Does Transit really help us? Thread poster: Helena Chavarria
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I have recently started working for an agency and they send us a link so we can download Transit.
At first I was quite pleased because I thought it would be a way of learning how to use CAT tools, but after working for a couple of months with Transit, I have to admit that I really don't like it. I work with another tool used by a localization website and although I prefer it to Transit, I can't say I like it that much either.
I enjoy working with Word, getting a 'feel'... See more I have recently started working for an agency and they send us a link so we can download Transit.
At first I was quite pleased because I thought it would be a way of learning how to use CAT tools, but after working for a couple of months with Transit, I have to admit that I really don't like it. I work with another tool used by a localization website and although I prefer it to Transit, I can't say I like it that much either.
I enjoy working with Word, getting a 'feel' of the text and moving backwards and forwards as though I were writing on paper.
I just don't like having a whole paragraph on one line that disappears out of sight. I find I have to remember all the phases so I can put them where I need to (for example, changing from active to passive voice, moving the subject around, etc.).
I don't like having to work looking at a window that is only 23 cms wide.
I don't like having to work with tiny letters.
I don't like the fuzzies that never seem to match 100%.
I don't enjoy feeling like a machine.
With Word at least I can fill the screen and make the words as big as necessary so I don't have to strain my eyes. I don't need a machine telling me that there is a fuzzy match, I always recognise a paragraph when I see it (when I'm working on a specific document).
Is it really worth investing in a CAT tool?
[Edited at 2014-02-09 18:16 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Joakim Braun 
Sweden
Local time: 11:22
German to Swedish
+ ...
| Is it worth it? Yes, but... | Feb 9, 2014 |
Well, to put it politely CAT tools tend to be not exactly cutting edge in UI terms.
I find that CAT cramps my style and actually slows me down. And I'm IT literate and used to complicated software.
Still, CAT is a part of the translation business. We should know how to use one or two of these tools, and I'd argue that even a Trados license is worth the money as self-education.
(Also, personal preferences apart, there are certain kinds of jobs where CAT sh... See more Well, to put it politely CAT tools tend to be not exactly cutting edge in UI terms.
I find that CAT cramps my style and actually slows me down. And I'm IT literate and used to complicated software.
Still, CAT is a part of the translation business. We should know how to use one or two of these tools, and I'd argue that even a Trados license is worth the money as self-education.
(Also, personal preferences apart, there are certain kinds of jobs where CAT shines and is very useful, and others where you're much better off using a simple text editor.) ▲ Collapse
| | | | Clarisa Moraña
United States
Local time: 04:22
Member (2002)
English to Spanish
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| It really helps! | Feb 10, 2014 |
That's fine, you don't like CAT tools, and you have the right to reject them. But in some sense, it's like being a taxidriver who doesnt' like driving a car. Not every file to translate is provided in MS Word, there are so many file types nowadays. And CAT tools are useful for dealing with those file types too, provided they are converted into the appropriate format. CAT tools are great because you store in your translation memories year and year of your valuable translation job. Your PC is ol... See more That's fine, you don't like CAT tools, and you have the right to reject them. But in some sense, it's like being a taxidriver who doesnt' like driving a car. Not every file to translate is provided in MS Word, there are so many file types nowadays. And CAT tools are useful for dealing with those file types too, provided they are converted into the appropriate format. CAT tools are great because you store in your translation memories year and year of your valuable translation job. Your PC is old, you change it. But you can still use all your translation memories for everysingle translation job you've doing day after day, year after year. And today you can leverage the translation memories of an old translation job you did for an former client 10 years ago and use if for your benefit!
Regarding Transit, it's my favourite CAT tool because it is the most reliable: without bugs, solid. You find that user interface is too small, and I would agree, but all CAT tools have the same problem. That's why I use two 17" screens in my daily job.
I would recommend you to study a little bit more about Transit, in order to give it a second change. It really deserves to be appreciated. But that can't be managed if you don't know the right keys to activate their many features. I love the way that Transit dictionnary works. I love that erases the the original text in the target line. I love the way it handles tags. Was it a good investment to purchase Transit. Yes, it was. Is it a good investment for a translator to purchase a CAT tool? Sure it it. It is a tool we do need. I have (purchased) DejaVu, memoQ, Transit, Wordfast, SDL Studio, Alchemy Catalyst. I haven't bought Swordfish, but I know it is a great translation tool.
