| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Trados: is it worth it? Thread poster: Márcia Francisco
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I have recently started working as a freelance translator. Fortunately, most companies have made CAT Tools licenses available. However, there are companies that do not have these licenses and require the software. I have received a long-term offer from one, but they require SDL Studio.
I have been trying to figure out if it is worth it and what exactly is required to be able to work: the purchase of the software, the annual subscription, and still other tools...?
I would appr... See more I have recently started working as a freelance translator. Fortunately, most companies have made CAT Tools licenses available. However, there are companies that do not have these licenses and require the software. I have received a long-term offer from one, but they require SDL Studio.
I have been trying to figure out if it is worth it and what exactly is required to be able to work: the purchase of the software, the annual subscription, and still other tools...?
I would appreciate to know about your experience.
Thank you very much and have a good year! ▲ Collapse
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There is a 30-day free trial. Why not give it a go?
That way, you can judge for yourself if it suits your specific needs.
| | | | Samuel Murray 
Netherlands
Local time: 12:26
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Márcia Filipa wrote:
Fortunately, most companies have made CAT Tools licenses available. However, there are companies that do not have these licenses and require the software.
Not all CAT tools have such shareable licenses. As far a I know, Trados doesn't have it -- you have to buy Trados yourself. I may be wrong, but I don't think an agency can give you a temporary Trados license.
I have been trying to figure out if it is worth [buying Trados] and what exactly is required to be able to work...
It's a single purchase, and your license is valid forever, for that particular version.
The various versions of Trados tend to be compatible with each other, so you should be able to use the current version for 5-7 years without buying a newer version. You are always able to download the version that you purchased, even when newer versions become available. If you get a new computer, you can deregister it on the old computer and re-register it on the new computer (as often as you like).
[Added for clarification about the indefiniteness of the license: when a new version becomes available, users of the older versions can buy the new version at a discount of about 60%, but then you can no longer use the older version.]
Officially, Trados costs about USD 850, but they never charge that price (they always give a bit of a discount). The current discount offer (until 31 December, so hurry up) is quite good: you can get Trados for USD 460. The product you're looking for is called "Trados Studio 2021 Freelance". If you have USD 100 extra, get the "Freelance Plus" license, which allows you to install it on two computers simultaneously.
https://www.trados.com/store/
Theoretically, you can also get a Trados subscription instead of buying Trados outright. For the full version, it's about USD 350 per year, and then there is the "Starter" version, which is about USD 135 per year. The Starter version doesn't have all the features, though, and some of those features may be required by your clients, so generally neither of the subscription models are worth your while.
[Edited at 2021-12-30 07:52 GMT]
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 12:26
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Márcia Filipa wrote:
I have received a long-term offer from one, but they require SDL Studio.
How certain are you that the agency will give you the work if you buy Trados? The contracts that we have with agencies are "as and when" types of contracts, whereby neither party is required to provide a certain minimum amount of work.
In agency land, "long-term cooperation" is often code for "we want your lowest rate" and doesn't actually say anything about the length of the commitment. Indeed, sometimes "long-term cooperation" is code for "we want your name on our list but we don't actually have any work for you right now".
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achisholm
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:26
Italian to English
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| Try the trial period but ..... | Dec 29, 2021 |
You can ge a free 30 day trial of Trados (as someone mentioned earlier) and so why not try that.
But I have noticed that some agencies are using other CAT tools; WordFast, Memsource etc are seeing greater use, and there are also some agencies that produce their own CAT software. Most of the in-house software produced is rubbish and not worth the time, but it's a factor you have to consider when making the investment.
Try the Trados trial, and if it appears to be getting... See more You can ge a free 30 day trial of Trados (as someone mentioned earlier) and so why not try that.
But I have noticed that some agencies are using other CAT tools; WordFast, Memsource etc are seeing greater use, and there are also some agencies that produce their own CAT software. Most of the in-house software produced is rubbish and not worth the time, but it's a factor you have to consider when making the investment.
