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Poll: How many of your clients ask you to work with Trados?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Jun 20, 2018

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How many of your clients ask you to work with Trados?".

This poll was originally submitted by Dr. Tilmann Kleinau. View the poll results »



 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 17:29
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
None of them! Jun 20, 2018

I’ve never worked with Trados (as my regulars know) and usually I don’t work with CAT tools (though I’m working right now with XTM at the request of a very dear customer) and I’m never short of work, in fact I’ve been overloaded with work for months and I’m fully booked until the middle of next month.


P.S. If the question happened to be about potential clients my answer would be quite different, but though I’m always interested in long-term collaborations I’m
... See more
I’ve never worked with Trados (as my regulars know) and usually I don’t work with CAT tools (though I’m working right now with XTM at the request of a very dear customer) and I’m never short of work, in fact I’ve been overloaded with work for months and I’m fully booked until the middle of next month.


P.S. If the question happened to be about potential clients my answer would be quite different, but though I’m always interested in long-term collaborations I’m not actively looking for new customers…

[Edited at 2018-06-20 08:29 GMT]
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Muriel Vasconcellos
 
Alexandra Speirs
Alexandra Speirs  Identity Verified
Local time: 18:29
Italian to English
+ ...
Only agencies Jun 20, 2018

Only the agencies, most direct customers don't even know that Trados exists.

But I use it for them all, for my own convenience.


 
Marjolein Snippe
Marjolein Snippe  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 18:29
Member (2012)
English to Dutch
+ ...
A few Jun 20, 2018

A few occasionally ask me to, forgetting I do not work with Trados. When I remind them, they are usually happy for me to work with Wordfast, in the sdlxliff file and using the TM they provide.
I don't accept any clients who insist that I use Trados.


 
Angus Stewart
Angus Stewart  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:29
Member (2011)
French to English
+ ...
A few of them Jun 20, 2018

Only a few of my clients insist upon my working a CAT tool at all. Most of them leave me free to make my own choice on the matter, but a few of those that insist on a CAT tool ask me to work with Trados. In most cases file format interoperability between CAT tools means that it is no longer an issue which CAT tool one uses, but in the rare event of clients insisting upon me using their own preferred CAT tool (other than Trados) they must either provide me with a free licence or I will decline th... See more
Only a few of my clients insist upon my working a CAT tool at all. Most of them leave me free to make my own choice on the matter, but a few of those that insist on a CAT tool ask me to work with Trados. In most cases file format interoperability between CAT tools means that it is no longer an issue which CAT tool one uses, but in the rare event of clients insisting upon me using their own preferred CAT tool (other than Trados) they must either provide me with a free licence or I will decline the job as happened recently when a client insisted I buy a MemoQ licence, as I refuse to pay for multiple licences for software that essentially performs the same function.Collapse


Jean Shearer
 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 10:29
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
None Jun 20, 2018

And like Teresa, I have no shortage of work. In my limited experience with CAT tools, I've found that they slow me down.

While they ensure consistent terminology, they are also responsible for introducing matches and "fuzzy matches" into the calculation of rates, which has been a disservice to the profession.


Emily Plank
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Jean Shearer
Christine Roffi
Caroline Rösler
 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 18:29
Spanish to English
+ ...
None Jun 20, 2018

I only really work with one agency nowadays, and only occasionally. Sometimes they forget that I'm anti-Trados, but I quickly remind them.

Emily Plank
 
Julian Holmes
Julian Holmes  Identity Verified
Japan
Local time: 02:29
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
Trados Jun 20, 2018

Is the main CAT tool that clients ask you to use over here in Japan. However, a few are also asking me to use MemoQ. Once you've learnt how to use one, it shouldn't be that difficult to learn another.

Joe Ly Sien
 
DZiW (X)
DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
+ ...
None Jun 20, 2018

If the job is done properly, why a client should care about other's tools?

Debora d'Amato (X)
José Henrique Lamensdorf
Muriel Vasconcellos
 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 18:29
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
Most of them Jun 20, 2018

However, that is partly because, over the years, I have avoided working with other CAT tools. When I worked in-house, the firm tried an early version of Deja-Vu, but went over to Trados, and I have used it most of the time since.

I have simply stopped working with a couple of clients who went over to Memsource. One started as a favourite agency, but the rates they negotiated after a takeover were at the lowest end of my scale. I wasted a holiday weekend on tutorials for another syst
... See more
However, that is partly because, over the years, I have avoided working with other CAT tools. When I worked in-house, the firm tried an early version of Deja-Vu, but went over to Trados, and I have used it most of the time since.

