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Do you accept Memsource jobs?
Thread poster: Laure Delpech
Laure Delpech
Laure Delpech  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 14:18
Member (2004)
English to French
May 3, 2016

Hi,

One of my best clients switched to Memsource about a year ago. I accepted to use this CAT tool because that client never caused me any trouble. But now another one of my best clients has also switched to Memsource

I wonder if I a going to accept more Memsource jobs as:

- Memsource is slow (even with a good Internet connection)

- I have read somewhere on the Proz forums that wordcounts are not advantageous for translators (but I can't compar
... See more
Hi,

One of my best clients switched to Memsource about a year ago. I accepted to use this CAT tool because that client never caused me any trouble. But now another one of my best clients has also switched to Memsource

I wonder if I a going to accept more Memsource jobs as:

- Memsource is slow (even with a good Internet connection)

- I have read somewhere on the Proz forums that wordcounts are not advantageous for translators (but I can't compare as I do not get the source files)

- There seems to be many more tags in Memsource jobs than, say, it Trados jobs, as if Memsource added its own tags.

For instance, I find it hard to believe that all the below tags are necessary for the end client.

"In cases where TAGyouTAG need TAGhospitalTAG TAGtreatmentTAG, contacting TAGusTAG also gives TAGusTAG an opportunity to contact TAGyourTAG TAGhospitalTAG or clinic and make sure they have everything they need to go ahead with TAGyourTAG TAGtreatmentTAG"

Do you have the same experience?

Laure
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Enrico C - ECLC
Enrico C - ECLC  Identity Verified
Taiwan
Local time: 21:18
English to Italian
+ ...
I try to avoid May 3, 2016

Laure Trads wrote:

Hi,

One of my best clients switched to Memsource about a year ago. I accepted to use this CAT tool because that client never caused me any trouble. But now another one of my best clients has also switched to Memsource

I wonder if I a going to accept more Memsource jobs as:

- Memsource is slow (even with a good Internet connection)

- I have read somewhere on the Proz forums that wordcounts are not advantageous for translators (but I can't compare as I do not get the source files)

- There seems to be many more tags in Memsource jobs than, say, it Trados jobs, as if Memsource added its own tags.

For instance, I find it hard to believe that all the below tags are necessary for the end client.

"In cases where TAGyouTAG need TAGhospitalTAG TAGtreatmentTAG, contacting TAGusTAG also gives TAGusTAG an opportunity to contact TAGyourTAG TAGhospitalTAG or clinic and make sure they have everything they need to go ahead with TAGyourTAG TAGtreatmentTAG"

Do you have the same experience?

Laure



As to me I try to avoid them. Never used memsource but used wordbee and a few proprietary cat solutions ending up very frustrated. Slow UI, rates too low for what they cost your eyes and nervous system. When you have to rework sentences like those wasting minutes (this applies also to standard CATs to an extent) you're actually wasting time and using a much higher level of attention than you do with a standard job. I hope my customers don't switch on cloud based platforms or software as a service ones. They are not ready for prime time of you really need huge translating outputs


[Edited at 2016-05-03 10:59 GMT]


Rabie El Magdouli
 
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 14:18
Member (2005)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Yes, but do not translate in Memsource May 3, 2016

My customers using Memsource allow me to download the MXLIFF files and I translate them them memoQ, which is my preferred CAT tool(1).

Once the MXLIFF files are finished, I upload them to my customers' Memsource portals. What I do in their Memsource portal is things like checking their QA queries. When I make some change to the text as a result of their/the customer's queries/comments, I go back to memoQ and reflect it in my memory just in case.

** (1) memoQ does not im
... See more
My customers using Memsource allow me to download the MXLIFF files and I translate them them memoQ, which is my preferred CAT tool(1).

Once the MXLIFF files are finished, I upload them to my customers' Memsource portals. What I do in their Memsource portal is things like checking their QA queries. When I make some change to the text as a result of their/the customer's queries/comments, I go back to memoQ and reflect it in my memory just in case.

** (1) memoQ does not import the MXLIFF files natively. You can easily import them by selecting the XLIFF filter. In order to cope with Memsource's tags so that they look as tags in memoQ, you can easily create a cascading filter in memoQ with XLIFF + RegEx tagger. If you use memoQ, I will be glad to send you a copy of the filter settings, although I cannot promise that it will be perfect!
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Edward Vreeburg
Edward Vreeburg  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 14:18
Member (2008)
English to Dutch
+ ...
yes, for higher rates May 3, 2016

as with anything that needs more time, (badly written orignals, PDFs, etc.) I do charge more for more labour intensive jobs....

(but the memoQ option is a good tip!))

Ed


 
Arianne Farah
Arianne Farah  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 09:18
Member (2008)
English to French
I turn them down May 3, 2016

I lose too much productivity and without my customized tools, quality suffers too, so it's too big of a risk to my reputation for too little return.

