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SDL Trados studio 2011 Gold edition vs MemoQ2103
Thread poster: Davidoff71
Michael Beijer
Michael Beijer  Identity Verified
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Sorry Paul, May 31, 2013

I just realised that saying that memoQ support is MUCH better than that of SDL, to someone who actually works for SDL support might not have been such a nice thing to do. Sorry about that. I get carried away sometimes and perhaps resort to hyperbole, as do many people when it comes to The Great CAT fight. I just want to save new translators the hassle of spending their money on a tool and then realising that it was the wrong one when it's too late.

Michael


 
jokerman
jokerman
Germany
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memoQ May 31, 2013

... and without even thinking twice about it!!

I was working for years with Trados Freelance 7 (back then, I didn't even know about MemoQ existing) and while it was a useful tool, I always thought that it is one of the most user-UNfriendly pieces of software I ever came across. Acctually, apart from the most basic features (translations of most simple formattings in MS Word), practicaly _always_ some errors (at least one, often even several) from Trados occurred, making me loose qui
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... and without even thinking twice about it!!

I was working for years with Trados Freelance 7 (back then, I didn't even know about MemoQ existing) and while it was a useful tool, I always thought that it is one of the most user-UNfriendly pieces of software I ever came across. Acctually, apart from the most basic features (translations of most simple formattings in MS Word), practicaly _always_ some errors (at least one, often even several) from Trados occurred, making me loose quite of bit of time and nerves every time.

Also, from all I remember, the reputation of Trados support (back then) was uniquely infamous among the translators' communities.

Then I learned about MemoQ and tried it out. Ever since, I've been working with MemoQ practicaly all the time for the past years: hundreds of project, different file formats, different details that had to be considered - and it all works flawlessly and with pleasure.
I received a few error messages (3 in number, if I remember well) from MemoQ (especially in the beginning), contacted their support vie a-mail - and the problems were solved within minutes (and I mean, they _were_ solved, i.e. the support staff was staying with me until the problem was entirely solved, rather than leaving me on my own half the way through, as many companies do (and as Trados/SDL reportingly was often doing)). In one instance, a director (acctualy the CEO, I think) from MemoQ even offered me to call me via Skype and - upon my agreement - he solved the problem 'live/in real-time'.

Now, I don't know about Trados/SDL today, but I do know about MemoQ today - and in my view it is a very user-friendly piece of software that provides all the features I need.

By the way, I just completed a mid-large project where the client was asking me to use Trados/SDL. I told him that I personally prefer to use MemoQ and that I would like to do so in this case as well. Upon confirming that I will deliver the TM is the TMX format (which is a standard feature in MemoQ and the TMX file is made with a click of the mouse), the client happily agreed to using MemoQ. I delivered the project today - and everything was fine regarding the use of MemoQ (as expected).

With the above said: no way I would ever use Trados again (if I can avoid it anyhow), while MemoQ has so far for years proved to be a precious jewel!!
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jokerman
jokerman
Germany
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true, but... May 31, 2013

Bernard Lieber wrote:


A lot of questions asked are related to lack of training/computer/OS knowledge, etc. Seems always easy to spot suspected flaws in any CAT tool, just because YOU can't master it.

Bernard


True, but: from my experiences, practicaly no errors occur with MemoQ, while when I was using Trados, they were ocurring all the time.

Now, I might be lacking some serious training/OS knowledge indeed), but with MemoQ, I do not even need it - simply because MemoQ works so intuitively and because no errors occur (or they do only very rarely - as opposed to my Trados-experiences which were full of ocurring errors).

[Bearbeitet am 2013-05-31 22:18 GMT]


 
Selcuk Akyuz
Selcuk Akyuz  Identity Verified
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Local time: 16:14
English to Turkish
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there are other alternatives May 31, 2013

I prefer using another CAT tool but it seems that you are interested in only memoQ and Studio. Well, your money your decision. Download and test both programs and make your decision.

Michael Beijer wrote:

SDL products are notoriously, uhm, how can I say this without offending anyone? ... German. The memoQ interface is simple and gets the job done without getting in your way.


