Is there a chance ot buy Trados second hand or sth like that?
Thread poster: Inez Ulrich
Inez Ulrich
Inez Ulrich  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 16:09
Member (2016)
English to German
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Mar 12, 2021

Hi,

I'm struggling with the free of charge CATs like SmartCat (because this one is crap, and their support is actually non-existant), but Trados is still too expensive for me. Any ideas what I could do?


 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
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English to Afrikaans
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@Inez Mar 12, 2021

Inez Ulrich wrote:
I'm struggling with the free of charge CATs like SmartCat (because this one is crap, and their support is actually non-existant), but Trados is still too expensive for me. Any ideas what I could do?


There are non-free CAT tools with more generous demo or trial limits. For example, you can use WFP3 or WFP6 for fairly large jobs even if you don't buy the tool. Their demo versions do have limits, but the limits allow you to use the programs indefinitely as long as you are able to limit your work to the limit. MemoQ's demo version is more restrictive (a lot more, actually), but you can still use it for small jobs.

Trados has a 30-day trial, but after that, it stops working. Other Trados options include a subscription on the full Freelance version (but you end up paying more in the long run), or a subscription on the Starter version, which is currently set at about $150 per year. Note that the Starter version lacks certain features.


 
Inez Ulrich
Inez Ulrich  Identity Verified
Germany
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English to German
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TOPIC STARTER
Thanks! Mar 12, 2021

[quote]Samuel Murray wrote:



There are non-free CAT tools with more generous demo or trial limits. For example, you can use WFP3 or WFP6 for fairly large jobs even if you don't buy the tool. Their demo versions do have limits, but the limits allow you to use the programs indefinitely as long as you are able to limit your work to the limit. MemoQ's demo version is more restrictive (a lot more, actually), but you can still use it for small jobs...



Thanks, Samuel! Do you know if the trial version of Trados is a full version, so I can really work on it and deliver tasks done with it?
My issue is that more and more clients want me to work with Trados, but I could always handle Trados packages and send return packages whith SC, but it doesn't seem to work anymore (and, again, no answer to my calls for help since 3 days now). I also have no clue which CATs are compatible with Trados, if I decide against it.


 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
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English to Afrikaans
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@Inez Mar 12, 2021

Inez Ulrich wrote:
Do you know if the trial version of Trados is a full version, so I can really work on it and deliver tasks done with it?


I would suppose that it would be.


 
Kevin Fulton
Kevin Fulton  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 11:09
German to English
You generally don't own software – no second-hand software Mar 12, 2021

Just a side note: the EULA (user licensing agreement) of most software specifies that actual ownership of the software resides with the publisher. The user is just that – a licensee not an owner. Transfer rights of the license might be possible in some cases, I suppose.

CAT tools are an investment – they pay for themselves over time, although you may find that the return on investment (ROI) comes sooner rather than later.

Besides, second-hand software would be all w
... See more
Just a side note: the EULA (user licensing agreement) of most software specifies that actual ownership of the software resides with the publisher. The user is just that – a licensee not an owner. Transfer rights of the license might be possible in some cases, I suppose.

CAT tools are an investment – they pay for themselves over time, although you may find that the return on investment (ROI) comes sooner rather than later.

Besides, second-hand software would be all worn out by the time you got it.
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Inez Ulrich
Inez Ulrich  Identity Verified
Germany
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you are certainly right Mar 12, 2021

Kevin Fulton wrote:

Just a side note: the EULA (user licensing agreement) of most software specifies that actual ownership of the software resides with the publisher. The user is just that – a licensee not an owner. Transfer rights of the license might be possible in some cases, I suppose.



yes, I meant it that way However, good point. I'm still trying to figure out which CAT to invest in (as soon as I have the funds). None of them seems ot be fully compatible with Trados, and this is what a lot of clients want.