A few customers who have adopted memsource (or stated their intention to migrate to memsource) have so far continued to send me projects in my preferred format rather than lose me as a translator and after a few months, I no longer receive offers for memsource projects - either they've abandoned it on their side or they just send me no
... See more
I lose too much productivity and without my customized tools, quality suffers too, so it's too big of a risk to my reputation for too little return.

A few customers who have adopted memsource (or stated their intention to migrate to memsource) have so far continued to send me projects in my preferred format rather than lose me as a translator and after a few months, I no longer receive offers for memsource projects - either they've abandoned it on their side or they just send me non-memsource projects, I have no way of knowing, but I haven't noticed a drop in volume from those particular customers.

I see the upfront appeal - agencies think it's win-win since the software is free for freelancers - but in reality the cost in productivity and quality is absolutely prohibitive.
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Rabie El Magdouli
 
Laure Delpech
Laure Delpech  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 14:18
Member (2004)
English to French
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you for your replies May 3, 2016

Tomás, thank you for the information about MemoQ. I'll keep it in mind. Although, having invested in Trados since 1998 with all the updates, I don't plan to buy another CAT tool.

Edward, this is great if you can charge more but I find it such a hassle to negociate with people who, generally, have really tight budgets, that I'd rather just not do the job.

Arianne, I have the same problem: not being able to use my own TMs is a major waste of time for me. Thank you for co
... See more
Tomás, thank you for the information about MemoQ. I'll keep it in mind. Although, having invested in Trados since 1998 with all the updates, I don't plan to buy another CAT tool.

Edward, this is great if you can charge more but I find it such a hassle to negociate with people who, generally, have really tight budgets, that I'd rather just not do the job.

Arianne, I have the same problem: not being able to use my own TMs is a major waste of time for me. Thank you for confirming what I suspected.
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neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 14:18
Spanish to English
+ ...
No May 3, 2016

Nor am I interested in finding out any more about it.

 
Chunyi Chen
Chunyi Chen
United States
Local time: 06:18
English to Chinese
Yes I do May 3, 2016

I have a client that switched from CAT tool X to Memsource this year. My first impressions with Memsource were very bad and I was seriously considering to drop the client. After a few jobs and with the help/info I received from the Memsource Support, however, I feel comfortable working in Memsource and feel it is a fine tool. It has limitations, but you can't really ask for more for a free tool:)

If this is a good client, I would try accepting their Memsource jobs a few more time
... See more
I have a client that switched from CAT tool X to Memsource this year. My first impressions with Memsource were very bad and I was seriously considering to drop the client. After a few jobs and with the help/info I received from the Memsource Support, however, I feel comfortable working in Memsource and feel it is a fine tool. It has limitations, but you can't really ask for more for a free tool:)

If this is a good client, I would try accepting their Memsource jobs a few more times to see if my productivity improves. In the meantime, ask Memsource Support for help when you encounter a problem. I found it to be the fastest way to get familiar with a new CAT tool.

Regarding the tag issue, it sounds to be the result of poorly prepared file(s) by your client. There is a feature in Memsource that cleans these unnecessary tags before importing a file to Memsource. Your client must have forgotten to use or is unaware of that feature.

Regarding the slowness, it is slow from time to time, but I found it faster when downloading the project to its Desktop version rather than using the online version. It's worth trying if you haven't already done so.

Chunyi

Laure Trads wrote:

Hi,

One of my best clients switched to Memsource about a year ago. I accepted to use this CAT tool because that client never caused me any trouble. But now another one of my best clients has also switched to Memsource

I wonder if I a going to accept more Memsource jobs as:

- Memsource is slow (even with a good Internet connection)

- I have read somewhere on the Proz forums that wordcounts are not advantageous for translators (but I can't compare as I do not get the source files)

- There seems to be many more tags in Memsource jobs than, say, it Trados jobs, as if Memsource added its own tags.

For instance, I find it hard to believe that all the below tags are necessary for the end client.

"In cases where TAGyouTAG need TAGhospitalTAG TAGtreatmentTAG, contacting TAGusTAG also gives TAGusTAG an opportunity to contact TAGyourTAG TAGhospitalTAG or clinic and make sure they have everything they need to go ahead with TAGyourTAG TAGtreatmentTAG"

Do you have the same experience?

Laure
Collapse


 
Vaclav Balacek
Vaclav Balacek  Identity Verified
Czech Republic
Local time: 14:18
English to Czech
+ ...
Memsource Support Team Here May 3, 2016

Laure Trads wrote:

Hi,

One of my best clients switched to Memsource about a year ago. I accepted to use this CAT tool because that client never caused me any trouble. But now another one of my best clients has also switched to Memsource

I wonder if I a going to accept more Memsource jobs as:

- Memsource is slow (even with a good Internet connection)

- I have read somewhere on the Proz forums that wordcounts are not advantageous for translators (but I can't compare as I do not get the source files)

- There seems to be many more tags in Memsource jobs than, say, it Trados jobs, as if Memsource added its own tags.