Across is a German company as well.

Well, Trados was originally a German company, perhaps that explains why. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SDL_Trados

I don't like Studio's interface compared to memoQ (sexy). I know that there are great features under the hood but the GUI is important when you use a program for long hours. I prefer something more Mediterranean (an Italian or Spanish program).


 
RWS Community
RWS Community
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:14
English
Maybe... May 31, 2013

jokerman wrote:

True, but: from my experiences, practicaly no errors occur with MemoQ, while when I was using Trados, they were ocurring all the time.



... but it would be very untrue to say this is the general rule. You only have to look at all forums to see that all tools have errors. If I showed you these as I opened three files I happened to be looking at with memoQ 2013 this evening what would you think?


It gives a false impression... maybe? To be fair Studio also failed with one of them, and DVX failed with two but then opened the one both Studio and memoQ failed with.

Whilst I think it's important to share your experiences when working with a CAT, especially when someone asks a question like this, I also think it's too easy for a dozen users to provide an inaccurate assessment of the capability of other tools, particularly if they don't use them regularly. In addition to this I think Studio often gets a bad reputation because of Trados. By this I mean some people refer to Trados without clarifying whether this is Studio or the legacy Trados ... this is confusing because then everyone starts to compare their experiences of the legacy Trados with modern versions of other tools.

If you look at the number of users posting into the different forums there are a significantly higher number in the SDL Trados forum compared to any of the others simply because there are more users of SDL Trados tools than any others... so this naturally means you also see more problems in there than anywhere else. So I think the best advice for any user is to take the trials offered by the different vendors and make their own minds up... then use the forums to clarify any questions they have while testing. There are many satisfied users of all the different tools who don't post at all into the forums, and the users in these ones (especially a thread like this) are going to be fanatical supporters of the tools they like best (myself included).

Regards

Paul


 
Heike Behl, Ph.D.
Heike Behl, Ph.D.  Identity Verified
Ireland
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. Jun 1, 2013

i'm not sure whether it's appropriate for a representative of one of the two candidates to enter the discussion to advertise his own product and show up flaws in the competitor's product. At least in the absence of a representative of the competition... Not exactly high class.

We all know that all programs have some issues here and there. The question was which product would you buy, and users - i.e. actual users - answer with their subjective experiences with one or the other or bo
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i'm not sure whether it's appropriate for a representative of one of the two candidates to enter the discussion to advertise his own product and show up flaws in the competitor's product. At least in the absence of a representative of the competition... Not exactly high class.

We all know that all programs have some issues here and there. The question was which product would you buy, and users - i.e. actual users - answer with their subjective experiences with one or the other or both CAT tools.

I would buy MemoQ also. It has the most comfortable UI for me to work in, makes a lot of functions easy to use (after initial attempts I had completely given up on Trados MultiTerm, but the Studio versions have probably improved these issues). They release new versions regularly and some of them bring big boosts of productivity. Their activation code management is much more flexible than SDLs. Nobody wants to be told by customer service that because their computer crashed, they'd have to buy a completely new SDL license at full price. This, too, has apparently been getting somewhat better, but SDL managed to scar lots of users in the past. SDL said it themselves in one of their presentations a good while ago that their main targeted customers are large companies, not the individual translators. Understandable, because that's how you make money. But MemoQ caters to all players in the field and has implemented a lot to make translators' lives easier and more productive. My impression is that SDL's products only got better and started to cater more for the individual translators after the competiton started to heat up.

I've been using Trados for many years and IMO TagEditor is still hands down the best tool to manage texts where you need to manipulate a lot of tags. I'm glad I don't have to translate a certain type of text anymore, but it would not have been possible in any other tool but TagEditor. No other CAT tool gives you that freedom to do with the tags what you need to do. I still use TagEditor sometimes. I've tried Studio and was not too happy about it. I probably didn't give it enough time to learn some of the improvements of the last couple of years, but the thing is, I didn't have to give MemoQ any time trying it out a good many versions ago to find out that I liked it and what it had to offer.