 
AnnaSCHTR
AnnaSCHTR  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 10:09
English to Czech
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Investment Mar 12, 2021

I know the cost is really high, and you also need to add the extra time you'll spend learning to work with its quirks and caprices - a process that never ends, by the way. Unfortunately, the clients often require it (sometimes because they don't know any better).
Yes, there are many ways to work without Trados, and you will find quite a few "compatible" free or semi-free programs, or even illegal versions lurking somewhere on the Darknet. However, it is also your marketing tool, and not t
... See more
I know the cost is really high, and you also need to add the extra time you'll spend learning to work with its quirks and caprices - a process that never ends, by the way. Unfortunately, the clients often require it (sometimes because they don't know any better).
Yes, there are many ways to work without Trados, and you will find quite a few "compatible" free or semi-free programs, or even illegal versions lurking somewhere on the Darknet. However, it is also your marketing tool, and not the least important one. As such, it may well pay by itself with a single project you wouldn't get otherwise.
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Inez Ulrich
Inez Ulrich  Identity Verified
Germany
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... Mar 12, 2021

Anna Schuster wrote:

I know the cost is really high, and you also need to add the extra time you'll spend learning to work with its quirks and caprices - a process that never ends, by the way. Unfortunately, the clients often require it (sometimes because they don't know any better).


Thank you Anna! So far, I didn't have many disadvantages without it, and I wouldn't bother anyway if my issues with CATs like SmartCat didn't increase. With last year being a difficult one for many of us, I guess, my financial situation is still a bit tight, that's why it is difficult to invest right now, but maybe in a few months. (BTW: if I ever decided to purchase sth in the dark net, I guess it will be sth more fun than a CAT tool)


 
Wolfgang Schoene
Wolfgang Schoene  Identity Verified
France
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English to German
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Trados compatibility Mar 12, 2021

Inez Ulrich wrote:

Anna Schuster wrote:

I know the cost is really high, and you also need to add the extra time you'll spend learning to work with its quirks and caprices - a process that never ends, by the way. Unfortunately, the clients often require it (sometimes because they don't know any better).


Thank you Anna! So far, I didn't have many disadvantages without it, and I wouldn't bother anyway if my issues with CATs like SmartCat didn't increase. With last year being a difficult one for many of us, I guess, my financial situation is still a bit tight, that's why it is difficult to invest right now, but maybe in a few months. (BTW: if I ever decided to purchase sth in the dark net, I guess it will be sth more fun than a CAT tool)


Hi Inez
depends on what you mean by compatibility. If I were you I'd give Cafetran a try, so far it served me well processing all sorts of Trados files, sdlppx/sdlrpx packages included. Cafetran is definitely less expensive if compared to other tools, but the learning curve is fairly steep as CT is feature-packed.


 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 16:09
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
@Kevin Mar 12, 2021

Kevin Fulton wrote:
Just a side note: the EULA (user licensing agreement) of most software specifies that actual ownership of the software resides with the publisher. The user is just that – a licensee not an owner.


Courts in the EU and US have come to different conclusions regarding the validity of such statements. The results dished up for me by Google show that, in the EU, if a Trados user had bought an indefinite license to use the product, then he can resell it, even if the Trados EULA says that he can't.

However, a problem with copyright law (which is what governs software and software licenses) is that each case has to be ruled on separately. So what applied to Oracle may not apply to Trados, or what applied to one Trados user may not apply to another. So although Trados is morally obligated to allow you to sell (or buy) a second-hand Trados license, they don't really have a legal obligation. If they choose not to participate in such a sale, then you can sue them, and may even win, but the cost of suing them would be more than the cost of just buying a new license.

Also, the fact that Trados phones home to verify that an installation is licensed, would make it difficult to enforce such a moral principle if Trados doesn't want to cooperate.

I have recently had success in installing Trados on a virtual machine (previous versions had specific checks that prevented it from running in a virtual machine), so this may be a way to overcome the problem of Trados phoning home. But the fact remains that a second-hand Trados license is likely to require a bit of acrobatics to continue to use.


 
Inez Ulrich
Inez Ulrich  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 16:09
Member (2016)
English to German
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TOPIC STARTER
thanks! Mar 12, 2021

Wolfgang Schoene wrote:


Hi Inez
depends on what you mean by compatibility. If I were you I'd give Cafetran a try, so far it served me well processing all sorts of Trados files, sdlppx/sdlrpx packages included. Cafetran is definitely less expensive if compared to other tools, but the learning curve is fairly steep as CT is feature-packed.


Hi Wolfgang, thanks for your reply! I haven't taken a look at CT before, but I know the name, of course. I'll check it out for sure!


 


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Is there a chance ot buy Trados second hand or sth like that?







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