Full ProZ membership or buying a CAT tool - which is a better spend for a newbie?
Thread poster: Daniel Sullivan
Daniel Sullivan
Daniel Sullivan  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 23:14
Spanish to English
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Dec 31, 2020

Hey everyone, I've been free-lancing for almost a year now, but all through the same agency, which doesn't pay much. I'm trying to decide whether to take advantage of the special on a full ProZ membership (today!). If I haven't purchased a CAT tool, would the membership be worthwhile? Which would you recommend doing first, a CAT tool or a membership? And of course, I'd love your views on which CAT tool to purchase. Thanks!

Yaotl Altan
 
Yaotl Altan
Yaotl Altan  Identity Verified
Mexico
Local time: 16:14
Member (2006)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Both :) Dec 31, 2020

Well, both are important, but if you are a newbie, buy the full memerbship. You will be able to get more projects and be more visible in the Kudoz charts. As you save some money from these projects, you will easily buy a CAT tool license.

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Samuel Murray
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Netherlands
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Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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@Daniel Dec 31, 2020

Daniel Sullivan wrote:
1. I'm trying to decide whether to take advantage of the special on a full ProZ.com membership (today!). ... Which would you recommend doing first, a CAT tool or a membership?


In your case, I'd recommend saving up for the CAT tool first. Paid ProZ.com membership would be worthless for you. With your free membership, you can currently do everything that you need to do to build your business. Visit the Blue Board and start contacting lots and lots of agencies.

2. If I haven't purchased a CAT tool, would the membership be worthwhile?


There is no link between having a CAT tool and getting benefit from ProZ.com membership.


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Angie Garbarino
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Member (2003)
French to Italian
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Absolutely true Dec 31, 2020

Yaotl Altan wrote:

if you are a newbie, buy the full memerbship. You will be able to get more projects and be more visible in the Kudoz charts.


Start with membership, no doubts


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Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:14
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Membership Dec 31, 2020

Angie Garbarino wrote:

Yaotl Altan wrote:

if you are a newbie, buy the full memerbship. You will be able to get more projects and be more visible in the Kudoz charts.


Start with membership, no doubts


Membership. You can always get the trial versions of CAT tools and experiment with them to see which one/s you like, before you buy.


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Sheila Wilson
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Spain
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Member (2007)
English
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ProZ.com PLUS membership Dec 31, 2020

If you were to invest in the Plus grade of membership here you would get a PRO CAT tool as well as several other tools for PM, term management, etc. You would also get access to the entire ProZ.com library of training videos.

I have to say I totally disagree with Samuel on this. Non-paying members have extremely limited possibilities of quoting on jobs here. Paying members can quote from the first minute on all jobs that fit their profile. That can give a full ROI from the first job
... See more
If you were to invest in the Plus grade of membership here you would get a PRO CAT tool as well as several other tools for PM, term management, etc. You would also get access to the entire ProZ.com library of training videos.

I have to say I totally disagree with Samuel on this. Non-paying members have extremely limited possibilities of quoting on jobs here. Paying members can quote from the first minute on all jobs that fit their profile. That can give a full ROI from the first job.
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Jean Dimitriadis
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English to French
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ProZ members Jan 1, 2021

Currently, all Proz membrers can access the full version of CafeTran Espresso (by signing in with their ProZ.com credentials), which is an excellent CAT tool in its own right.

[Edited at 2021-01-01 03:15 GMT]


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Christine Andersen
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Denmark
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Member (2003)
Danish to English
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Membership and try out CAT tools free Jan 4, 2021

You have to make active use of your membership, because it will not work for you alone! However, you have to make yourself visible to clients - you are moved above all the non-paying users in the directory for a start.
Fill in your profile as soon as you can, but give it some thought. What kinds of jobs do you specialize in and prefer? Think from the angle of a client: what would you look for if you needed a translator for one of those jobs?

Try out the free CAT tool and look
... See more
You have to make active use of your membership, because it will not work for you alone! However, you have to make yourself visible to clients - you are moved above all the non-paying users in the directory for a start.
Fill in your profile as soon as you can, but give it some thought. What kinds of jobs do you specialize in and prefer? Think from the angle of a client: what would you look for if you needed a translator for one of those jobs?

Try out the free CAT tool and look at demo versions, thinking about how YOU work. Consider which features are important for you, and how well designed they are in the CATs you try.

You wil not have time to try them all, but there are reviews and comparisons.
I like Trados Studio because I have grown with it for many years, but I hated it at the start, and there have been bumps along the way when I tried other CATs. I came back to Trados because my clients use it, and I can tailor it to my poor typing skills - the glossary function can be set up to insert strings and save typing, and AutoCorrect corrects many of my typos along the way. The align feature has been useful on occasions.
Others find it unnecessarily clunky and expensive, and if I were to start from scratch today I might (or might not) prefer one of the others.
The work I do is not extremely repetitive, but I use the concordance all the time, to see phrases and terms in context, or to check specific client preferences from earlier jobs, even when they do not come up as repeat segments. That has to be accessible at the touch of a couple of keys, and it works well with Trados.

Emma Goldsmith's blog is full of good advice, centred on Trados, but she covers a very wide range of topics. https://signsandsymptomsoftranslation.com/

Here is Emma Goldsmith's advice for beginners:
Tip: New to translation, new to Studio and on a budget? I recommend SDL Trados Studio Starter, a subscription edition of pared-down Studio Freelance desktop for €99/year. Check out this blog post https://signsandsymptomsoftranslation.com/2013/01/31/studio-starter/
for more details or compare versions here
https://www.sdl.com/products-and-solutions/translation/software/sdl-trados-studio/editions/.

(As a freelancer you will not need the Professional version - that is a lot more expensive and intended for agencies.)
______________________________________________

Give yourself time to get to know a small handful of CATs if you are not immediately happy with the first.
You have to work up a routine before you are comfortable with any of them, but some are worth the effort!

Can you use your own glossaries and attach your TMs to clients' online setups? This is where you store your experience as it builds up, and if you cannot link up your own resources and take advantage of your experience, then you are locked at the beginner stage for ever!

There are lots of other things to consider, but if you buy the right CAT, it will soon pay for itself. A CAT that does not suit the way you work can be a distraction, and even affect the quality of your work. Quality CATs are more or less compatible, so you should be able to work in your preferred CAT when you decide which to go for.

Best of luck!


[Edited at 2021-01-04 15:11 GMT]
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