Which Software Do You Reccomend for a Translator Starting Up Again? Thread poster: Joshua Gibbs
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Hi I have a university degree and passed agency tests about ten years ago.
I was offered opportunities in ecommerce so didn't work as a translator.
I want to get back into translation and would like reccomendations on what software to purchase.
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I am working from French to English and Japanese to English.
Many Thanks
| | | | | CafeTran Expresso | Jul 15, 2023 |
You'll get it for free when subscribing for your ProZ Membership. No need to invest big money.
| | | | Stepan Konev 
Russian Federation
Local time: 16:17
English to Russian
Marie-France Phaneuf wrote:
You'll get it for free when subscribing for your ProZ Membership. No need to invest big money. Cafetran is only for free if you have a proz.com plus membership.
| | | | | The best things in life | Jul 16, 2023 |
Stepan Konev wrote: Marie-France Phaneuf wrote:
You'll get it for free when subscribing for your ProZ Membership. No need to invest big money. Cafetran is only for free if you have a proz.com plus membership.
Indeed, the best things in life are not always free.
Alternatively, you can invest 80€ to test CafeTran for one year (you will have to cancel the subscription at the end of the first year).
Good luck with restarting!
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Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:17
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
| CAT tool purchase not always required | Jul 16, 2023 |
I use Trados, but I find that my agency clients in Japan increasingly use Phrase (previously Memsource), which has a free editor, so no purchase is required. As others have said, CafeTran is definitely worth a look - cheaper, better supported, actively developed, very capable, but has a few quirks from the perspective of a Trados user.
Whatever you choose, give yourself time to learn the ins and outs of the software before you use it in anger. You don't want to be racing to hit a de... See more I use Trados, but I find that my agency clients in Japan increasingly use Phrase (previously Memsource), which has a free editor, so no purchase is required. As others have said, CafeTran is definitely worth a look - cheaper, better supported, actively developed, very capable, but has a few quirks from the perspective of a Trados user.
Whatever you choose, give yourself time to learn the ins and outs of the software before you use it in anger. You don't want to be racing to hit a deadline while simultaneously working out how to operate your CAT tool. That way heartbreak lies.
My gratuitous advice would be that (rather than worrying about CAT tools) your priority should be your profile page, which needs a lot of work. I would cut the self-congratulatory comments about having successfully learned kanji - this should be taken as read if you're a JA-EN translator! - and focus on what you've been doing since university. If you've been working in e-commerce, then describe all the skills and experience that have flowed from that, and big up your business smarts. Keep it tight and professional.
I can see that some of this is in your downloadable profile (can you not provide that in PDF format?) but it's spread out all over the place. Putting your education first is a classic no-no. Your work experience should come first because that's what potential clients are interested in. Most non-British clients won't even know what an A-level is, let alone care.
Cut out the repetition and make it punchy. Bullet points, not waffle. All the important stuff should fit on the first page, and the whole thing should be no more than two pages. You have four! Make sure there are no errors of spelling or grammar. (Look at the Credentials field of your profile, for example. See the issue?)
It is even more important that your profile is concise and to the point, because most potential clients won't download the profile document. Most JA-EN translators charge per source character these days - quoting your rates in words is likely to confuse people. From what I can see they are rather low, and I would negotiate on a case-by-case basis rather than sticking them out there, but maybe that's just me.
Incidentally, if you really want to demonstrate your linguistic abilities to potential clients, I would suggest you look at the JLPT N1. It's inexpensive, it's standardised (which is why some Japanese clients like it), and it should be within your grasp if you're as good as you think. Next one is in December.
I strongly advise you to consider developing a specialisation of some kind. E-commerce, webdev? Some thoughts on that here.
Good luck. It's a long road, but success is possible. You need to be organised and be relentlessly business-like in your approach.
Regards,
Dan ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:17
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Dan Lucas wrote:
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My gratuitous advice would be that (rather than worrying about CAT tools) your priority should be your profile page, which needs a lot of work.
Until the lockdown, when I suddenly didn't have much work, I tried out a few CAT tools. Ultimately I went for CafeTran, which is useful up to a point and saves a little time.
But that had never been a priority for me during my previous many years of translating.
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