Poll: If a client requested you use a specific CAT tool you dislike (free account provided), you would... Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "If a client requested you use a specific CAT tool you dislike (free account provided), you would...".
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| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 13:17
Spanish to English
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| Decline the job | Oct 31, 2019 |
Life's too short - especially if it's the big T or anything resembling that bloated monstrosity.
| | | | Gitte Hovedskov (X)
Denmark
Local time: 13:17
English to Danish
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| Depends on the job | Oct 31, 2019 |
No two jobs are the same, how can you give a general answer to this? I can't...
| | | | | Decline the job | Oct 31, 2019 |
I dislike working with CAT tools and I rarely do. I used Trados for a while (two years) when I was working in-house, I didn’t like it and dropped it as soon as I started freelancing after my retirement. Most of my work consists of transcreation jobs, texts of journalistic nature and documents for EU institutions and UN agencies and I continue to get all the work I need without using CAT tools. Anyway, I prefer helping my brain work well and improve my own memory than be confronted with text fr... See more I dislike working with CAT tools and I rarely do. I used Trados for a while (two years) when I was working in-house, I didn’t like it and dropped it as soon as I started freelancing after my retirement. Most of my work consists of transcreation jobs, texts of journalistic nature and documents for EU institutions and UN agencies and I continue to get all the work I need without using CAT tools. Anyway, I prefer helping my brain work well and improve my own memory than be confronted with text fragments. Translating with CAT tools makes me feel like I’m working at an assembly line. It gets in the way of my creative process and makes me loose the joy of work. I do use XTM for one of my clients, but that's the exception not the rule… ▲ Collapse
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Lincoln Hui 
Hong Kong
Local time: 19:17
Member
Chinese to English
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Tell them to shove it. If they want me bad enough, they would export the file for me.
My Refuse to Use list currently includes the browser version of Memsource (happy to use the desktop editor), CrowdIn, XTM, Wordbee, SmartCat, any browser-based tool, and CrowdIn. Oh, and CrowdIn as well.
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[Edited at 2019-10-31 13:01 GMT]
| | | | | Other - adjust my rate | Oct 31, 2019 |
"Dislike" is a category I do not apply to CAT tools. I have no emotions regarding tools. However, with some tools my output is better than with others. My fastest combination right now is MemoQ combined with dictation. When I cannot use dictation, I am slower and therefore I have to apply higher rates. And like Lincoln said, browser based tools can be a particular slowdown because they rely on frequent use of the mouse, and this makes the whole translating process tedious, and sometimes causes r... See more "Dislike" is a category I do not apply to CAT tools. I have no emotions regarding tools. However, with some tools my output is better than with others. My fastest combination right now is MemoQ combined with dictation. When I cannot use dictation, I am slower and therefore I have to apply higher rates. And like Lincoln said, browser based tools can be a particular slowdown because they rely on frequent use of the mouse, and this makes the whole translating process tedious, and sometimes causes repetitive strain injuries. When clients/agencies force me to use such a tool, I ask for a substantially higher rate. And if they agree, I accept. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Marjolein Snippe
Netherlands
Local time: 13:17
Member (2012)
English to Dutch
+ ...
| Depends on the client | Oct 31, 2019 |
One regular client routinely works in a CAT tool I dislike. I do occasionally accept jobs in their CAT tool, although mostly I ask them to export the file so that I can use my own CAT tool. This usually works fine for both sides.
I have rejected work and eventually lost at least one client who demanded I work in Across. I tried it a few times and decided I will not use this tool any more - the time and frustration it costs me is not worth it.
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| the dentist analogy | Oct 31, 2019 |
When I go to the dentist, I don't propose to tell that professional what tools or procedures to use. When a client hires me they are purchasing product - the translation. Like the dentist analogy, I use my professional judgment to use the procedures and tools that will get the job done in best order. It makes no sense to me for a client to ask me to use particular tools. So - I would decline the work, and have, in the past.
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 13:17
French to English
I did just that for my very first client. They supply me with a floating licence, I do the job. Although I can't say I disliked that CAT tool more than any other since I'd never used it.
However nowadays, it would have to be a super project in my comfort zone and I'd quite likely charge more in case it slowed me down.
| | | | Paul Lambert
Sweden
Local time: 13:17
Member (2006)
Swedish to English
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OK, I hate to be that guy, but given our line of work, shouldn't the answer be "anyway" and not "anyways", which just sounds illiterate?
| | | | Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 08:17
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
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I usually try to negotiate doing it in my own CAT (with countless advantages), but the client usually denies it, because all they want is to build their own TMs. Next, I accept the job and try their platform ONCE. If it's acceptable, we'll go on with more jobs. If it's really bad (it usuall is), I'll only continue using it if it allow me to export the text, use my own CAT, then import or paste the translations, otherwise, it's goodbye to that client.
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Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 13:17
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| Ask for a longer deadline | Oct 31, 2019 |
Usually the reason why I dislike a tool is because it takes me longer to do the translation in it. Clients typically do not accept surcharges for the use of a particular tool, but if I'm not too busy with other work, I might accept it if the deadline could be extended. This gives me more time to work my way around the deficiencies of the tool. Examples include Wordbee, Smartling, Memsource, XTM, MemoQweb, and GTT.
In some cases, however, the request for a tool is simply a warning... See more Usually the reason why I dislike a tool is because it takes me longer to do the translation in it. Clients typically do not accept surcharges for the use of a particular tool, but if I'm not too busy with other work, I might accept it if the deadline could be extended. This gives me more time to work my way around the deficiencies of the tool. Examples include Wordbee, Smartling, Memsource, XTM, MemoQweb, and GTT.
In some cases, however, the request for a tool is simply a warning that the job itself will be cumbersome. LEAF, LocStudio and Envelope are good examples of this latter category. My response is: no, but I'll do the translation if you send it to me in another format. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Paulo Malheiro (X)
Brazil
Local time: 08:17
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| No such thing as a perfect software | Nov 1, 2019 |
I would comply with my client's norms and expectations, however, if allowed and relevant, I would try to show him the positive features other tools could provide. I find it quite interesting to make use of whatever is available out there and analyze the pros and cons of each platform. There is no such thing as a perfect tool and there is always some reward while being able to use different software according to the nature of the job in hand. "Less is more". Well, it isn't necessarily so.
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