I don't have more jobs because I have certain CAT tool. In fact, I have them because I'm CAT tools fan. But because I have them, I receive translation jobs in a daily base. My clients ask be a certain CAT tool, and I do have it. But sometimes, some jobs can be done with a different CAT tool. Most of the translation memories are interchangeable, and if you know a little bit about handling them, you can do many things that will help you in your daily job. ▲ Collapse
| | | | 2nl (X)
Netherlands
Local time: 11:22
| Transit can make your document look like a Word document pretty much | Feb 10, 2014 |
Helena Chavarria wrote:
I don't like having to work looking at a window that is only 23 cms wide.
I don't like having to work with tiny letters.
Buy a decent monitor (27 or 30 inches).
Transit is one of few CAT tools that can make your target document look like a Word document, including all tables, headings, WYSIWYG formatting etc.
Other tools work with previews, in Transit you can actually work in a "Word document view".
The problem is, however, that you have to be an experienced user to create this view. You should contact Support.
[Edited at 2014-02-10 19:22 GMT]
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| It is worth if you want to benefit from | Feb 11, 2014 |
Dear Helena,
Transit offers a broad varity of options to display the text as you want. IMHO, Transit is the most flexible tool in this perspective: Of course you can freely adapt the window size, completely fill the screen with text, change font size, customize the display of paragraphs etc. At the end, you can make the Transit editor to look almost as Word. These options do not need expert knowlegde, but only a glance at the manuals and/or just playing around with different setting... See more Dear Helena,
Transit offers a broad varity of options to display the text as you want. IMHO, Transit is the most flexible tool in this perspective: Of course you can freely adapt the window size, completely fill the screen with text, change font size, customize the display of paragraphs etc. At the end, you can make the Transit editor to look almost as Word. These options do not need expert knowlegde, but only a glance at the manuals and/or just playing around with different settings on the "View" tab. I am sorry to hear that you were annoyed for a couple of months instead.
If you do not like fuzzy matches, you do not need to show and to use them. That sounds strange to me, but if that is your way of working and applicable for your projects: No problem with Transit.
At the end: When you
- do not want to benefit from fuzzy matches or other CAT tool features
- prefer to work like writing on paper
- always recognise any paragraph ever translated
- are only working on a specific Word document
then - and only then - it might make not sense to invest in a CAT tool and learn how to use it.
Best regards,
Oiseau noir ▲ Collapse
| | | | Helena Chavarria
Spain
Local time: 11:22
Member (2011)
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | I suppose it takes time | Feb 11, 2014 |
Thank you all very much for your comments.
When asked, I always tell outourcers that I don't use CAT tools simply because I don't have time to learn how to use them.
I'll bear your comments in mind and when I have a free afternoon/morning, I'll try and discover how to make the screen bigger, etc. I'm sure if I look hard enough I'll be able to find some sort of online instruction manual.
When I posted my comment I was under a bit of pressure because I had ... See more Thank you all very much for your comments.
When asked, I always tell outourcers that I don't use CAT tools simply because I don't have time to learn how to use them.
I'll bear your comments in mind and when I have a free afternoon/morning, I'll try and discover how to make the screen bigger, etc. I'm sure if I look hard enough I'll be able to find some sort of online instruction manual.
When I posted my comment I was under a bit of pressure because I had to finish off a translation and I was running short of time.
To make things worse, I have just bought a new computer that uses Windows 8 and I don't think the version of Transit I'm using (Transit 3.0 Satellite) likes it very much. The segment I'm working on is no longer highlighted (even though I select 'Highlight active segment') and I'm havng to work in black and white, which makes seeing the fuzzy matches difficult. For the moment I'm using them as a sort of dictionary, copying what coincides.
I'm not one to give in easily and I'll try and sort it out.
