Wordfast pro 5 on a macbook pro
Thread poster: sandrine mey
sandrine mey
sandrine mey
New Zealand
Local time: 01:36
English to French
+ ...
Jan 31, 2018

Hi there!

I have always been using Windows and now would like to use a macbook pro (2015). The thing is that I use trados 2015 and you can't use it natively on a mac (without bootcamp or parallel) whichis quite inconvenient so I was thinking about using Worfast pro 5. One of my clients wanted me to use worfast pro 5 for their projects and I realized that this Cat tool works natively on a Mac.

What are your opinions about Worfast pro 5? Is it worth it? Can it replace tra
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Hi there!

I have always been using Windows and now would like to use a macbook pro (2015). The thing is that I use trados 2015 and you can't use it natively on a mac (without bootcamp or parallel) whichis quite inconvenient so I was thinking about using Worfast pro 5. One of my clients wanted me to use worfast pro 5 for their projects and I realized that this Cat tool works natively on a Mac.

What are your opinions about Worfast pro 5? Is it worth it? Can it replace trados ?
I love trados 2015, it's really easy to use. What do you think about wordfast pro 5?

I really don't know what to do. What I know is that I'm fed up of windows and am going to buy a mac but I don't know which Cat tool to use.

Some comments would be very helpful! Thanks!
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Dylan J Hartmann
Dylan J Hartmann  Identity Verified
Australia
Member (2014)
Thai to English
+ ...

MODERATOR
It just works Jan 31, 2018

I've got the opposite experience to you.

I've only ever used a Mac and began using Wordfast Pro and have stuck to it. It is compatible with most other CAT tool files, so I've never encountered any issues. The support team is very fast to respond and helpful with any queries.

Having seen previews of Trados, I think the Wordfast system appears more user friendly and simple to use, but this is only face-value opinion. I've never used Trados, so can't advise there.
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I've got the opposite experience to you.

I've only ever used a Mac and began using Wordfast Pro and have stuck to it. It is compatible with most other CAT tool files, so I've never encountered any issues. The support team is very fast to respond and helpful with any queries.

Having seen previews of Trados, I think the Wordfast system appears more user friendly and simple to use, but this is only face-value opinion. I've never used Trados, so can't advise there.

Put simply, it just works.
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sandrine mey
sandrine mey
New Zealand
Local time: 01:36
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you! Jan 31, 2018

Hi DJHartmann,

thank you for sharing your experience. It does help me a lot and makes me feel more confident in using Wordfast pro 5

Cheers


 
John Di Rico
John Di Rico  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 13:36
Member (2006)
French to English
Learn by doing, my experience Feb 1, 2018

Hi Sandrine,
You can try out a fully-functional version of WFP5 for 30 days:
http://www.wordfast.com/products/wfp-free-trial-license

Just export your linguistic assets (TM and glossaries) as TMX and TBX files, then import them into WFP5.
If it works and you feel comfortable, then make the switch.

I switched to a Mac 8 years ago and in do
... See more
Hi Sandrine,
You can try out a fully-functional version of WFP5 for 30 days:
http://www.wordfast.com/products/wfp-free-trial-license

Just export your linguistic assets (TM and glossaries) as TMX and TBX files, then import them into WFP5.
If it works and you feel comfortable, then make the switch.

I switched to a Mac 8 years ago and in doing so, started using WFP3. A very good client asked me around the same time to start using SDL Trados and even offered me a license. I took them up on it since I had Parallels installed on my computer but quickly realized:
1. The license they gave me was a starter edition so I could not use MT or multiple translation memories.
2. Parallels was making my machine slower and slower.
3. I could translate their SDLXLIFF files with WFP.

So, I never really started using SDL Trados and continued to work for them using WFP. All they had to do was send me a pre-translated (segmented) SDLXLIFF file.
At the end of the day, the most important criteria for a translation agency (in my opinion) is not the means you use to do your translation (imagine an agency telling you you have to have a Mac to do the translation!), it is how good it is, how consistent it is with terminology or the TM (they can check by running QA), and that it is delivered on time. After that come compatibility issues, or how easy it is for them to send it to the next person in the workflow and/or update their TM. As a PM, if I had to choose between the best translator using another tool plus 2 extra minutes to export a TM for a job OR a mediocre translator using the same tool, I would take the best translator any day.

The only thing that can cause a problem is when a client asks you to connect to a remote TM to ensure real-time consistency (say 5 people are working on the same job at once) and centralize linguistic assets. This is difficult if you are not all using the same CAT tool.

Hope this helps!
John
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JohnWhi
JohnWhi
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:36
French to English
Keep a Windows partition? Feb 1, 2018

Just an additional suggestion. If you already have Trados, you may like to keep it for a time on a Windows 10 partition in Bootcamp. The cost of a Windows license from Amazon can be very cheap. As a Mac user, I started with Trados in the early days of Windows Vista, but moved fairly quickly to Wordfast. The two have a lot in common but are different enough to present a significant learning curve when moving from one to the other. Reading the User Guide is rather helpful!

 
sandrine mey
sandrine mey
New Zealand
Local time: 01:36
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks for your answers Feb 2, 2018

Thank you all for your answers. I think I'm gonnna use wordfast on my mac and see how it goes. It doesn't seem that different from Trados so I shoudn't have any problem adapting myself.

I let you know how it goes.

Cheers!


 
Lindsay Spratt
Lindsay Spratt  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 13:36
Portuguese to English
+ ...
how did it go? Apr 25, 2018

Hi Sandrine!

I'm in a similar position with a MacBook Pro and thinking of getting WordFast. Can I ask how it's going? Are you happy with WordFast?


 


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