Try the Trados trial, and if it appears to be getting you work, then consider buying. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Stepan Konev
Russian Federation
Local time: 13:26
English to Russian
| In Russia, Trados costs $400 | Dec 29, 2021 |
However I bought Trados 10 years ago. Since that time I only buy upgrades. An average cost of upgrade in Russia is about $150. With my rate $20 per hour (or 250 words), it takes only 8 work hours to buy an upgrade (!8 hours vs 2-year upgrade intervals!) or 20 hours to buy a new copy of Trados from scratch. As far as I know, translators in Europe and US consider $0.08 per word to be a low rate. Which means that they need even less work time to buy Trados. A couple of 8-hour workdays maybe? But th... See more However I bought Trados 10 years ago. Since that time I only buy upgrades. An average cost of upgrade in Russia is about $150. With my rate $20 per hour (or 250 words), it takes only 8 work hours to buy an upgrade (!8 hours vs 2-year upgrade intervals!) or 20 hours to buy a new copy of Trados from scratch. As far as I know, translators in Europe and US consider $0.08 per word to be a low rate. Which means that they need even less work time to buy Trados. A couple of 8-hour workdays maybe? But they say Trados is overexpensive. Are they kidding? I don't know...
But I agree with Jean Dimitriadis. Just download a demo.
[Edited at 2021-12-29 18:29 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Joakim Braun
Sweden
Local time: 12:26
German to Swedish
+ ...
Is it worth it? Yes. It's good to get acquainted with software that so many people in the industry are using, and the cost is really quite minor in a professional perspective. Also, you don't need a subscription, that's good.
Is Trados rock-solid "pro" software, programmed to a high quality standard, with a cutting edge UI and that smooth, unobtrusive, enjoyable user experience? Hell, no. Just read the forum posts here...
| | | | Recep Kurt
Türkiye
Local time: 13:26
Member (2011)
English to Turkish
+ ...
It is worth it for me...
[Edited at 2021-12-29 20:57 GMT]
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Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 12:26
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Stepan Konev wrote:
In Russia, Trados costs $400.
Yes, some countries have an in-country representative (a reseller) who can get you country-related discounts on the normal price, and sometimes even more than that during special promotions. However, I suspect the larger discounts are mainly for non-Western countries.
Either way, Márcia, try phoning Portugal's reseller, Joao and asking them what price they can offer you.
[Edited at 2021-12-29 22:00 GMT]
| | | | | I think it is worth it | Dec 29, 2021 |
I have used Trados - with a subscription - for more than 20 years. Until now, every new version has brought improvements, and occasionally I have been very grateful for the fast and effective help with bugs, which does not cost extra once the subscription is paid. It also includes all updates and service packs, so if you can afford the subscription, it is the cheapest way to get the full package.
However, I am still using the 2019 version, even though I could update to the 2021 vers... See more I have used Trados - with a subscription - for more than 20 years. Until now, every new version has brought improvements, and occasionally I have been very grateful for the fast and effective help with bugs, which does not cost extra once the subscription is paid. It also includes all updates and service packs, so if you can afford the subscription, it is the cheapest way to get the full package.
However, I am still using the 2019 version, even though I could update to the 2021 version - I am not sure why I have not taken the time to update, but this year I always seem to be in the middle of a job! Trados seems to have reached a point where it is hard to find new features that I really need, and as Samuel Murray says, once installed, the version you have will work indefinitely.
Joakim Braun wrote:
Is it worth it? Yes. It's good to get acquainted with software that so many people in the industry are using, and the cost is really quite minor in a professional perspective. Also, you don't need a subscription, that's good.
Is Trados rock-solid "pro" software, programmed to a high quality standard, with a cutting edge UI and that smooth, unobtrusive, enjoyable user experience? Hell, no. Just read the forum posts here...
I would comment that reading the forum posts here is like looking at a car repair workshop while most of the traffic is out on the road, running without problems.
I have had problems, especially with Studio 2009 and 2011, but I have not needed help every year, more like once in three or four years, and some of the problems were quite small, solved with a couple of e-mails.
My advice would be to try the free version and really spend time looking at the features and getting to know how it works. Watch the webinars and read the instructions, so that you understand what it can and cannot do. You cannot get the feel of it in an hour, and maybe not in a week.
If you have time, try demo versions of other CATS too. Different CATs suit different people - I kept coming back to Trados every time I tried Wordfast or MemoQ, not to mention some others which I found quite hopeless.