This is my personal, subjective experience and opinion.
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Abrigela
Abrigela
Local time: 14:14
Hungarian to English
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A balanced view? Jun 1, 2013

Heike Behl, Ph.D. wrote:

i'm not sure whether it's appropriate for a representative of one of the two candidates to enter the discussion to advertise his own product and show up flaws in the competitor's product. At least in the absence of a representative of the competition... Not exactly high class.



I can see your point, but to be fair I do not think this is what Paul was doing. He also acknowledged flaws in Studio too. I think this discussion is a little one sided, which is fair enough, but even you go on to prove his point and have brought up things that seem to relate to the company from years ago. I think the company has improved a lot, doesn't have these kind of licensing problems, and Studio is a very good product. I think, from using these forums a lot to find help that Bernard is probably quite right here. SDL Trados Studio has a lot of users who often believe that having used Trados in the past means they should automatically know how to use SDL Trados Studio as well but this is not the case because the product, and the company, have moved on a lot.


 
FarkasAndras
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Depends on your needs Jun 1, 2013

If you have a major client that wants you to use MQ, buy MQ. If you have a major client that wants you to use Studio, buy Studio.

Other than that, both are decent tools with their annoying quirks. MQ is much more beginner-friendly, Studio has more advanced features. Studio seems to have more bugs (this may only appear to be the case because it has more users). Studio is more widely used so you're more likely to have clients that want you to use Studio.

I prefer Studio m
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If you have a major client that wants you to use MQ, buy MQ. If you have a major client that wants you to use Studio, buy Studio.

Other than that, both are decent tools with their annoying quirks. MQ is much more beginner-friendly, Studio has more advanced features. Studio seems to have more bugs (this may only appear to be the case because it has more users). Studio is more widely used so you're more likely to have clients that want you to use Studio.

I prefer Studio myself. I think it has a better layout and better ergonomy in the actual editor and the autosuggest feature alone makes it a no-contest for me.
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JaneD
JaneD  Identity Verified
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Agree Jun 1, 2013

FarkasAndras wrote:

If you have a major client that wants you to use MQ, buy MQ. If you have a major client that wants you to use Studio, buy Studio.

Other than that, both are decent tools with their annoying quirks. MQ is much more beginner-friendly, Studio has more advanced features. Studio seems to have more bugs (this may only appear to be the case because it has more users). Studio is more widely used so you're more likely to have clients that want you to use Studio.

I prefer Studio myself. I think it has a better layout and better ergonomy in the actual editor and the autosuggest feature alone makes it a no-contest for me.


I also prefer Studio, and I have had/continue to have projects that require Studio, but only one client - who has never actually given me any work - has insisted that I use MemoQ.

Reading between the lines of these discussions over the years, it's pretty clear that personal preference is an important issue when it comes to CAT tools. If you're the kind of person who would really rather not use a CAT tool at all, then Trados Studio is probably not for you because it looks complicated, and in certain circumstances it can be temperamental.


 
Heike Behl, Ph.D.
Heike Behl, Ph.D.  Identity Verified
Ireland
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English to German
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. Jun 1, 2013

Abrigela wrote:

Heike Behl, Ph.D. wrote:

i'm not sure whether it's appropriate for a representative of one of the two candidates to enter the discussion to advertise his own product and show up flaws in the competitor's product. At least in the absence of a representative of the competition... Not exactly high class.



I can see your point, but to be fair I do not think this is what Paul was doing. He also acknowledged flaws in Studio too. I think this discussion is a little one sided, which is fair enough, but even you go on to prove his point and have brought up things that seem to relate to the company from years ago. I think the company has improved a lot, doesn't have these kind of licensing problems, and Studio is a very good product. I think, from using these forums a lot to find help that Bernard is probably quite right here. SDL Trados Studio has a lot of users who often believe that having used Trados in the past means they should automatically know how to use SDL Trados Studio as well but this is not the case because the product, and the company, have moved on a lot.


