use it. Do I need to say more?
About productivity enhancement...
Not too many of us would argue that in certain fields. This is not what we, the CAT resenters, worry about. Since when speed records and quantitative analysis became the final authority in translation?
[Edited at 2006-08-19 15:16]
[Edited at 2006-08-19 15:17]
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Sophia Hundt (X)
Local time: 03:26
Russian to English
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I don't and I don't feel like I'm missing anything. I choose to work exclusively with literature and articles (and sometimes certificates), and I never used it. I never work with technical text, though, so I don't know if that would help there.
Regards,
Sophia Hundt
| | | | | Opinion of an old-fashioned translator | Aug 19, 2006 |
Yes, I consider myself an old-fashioned translator! I have been in the business now for a long time and of course l started typing my translations, to say nothing of the Internet... Although today I am kind of a computer-freak .
Until several years ago, I had a rather nebulous idea what exactly a CAT-tool was. Anyway, I thought that I would never ever use a thing like that.
However, as I am a curious pe... See more Yes, I consider myself an old-fashioned translator! I have been in the business now for a long time and of course l started typing my translations, to say nothing of the Internet... Although today I am kind of a computer-freak.
Until several years ago, I had a rather nebulous idea what exactly a CAT-tool was. Anyway, I thought that I would never ever use a thing like that.
However, as I am a curious person, I just wanted to try and see what it was like. So I installed Wordfast (it is free until a certain amount of TUs and it's supposed to be very user-friendly) about two years ago.
Well, I didn't find it difficult at all and since then I have bought my licence, but have most of the time used it for my own purposes, and I never have been requested to give discounts which I would not know whether I would agree to.
I must say that I am very happy with it (I work in the technical field): I never miss a sentence, I don't need to print out the original (although for complicated textes I still do), I find always, when looking for a word in my computer, both source and target text together, and altogether, it's not as terrible as it seemed and it has simplified my job. ▲ Collapse
| | | | lexical
Spain
Local time: 10:26
Portuguese to English
| swings and roundabouts | Sep 18, 2006 |
I would never criticise anyone for not using a CAT tool - the arguments about breaking the flow of well-written texts are entirely valid. Fortunately, I specialise in contracts and technical texts where style is a minor consideration.
I tend to use Trados for most texts because of the convenience in revising - better than viewing two documents in separate windows, in my view. With technical and contractual texts the Concordance function is a boon for retaining consistency of termino... See more I would never criticise anyone for not using a CAT tool - the arguments about breaking the flow of well-written texts are entirely valid. Fortunately, I specialise in contracts and technical texts where style is a minor consideration.
I tend to use Trados for most texts because of the convenience in revising - better than viewing two documents in separate windows, in my view. With technical and contractual texts the Concordance function is a boon for retaining consistency of terminology.
When I have a literary or academic text, I read it again after cleaning up and correct it for style, though it's time consuming.
Incidentally, I do know a translator who still works on a wood-fired, sit-up-and-beg manual typewriter. When challenged about revising and modifying drafts, he simply says "Well, you should get it right first time round"! Out-Ludditing the Luddites, I think! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Thanks, everybody :-) | Sep 22, 2006 |
I just wanted to say thanks to all of you! Great input!
Annika
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