Some colleagues strongly prefer MemoQ, and there are lots of others. You can often use your preferred CAT and deliver a compatible file, if the client prefers a different CAT.
Some kind of CAT is certainly worth it, but you have to invest time and patience in it as well as money to get the best out of it.
Good luck! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Elías Sauza
Mexico
Local time: 04:26
Member (2002)
English to Spanish
+ ...
At the start of my freelance career, I received a job that required Trados. I accepted the job and purchased Trados immediately. Since then, the ROI has been hundredfold or so.
| | | | Heinrich Pesch
Finland
Local time: 13:26
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
Nowadays I only use SDL Studio. There are issues with the newest version, but 2019 is very stable. Since 2002 I had used Wordfast, but not anymore. Nobody asks for Wordfast anymore. I an agency requires to use online tools or something else than SDL Studio I say No thanks. Thanks to SDL Trados we don't have to look for alternatives, like everybody uses Microsoft Windows and Office and is compatible with everyone else. 20 years ago there were still a dozen or so products on the market, fortunatel... See more Nowadays I only use SDL Studio. There are issues with the newest version, but 2019 is very stable. Since 2002 I had used Wordfast, but not anymore. Nobody asks for Wordfast anymore. I an agency requires to use online tools or something else than SDL Studio I say No thanks. Thanks to SDL Trados we don't have to look for alternatives, like everybody uses Microsoft Windows and Office and is compatible with everyone else. 20 years ago there were still a dozen or so products on the market, fortunately most of them have disappeared. ▲ Collapse
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Roy Oestensen
Denmark
Local time: 12:26
Member (2010)
English to Norwegian (Bokmal)
+ ...
| After trying out Studio, you may go for a group buy in ProZ | Dec 30, 2021 |
In case you are not aware of it, the group buys in ProZ give you a license to a fraction of the full price and is well worth the investment.
Personally I have a personal license for Studio, memoQ and Deja vu. Deja vu is definitely my favourite CAT tool as I've used it since version 2 back in 1995 (it is at version X3 now), but regrettably it has not kept up with the competition. Especially the QA function in Deja vu is very inferior to Studio and memoQ. If I should make a recommenda... See more In case you are not aware of it, the group buys in ProZ give you a license to a fraction of the full price and is well worth the investment.
Personally I have a personal license for Studio, memoQ and Deja vu. Deja vu is definitely my favourite CAT tool as I've used it since version 2 back in 1995 (it is at version X3 now), but regrettably it has not kept up with the competition. Especially the QA function in Deja vu is very inferior to Studio and memoQ. If I should make a recommendation, I would, as a starter, invest in memoQ, since it can handle Studio packages, and its QA function is superior to Studio.
The main advantage I can see for investing in Studio, would be that you are then able to ensure that the client can actually open the return package and everything is fine. Other than that you don't really need Studio these days. ▲ Collapse
| | | | JaneD
Sweden
Local time: 12:26
Member (2009)
Swedish to English
+ ...
| If you like it, definitely | Dec 31, 2021 |
Trados and memoQ are quite divisive - some people love one, some the other and many people intensely dislike the one they don't use regularly.
Personally I'm a big Trados fan, but you may not be. So the first point is that you need to know whether or not you like it before embarking on such a substantial (at your career stage) purchase.
If you do like Trados, then definitely buy it. I hesitated at the start of my career, because I simply couldn't spare that kind ... See more Trados and memoQ are quite divisive - some people love one, some the other and many people intensely dislike the one they don't use regularly.
Personally I'm a big Trados fan, but you may not be. So the first point is that you need to know whether or not you like it before embarking on such a substantial (at your career stage) purchase.
If you do like Trados, then definitely buy it. I hesitated at the start of my career, because I simply couldn't spare that kind of money at the time. So it wasn't until a year into translating that I bought it. Then it paid for itself in just a couple of weeks.
Since then it's brought me projects from agencies who work with nothing else, and saved me hours and hours of repetitive work. The value of a good CAT tool? Absolutely priceless. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Value of a CAT tool | Jan 1, 2022 |
A CAT tool is certainly valuable, and as you say, save much repetitive work. With regard to cost: there are certainly free CAT tools, such as Omega T, although they lack the power of tools like Trados Studio.
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