It was just last year that a friend of mine was advised by SDL's customer service to by a new license. The SDL presentation where they basically said they were not interested in the individual translators is not that long ago either; I would say maybe about 2 years back, but time flies, so maybe it was three, which is not that long ago either. But when I heard them so openly admit it, my jaw dropped. That's not the way to gain new and treat loyal customers among translators.

I am also not saying that SDL Studio is not a powerful program with a lot to offer for translators, I am just saying that it couldn't convince me without investing a lot of time in learning all about its features. This kind of time investment was not necessary with MemoQ. Also working in Studio was not compatible with my preferred working ways. Maybe that has changed in the latest Studio version, I hope so as such a powerful and expensive tool should be more flexible, but I won't go chasing the maybe-butterflies and upgrade expensive programs I never use when I found in MemoQ everything I need.

This doesn't mean that Studio is not a dream come true for many other translators. But the question was which version I would buy and why. That's the question I tried to answer.

I can only assume this discussion is a bit one-sided because it seems that more very enthusiastic MemoQ users have replied to this question than SDL Studio users. Which should also provide some valuable information to the OP...


 
Emma Goldsmith
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More valuable information... Jun 1, 2013

Heike Behl, Ph.D. wrote:

I can only assume this discussion is a bit one-sided because it seems that more very enthusiastic MemoQ users have replied to this question than SDL Studio users. Which should also provide some valuable information to the OP...


The OP should be careful not to jump to any conclusions. There are many Studio and MemoQ users who have not joined in this discussion.

As David is a "complete beginner" in this field I would advise him to go for the tool that most agencies work with. While it's completely feasible to switch between tools and avoid compatibility issues, if you're a beginner, you may want to avoid those extra steps.


 
Heike Behl, Ph.D.
Heike Behl, Ph.D.  Identity Verified
Ireland
Local time: 13:14
Member (2003)
English to German
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. Jun 1, 2013

Emma Goldsmith wrote:

Heike Behl, Ph.D. wrote:

I can only assume this discussion is a bit one-sided because it seems that more very enthusiastic MemoQ users have replied to this question than SDL Studio users. Which should also provide some valuable information to the OP...


The OP should be careful not to jump to any conclusions. There are many Studio and MemoQ users who have not joined in this discussion.

As David is a "complete beginner" in this field I would advise him to go for the tool that most agencies work with. While it's completely feasible to switch between tools and avoid compatibility issues, if you're a beginner, you may want to avoid those extra steps.


This is a very valuable point. Although not a single one of my clients actually works with Studio. One major client still uses the last Trados version (TagEditor), another major client uses MemoQ. The rest don't care which tool you use. But this can of course vary quite a bit from person to person and client to client.

However, another valuable point for a CAT beginner is the user-friendliness and how quickly you can begin using the tool productively. It seems most people find MemoQ easier to use and more intuitive, but there are some that think Studio is easier to use. The only solution for David: Try out both programs. You can download 30-day trial versions of both programs and give them both a chance. MemoQ constantly offers webinars on all kinds of topics and makes recordings of older webinars available for streaming, all for free. That would be another good starting point to get an introduction to the program and to learn about the latest new features. SDL probably offers something similar. And there's always YouTube...


 
sdl_andy
sdl_andy
Local time: 13:14
Webinars and Videos Jun 2, 2013

MemoQ constantly offers webinars on all kinds of topics and makes recordings of older webinars available for streaming, all for free. That would be another good starting point to get an introduction to the program and to learn about the latest new features. SDL probably offers something similar. And there's always YouTube...



Hi, I'm from SDL and thought the following could be useful.

To help you decide it's certainly worth investigating the many resources that are available from each of the software suppliers. This will give you the chance to see demonstrations of the products which should supplement your own trial experience.

For example, there are indeed plenty of free webinars every month from SDL that help freelance translators get started with Studio, learn the advanced features and also hear tips and tricks. We also have events hosted by the Proz team. There's a Trados channel on YouTube for free info too. Over recent months we have been running additional webinars for freelancers to learn about social media and building their business from well known industry voices.