I have simply stopped working with a couple of clients who went over to Memsource. One started as a favourite agency, but the rates they negotiated after a takeover were at the lowest end of my scale. I wasted a holiday weekend on tutorials for another system - unpaid, of course - but no translation ever turned up, only so-called QA jobs at ridiculous rates.

I avoided the Big L and Geo...

I am a one-car driver and a one-CAT translator, so I gravitate towards clients who either use Trados themselves, or don't mind whether I use a CAT or not.
(The car is currently an Opel Astra. I had a lovely Ascona for 12 years, and actually wept when we had to scrap it! It had taken me so many important places in my life.)



[Edited at 2018-06-20 09:10 GMT]
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Amir Arzani
Amir Arzani
Iran
Local time: 20:59
English to Persian (Farsi)
+ ...
Many of them Jun 20, 2018

I also have to work with exported bilingual word files, excels, Workspace, Adobe Acrobat. Personally, I love working with Trados, my eyes have gotten used to segments being next to each other so I have a hard time when using a word and pdf side by side.

 
Debora d'Amato (X)
Debora d'Amato (X)  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 18:29
English to Italian
+ ...
Why insist? Jun 20, 2018

I mean, many of my clients know only Trados and the other CAT Tools don't exist either, for example, Wordfast, which I use.
It's like a fun of fast food who believes that only McDonald's exists when, you know, there are other fast foods where you could sit and eat at the same way, Burger King, KFC, and so on.
So, honestly, I don't like when they insist or "prevent" you from using other CAT Tools.


 
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Yetta Jensen Bogarde  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 18:29
Member (2012)
English to Danish
+ ...
None of them Jun 20, 2018

Because my clients know that I use Wordfast Pro and MemoQ.

However, like someone mentioned, many 'potential' clients ask for Trados, so they never become my clients and I have plenty of work anyway.

The fact is that Trados was the pioneering CAT tool on the market and SDL has been marketing it aggressively as if there were no other or better CATs. That cost a lot of money, which is added to the price of your licences.

But in reality SDL Trados is very heavy
... See more
Because my clients know that I use Wordfast Pro and MemoQ.

However, like someone mentioned, many 'potential' clients ask for Trados, so they never become my clients and I have plenty of work anyway.

The fact is that Trados was the pioneering CAT tool on the market and SDL has been marketing it aggressively as if there were no other or better CATs. That cost a lot of money, which is added to the price of your licences.

But in reality SDL Trados is very heavy to work with, lots of problems that we don't experience with e.g. Wordfast and MemoQ.
So why should I pay more for the old mammoth Trados.
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José Henrique Lamensdorf
Gareth Callagy
 
Rita Utt
Rita Utt  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 18:29
English to German
+ ...
None of them Jun 20, 2018

I believe in using CAT-Tool for myself (only). So I use whatever I want.

 
José Henrique Lamensdorf
José Henrique Lamensdorf  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 14:29
English to Portuguese
+ ...
In memoriam
If they demand Trados, they are NOT MY clients Jun 20, 2018

One of the reasons I don't - and won't - have Trados is that too many translation agencies have been indoctrinated into believing that having it is the one first and foremost requirement to demand from translators. Qualification, experience, specialization, and sometimes even the language pair may be disregarded, as long as the translator has Trados!

I tend to see such obsession as some kind of religious euphoria, clearly unprofessional, as the requirement is upheld even when no CAT
... See more
One of the reasons I don't - and won't - have Trados is that too many translation agencies have been indoctrinated into believing that having it is the one first and foremost requirement to demand from translators. Qualification, experience, specialization, and sometimes even the language pair may be disregarded, as long as the translator has Trados!

I tend to see such obsession as some kind of religious euphoria, clearly unprofessional, as the requirement is upheld even when no CAT tool will be of any use, e.g. with script-less video to be translated for dubbing, or handwritten originals.

The best depiction of this phenomenon was a job offer I saw, recruiting a translator. It said "MUST have Traldus!" (sic!) but failed to mention the language pair required. This outsourcer probably had no idea on what 'Traldus' is, however s/he had been brainwashed into demanding it above anything else.

I use my own WordFast Classic, and have no objection whatsoever to using any other client-provided CAT tool via a portable license for the duration of the project. Have done it with MemoQ, Memsource, and Passolo so far.

Anyone demanding Trados won't be a client of mine. I offer quality translation services, not a particular CAT tool brand.
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Christine Roffi
 
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Poll: How many of your clients ask you to work with Trados?






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