Thank you all again for your help. ▲ Collapse
| | | | 2nl (X)
Netherlands
Local time: 11:22
| Update to Windows 8.1 | Feb 12, 2014 |
Helena Chavarria wrote:
To make things worse, I have just bought a new computer that uses Windows 8 and I don't think the version of Transit I'm using (Transit 3.0 Satellite) likes it very much.
Transit 3.0 Satellite? That's a rather old version. I'm not sure whether my comments apply to this software.
BTW: You should update your Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 right away.
| | | | Helena Chavarria
Spain
Local time: 11:22
Member (2011)
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Running old version with new OS | Feb 12, 2014 |
2nl wrote:
Transit 3.0 Satellite? That's a rather old version. I'm not sure whether my comments apply to this software.
BTW: You should update your Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 right away.
Dear 2nl
Thanks for the advice.
I'm pleased to know that there are newer versions of Transit available. I suppose my problems are due to using a new operating system with an old version of Transit.
I think some updating is needed
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| Transit 3.0 Satellite | Feb 16, 2014 |
To make things worse, I have just bought a new computer that uses Windows 8 and I don't think the version of Transit I'm using (Transit 3.0 Satellite) likes it very much.
Wow... that's like complaining about ... Windows 3.1... or Pentium II or Commadore 64.
There was Transit XV (2001-2008) and now we have Transit NXT (2008-now).
| | | | Helena Chavarria
Spain
Local time: 11:22
Member (2011)
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | I should buy my own software | Feb 16, 2014 |
AlSqur wrote:
Wow... that's like complaining about ... Windows 3.1... or Pentium II or Commadore 64.
There was Transit XV (2001-2008) and now we have Transit NXT (2008-now).
It's the version the agency sent me. It might be worth asking them whether it's worth investing in a newer version.
Although judging by your comments, it might be a good idea to buy my own updated software, even if I stop working for the agency. You give me the impression that Transit really can make life easier.
I suppose it's like learning to drive with a 25-year-old car
| | | | | Surprising agency | Feb 17, 2014 |
Helena Chavarria wrote: AlSqur wrote:
Wow... that's like complaining about ... Windows 3.1... or Pentium II or Commadore 64.
There was Transit XV (2001-2008) and now we have Transit NXT (2008-now). It's the version the agency sent me. It might be worth asking them whether it's worth investing in a newer version. Although judging by your comments, it might be a good idea to buy my own updated software, even if I stop working for the agency. You give me the impression that Transit really can make life easier. I suppose it's like learning to drive with a 25-year-old car
I'm astonished that an agency distributes software that is no longer available from official sources for more than 10 years and forces their translators to work with it...
If you do not want to learn how translators worked in earlier days, you should switch to an up-to-date version of Transit and benefit from the enhancements of the recent 15 years...
| | | | Helena Chavarria
Spain
Local time: 11:22
Member (2011)
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | I've just bought a licence | Feb 19, 2014 |
I would like to tell anyone who's interested that I've just bought a licence for Transit NXT, albeit a time-limited one. However, if I decide to extend the licence/buy a different version, they will discount the money I've already paid from the price.
This evening I suddenly realised that I simply couldn't carry on working in such difficult conditions and I bought the software. I didn't buy a permanent licence because there aren't any available online, and I couldn't wait until tom... See more I would like to tell anyone who's interested that I've just bought a licence for Transit NXT, albeit a time-limited one. However, if I decide to extend the licence/buy a different version, they will discount the money I've already paid from the price.
This evening I suddenly realised that I simply couldn't carry on working in such difficult conditions and I bought the software. I didn't buy a permanent licence because there aren't any available online, and I couldn't wait until tomorrow!
At the moment I'm really noticing the difference. At least I can read what's written!
[Edited at 2014-02-19 22:28 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Helena Chavarria wrote: AlSqur wrote:
Wow... that's like complaining about ... Windows 3.1... or Pentium II or Commadore 64.
There was Transit XV (2001-2008) and now we have Transit NXT (2008-now). It's the version the agency sent me. It might be worth asking them whether it's worth investing in a newer version. Although judging by your comments, it might be a good idea to buy my own updated software, even if I stop working for the agency. You give me the impression that Transit really can make life easier. I suppose it's like learning to drive with a 25-year-old car
More like learning to drive in a Model-T...
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