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Poll: What do you think about CAT tool prices (in general)? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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neilmac
Spain
Local time: 17:05
Spanish to English
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Naming no names, I think the one generally regarded as the industry standard is overpriced and overcomplicated, at least for my purposes. The one I use is much simpler to manage and more reasonably priced, at least in my opinion. I suppose any tool is only as valuable as what the user can achieve with it.
[Edited at 2023-02-01 08:23 GMT]
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Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 17:05
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
| Fairly priced | Feb 1, 2023 |
I think they are fairly priced, since you can go on for years with your purchase (I would say 5 years is perfectly doable).
I just hope they will stay away from those subscription nonense a lot of software is switching to these days, because apparently that constitutes a justified reason to turn an affordable product into a very expensive one. In the past my one-time purchase dictionary software cost me about 400 euros and lasted as long as my computer lasted. This year or the next ... See more I think they are fairly priced, since you can go on for years with your purchase (I would say 5 years is perfectly doable).
I just hope they will stay away from those subscription nonense a lot of software is switching to these days, because apparently that constitutes a justified reason to turn an affordable product into a very expensive one. In the past my one-time purchase dictionary software cost me about 400 euros and lasted as long as my computer lasted. This year or the next I will have to replace my computer and then I will be forced to switch to subscription software: again (at least) 400 euros, but this time per year (* insert cursing *). ▲ Collapse
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How many other businesses get to spend as little on tools as us?
That said, they all seem to be unnecessarily complicated and full of features you don’t need.
PS £400 a year on dictionaries?!! There are plenty of free ones online…
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achaave 
Norway
Local time: 17:05
Member (2014)
English to Norwegian (Bokmal)
+ ...
| The main problem | Feb 1, 2023 |
I think the main problem is that CAT tools cannot be used interchangeably. This forces you to buy more than one CAT tool, and that becomes very expensive very quickly.
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Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 17:05
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
achaave wrote:
I think the main problem is that CAT tools cannot be used interchangeably. This forces you to buy more than one CAT tool, and that becomes very expensive very quickly.
Interesting. I would never consider doing that. I use Trados since ages and until now every agency I work with has been okay with that. 1 client tried to persuade me to switch to MemoQ online, but I didn't like it and told that I wouldn't accept any more work with MemoQ. She accepted that and I'm using Trados again.
I wouldn't trust agencies that prefer a CAT tool over the translator itself, by the way.
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| Interoperability | Feb 1, 2023 |
achaave wrote:
I think the main problem is that CAT tools cannot be used interchangeably. This forces you to buy more than one CAT tool, and that becomes very expensive very quickly.
I beg to disagree, leading CAT tools like CafeTran Espresso, Transit, Trados have a high degree of interoperability.
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| CAT tools are great to enhance productivity and quality ... | Feb 1, 2023 |
... so it's not a bad idea at all to invest in them as a freelance translator. However, annual subscription models for any software solution, including CAT tools, aren't my cup of tea. I've been using Déjà Vu X3 since the beginning of my career as a translator, still going strong 
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Hans Lenting wrote: achaave wrote:
I think the main problem is that CAT tools cannot be used interchangeably. This forces you to buy more than one CAT tool, and that becomes very expensive very quickly.
I beg to disagree, leading CAT tools like CafeTran Espresso, Transit, Trados have a high degree of interoperability.
'A high degree of interoperability', but not 100%. And lets not forget the agencies that stick to their CAT of choice (and refuse to accept work done with another CAT), or worse, that use their own inhouse platform.
Sorry Hans, I beg to disagree.
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Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 17:05
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
| The other angle | Feb 1, 2023 |
The problem with CAT tools is that they are used to drag the prices down. That, in itself, is expensive.
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Ana Vozone
Local time: 16:05
Member (2010)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
It all depends on the type of demand you have from clients. If they require you to use a CAT Tool and they are regular clients, I think it is worth the investment. Also, CAT Tools do stimulate your learning of technology, so that is a plus too, in my opinion.
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Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:05
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| £189.31 in August 2021 | Feb 1, 2023 |
I paid £189.31 in August 2021 for CafeTran and it's a perpetual license ("perpetual" means "until the end of time").
So I think the price is very reasonable.
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Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:05
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Lingua 5B wrote:
The problem with CAT tools is that they are used to drag the prices down.
That doesn't work with me.
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Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 17:05
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
| Work or not work | Feb 1, 2023 |
Tom in London wrote: Lingua 5B wrote:
The problem with CAT tools is that they are used to drag the prices down. That doesn't work with me.
I was just saying what I'm being offered, not what I'm accepting. Even though it's not with every client, I generally don't have a good experience with CATs or CAT promoters.
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| I agree (partially) | Feb 1, 2023 |
Hi Robert,
'A high degree of interoperability', but not 100%. And lets not forget the agencies that stick to their CAT of choice (and refuse to accept work done with another CAT), or worse, that use their own inhouse platform.
These days I only receive Trados projects (for which my CAT tool offers perfect compatibility). Transit seems to have disappeared. And memoQ projects are not offered neither, in my field and language combination.
With the latter I'm very happy, since I don't like how memoQ allows project managers to lock all resources on the server. It's a lot like Across ...
And yes, ultimately it is the freelance translator's decision: do I want to work on the server (with all the restrictions that come with it!) or not?
I decided to tell a mayor client who exclusively uses memoQ that I'm no longer interested in his business, if he doesn't allow me to download TMX and TBX. I'm still happy with that decision. I am the one who decides what tool to use.
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