Additionally, you can attend some of the events where you can speak to existing users of the software. If you feel SDL can help you, we'll be delighted to have to as a customer and will always work to keep you happy.

Andy

[Edited at 2013-06-03 12:39 GMT]


 
Malcolm Rowe
Malcolm Rowe
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Not sure about Gold Edition Jun 17, 2013

Hi.

The OP asks about Studio 2011 Gold Edition, which, as I understand it is a particular packaging of Studio 2011 (made up of one licence of Studio 2011 Professional + 5 licences of Studio 2011 Starter Edition + some SDL tools) rather than being a particular version of Studio.

I would imagine those 5 Starter Editions to be somewhat superfluous to the OP's requirements, unless he is planning to work with a team of translators. He may not even want the Professional versi
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Hi.

The OP asks about Studio 2011 Gold Edition, which, as I understand it is a particular packaging of Studio 2011 (made up of one licence of Studio 2011 Professional + 5 licences of Studio 2011 Starter Edition + some SDL tools) rather than being a particular version of Studio.

I would imagine those 5 Starter Editions to be somewhat superfluous to the OP's requirements, unless he is planning to work with a team of translators. He may not even want the Professional version of Studio, but might be better pointed towards the Freelance version with it's somewhat cheaper price point.

I'm afraid I have no personal experience of MemoQ to be able to give an opinion of its merits compared to Studio. I would say, as an employee of a translation company that uses Studio, that we would want to use providers who can work reliably with files produced by Studio. That being said, I have heard that MemoQ has very good filters for working with Studio files.

I have a question regarding the Gold Edition. Given that the Studio Starter Edition is normally issued on an annual subscription, does the apparently flat fee for the Gold Edition entail a perpetual licence for the Starter Edition licences provided with it or will they have to be renewed separately on an annual basis?

EDIT: Thanks to Emma Goldsmith for her clarification about the two different 'Gold' Editions (Professional and Freelance). I thought I'd better mention it here as Emma's post has been pushed onto another page and might be missed by someone reading here.
Details of the Freelance Gold edition can be found on http://www.translationzone.com/en/translator-shop/special-offers.asp
Sorry if I have already caused anyone confusion.

[Edited at 2013-06-17 11:11 GMT]
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Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
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Studio 2011 Freelance and a PSMA Jun 17, 2013

That is the combination I have, and it suits most of my clients.

The 2007 and bilingual files setup is getting unreliable - it is not happy with later versions of Word than 2003, tho' there are workarounds. I am firmly phasing it out, as Studio can handle the .ttx files much more comfortably than TagEditor... Should you run into those.

A PSMA - Premium Software Management Agreement - is a lifeline if you run into trouble, but it also means you get all patches, updates a
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That is the combination I have, and it suits most of my clients.

The 2007 and bilingual files setup is getting unreliable - it is not happy with later versions of Word than 2003, tho' there are workarounds. I am firmly phasing it out, as Studio can handle the .ttx files much more comfortably than TagEditor... Should you run into those.

A PSMA - Premium Software Management Agreement - is a lifeline if you run into trouble, but it also means you get all patches, updates and so on at no further cost once you have paid for the annual subscription to the PSMA. It costs a bit, but is cheapest in the long run. Again, there are two versions, but the less expensive one is fine for me.

And if you mark your issue as URGENT, these guys are fast, courteous and efficient. They may take a day or two for non-urgent problems, but that is up to you.

Most of the time it works smoothly, and although it takes time to learn all the features, it is time well spent.

________________________

I attended a MemoQ workshop last summer, and if I were setting out now, I would seriously consider it. However, my conclusion was that I am happily staying with Trados, because most of my clients use it, while none use MemoQ.

I am nearing retiring age, but I've been with Trados through its ups and downs since version 3 something... which I thought was a pain! But they have come a long way, and Studio 2011 is the best ever.

As a Freelancer you will not need the Gold version.

Try both, but if your clients vote for Studio, go for it wholeheartedly. It has a lot to offer.
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SDL Trados studio 2011 Gold edition vs MemoQ2103







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