For instance, I find it hard to believe that all the below tags are necessary for the end client.

"In cases where TAGyouTAG need TAGhospitalTAG TAGtreatmentTAG, contacting TAGusTAG also gives TAGusTAG an opportunity to contact TAGyourTAG TAGhospitalTAG or clinic and make sure they have everything they need to go ahead with TAGyourTAG TAGtreatmentTAG"

Do you have the same experience?

Laure



Hi Laure,
My name is Vaclav and I am member of the support team at Memsource.
Regarding your comments:
- Memsource is slow
Memsource has two translation editors, a web based one and a desktop one. If the web based editor is slow, please try using the desktop one. All you need to do is download the free installer, install it and open mxliff files that you download from your project. The editor will connect to Memsource Cloud and give you results from the TM, TB and MT.

- Memsource word count
We constantly receive feedback from our users comparing the word count from Trados, MemoQ and all other tools, and Memsource. Based on this feedback we try to improve our algorithm so that the word count is as close as possible to that of other CAT tools, and also of MS Word.

- Too many tags
What you describe seems like a poorly OCRed PDF. Memsource has a option to "Minimize number of taqs" which does something similar to CodeZapper, i.e. tries to identify and remove tags that seem to be the product of text conversion, such as each word is enclosed in tags.

To conclude, I would like to encourage you to give Memsource a try, especially as it is free for translators, and send us any feedback or suggestions at [email protected].

Please also check these two videos about the use of Memsource Editors:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-Qhr_qMFgs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RTSn4WvQl8

Thank you!
Vaclav


 
Laure Delpech
Laure Delpech  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 14:18
Member (2004)
English to French
TOPIC STARTER
Hi Vaclav May 3, 2016

Thank you very much for getting back to me.

Since this afternoon, I have been trying Memsource Editor and must say that it is a lot faster.

You're right, the tags seem to come from the original file, not from Memsource.

I have a suggestion: would it be possible to use other CAT tools' TMs, like Trados? I have been using Trados since 1998 and would like to use my previous work to get more matches, perhaps in TMX format?


 
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei  Identity Verified
Ghana
Local time: 13:18
Japanese to English
You can use the files with Trados May 3, 2016

Laure Trads wrote:

Tomás, thank you for the information about MemoQ. I'll keep it in mind. Although, having invested in Trados since 1998 with all the updates, I don't plan to buy another CAT tool.

There's way to use Trados (at least Studio 2011) with Memsource files, but uh, I forget how. I've done it at least twice, but it was quite a while ago. IIRC instead of downloading the MXLIFF files I downloaded something else...? I think? Or converted the MXLIFF somehow? Sorry I can't be more specific but you should definitely look into it.


 
Laure Delpech
Laure Delpech  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 14:18
Member (2004)
English to French
TOPIC STARTER
Using Trados TM in Memsource May 3, 2016

TransAfrique wrote: There's way to use Trados (at least Studio 2011) with Memsource files, but uh, I forget how. I've done it at least twice, but it was quite a while ago. IIRC instead of downloading the MXLIFF files I downloaded something else...? I think? Or converted the MXLIFF somehow? Sorry I can't be more specific but you should definitely look into it.


Thank you for the idea. I just tried to export the file into Trados. It only seems possible to export the file in Word format to then open it in Studio (I use Studio 2014), but then I lose the client's TM.

It would be great to be able to open a Trados TM within Memsource.


 
Heinrich Pesch
Heinrich Pesch  Identity Verified
Finland
Local time: 15:18
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
I declined May 4, 2016

Two weeks ago I was contacted by a new client, who told me that their translator had "been taken sick" and left the job at an early stage. They insisted on using Memsource. I smelled a rat and answered, that I'm a craftsman and that we craftsmen use only our own reliable tools.
I see no reason in using a new tool that does not have any advantage to standard tools we have purchased for hard currency.


 
Ilan Rubin (X)
Ilan Rubin (X)  Identity Verified
Russian Federation
Local time: 16:18
Russian to English
It was OK May 4, 2016

I used the network version 2 or 3 times at the request of clients. I didn't have any problems with it. The number of tags was minimal.

 
Laure Delpech
Laure Delpech  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 14:18
Member (2004)
English to French
TOPIC STARTER
Cleaning unnecessary tags May 4, 2016

Chunyi Chen wrote: Regarding the tag issue, it sounds to be the result of poorly prepared file(s) by your client. There is a feature in Memsource that cleans these unnecessary tags before importing a file to Memsource. Your client must have forgotten to use or is unaware of that feature.


Thank you very much for this Chunyi, I am telling my client straight away.

(later)
It turns out that the agency has already ticked "Simplify codes" for Indesign files, but I still get unexplainable tags around "you" "your" "us" "we", etc.

[Modifié le 2016-05-04 13:30 GMT]


 
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