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Help with choice of TM for newbie / Mac user
Thread poster: BabelOn-line
BabelOn-line
BabelOn-line
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:06
English to French
+ ...
Aug 7, 2011

Hello All


Well, the subject says it all...

Never used a TM before. This time however, I have got a good chunk of a website to translate (25k into French) on Excel. I will not tell you for whom this is, but it is a multinational manufacturer of flat packed furniture with infuriating assembly notices.

Many cells and expressions are repeated, and i guess this is the kind of job that a TM would slice through. So may be it is time i open my mind to the be
... See more
Hello All


Well, the subject says it all...

Never used a TM before. This time however, I have got a good chunk of a website to translate (25k into French) on Excel. I will not tell you for whom this is, but it is a multinational manufacturer of flat packed furniture with infuriating assembly notices.

Many cells and expressions are repeated, and i guess this is the kind of job that a TM would slice through. So may be it is time i open my mind to the beautiful world of TM after all.

1/ I am essentially looking for a TM that handles Word and Excel – but if it handled PowerPoint and HTML or other formats, that could come handy.

2/ It has to work on an Apple Mac (OS X or cross platform), but i won't go the "it will work OK on Parallels/VM Ware" route)

3/ Short-ish learning curve, user friendly interface and proper user manual would be a plus (as in “flat packed furniture, here we come and we have TM now!"). I am reasonably competent with IT and normally have no prob picking up new software.

4/ I don't mind spending a bit of cash on a TM, i was thinking up to £200 / €220 / 300$ if the product is right.



If you use a mac-friendly TM software that does just that and you are happy with it, please please let me know.

Thanks for your input.
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Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:06
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Why not.... Aug 7, 2011

Why not just use the find/replace all function in Excel? That's how I do it.

[Edited at 2011-08-07 10:32 GMT]


 
BabelOn-line
BabelOn-line
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:06
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
good point Aug 7, 2011

Could do, but i have 19 files in total.

Could always make one big file, but then that makes a really big file and if anything goes wrong, i am buggered.


 
Claudio Chagas (X)
Claudio Chagas (X)
Brazil
Local time: 11:06
English to Portuguese
+ ...
OmegaT - multiplatform CAT tool Aug 7, 2011

Hi,

I work both with Mac and PC, and in my opinion the best CAT tool for working with spreadsheets on a Mac is the free (GPL) translation memory tool OmegaT.

OmegaT offers support for Office 2007 XML format, to access all the supported files, but it works best with OpenOffice file formats, including spreadsheets. It retains all the formatting in word processing documents, spreadsheets and presentations, producing target documents with exactly the same structure and form
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Hi,

I work both with Mac and PC, and in my opinion the best CAT tool for working with spreadsheets on a Mac is the free (GPL) translation memory tool OmegaT.

OmegaT offers support for Office 2007 XML format, to access all the supported files, but it works best with OpenOffice file formats, including spreadsheets. It retains all the formatting in word processing documents, spreadsheets and presentations, producing target documents with exactly the same structure and formatting. It also works on raw HTML files. If you translate raw HTML with OmegaT it will keep all the tags in the HTML. OmegaT handles work on multiple files simultaneously, which speed up things considerably for translators and allows to use translation memory and many other features.

If you want to learn more visit:
http://www.omegat.org/en/omegat.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OmegaT

Get OmegaT - multiplatform CAT tool at SourceForge.net

http://sourceforge.net/projects/omegat/files/

I always download the latest Beta releases and never had any problem. It is very stable. To see the Beta versions click on the "View all files!" button and download the latest if you are using a Mac or one of the .exe or JRE.exe files for the PC. (JRE is the Java component that you need to run OmegaT). Macs already come with Java pre-installed by default, so you don´t need to install Java on Macs. But if you are using Windows, you can get Java from Microsystems here http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp or use the Java version included in the JRE.exe file.

I hope that helps,
c
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Selcuk Akyuz
Selcuk Akyuz  Identity Verified
Türkiye
Local time: 17:06
English to Turkish
+ ...
CafeTran Aug 7, 2011

I did not test this software yet but one of my colleagues use it and his blog is just great: http://cafetran4mac.blogspot.com/

You can download CafeTran at http://www.cafetran.republika.pl/

By the way it is only EUR 80, can you believe that!!


Other alternatives are
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I did not test this software yet but one of my colleagues use it and his blog is just great: http://cafetran4mac.blogspot.com/

You can download CafeTran at http://www.cafetran.republika.pl/

By the way it is only EUR 80, can you believe that!!


Other alternatives are OmegaT, Wordfast and Swordfish.

And you can use also use Deja Vu X but with Parallels or VMFusion.

Selcuk
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yanadeni (X)
yanadeni (X)  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 10:06
French to Russian
+ ...
I've had the same problem Aug 7, 2011

I've had the same problem. I have a Mac that I love so much and translations that require a TM use. Moreover I had already bought two PC-only CATs at the time I had not yet become a Mac addicted.

I tried OmegaT and was deceived a Nth time (I had tried it before twice and every time it was a deception). It was so poor and so user-unfriendly, that I reckoned that I can't go far without a PC. I lost two days trying to figure out how to make it work and how to make work different plug-i
... See more
I've had the same problem. I have a Mac that I love so much and translations that require a TM use. Moreover I had already bought two PC-only CATs at the time I had not yet become a Mac addicted.

I tried OmegaT and was deceived a Nth time (I had tried it before twice and every time it was a deception). It was so poor and so user-unfriendly, that I reckoned that I can't go far without a PC. I lost two days trying to figure out how to make it work and how to make work different plug-ins I need for my job. I regret the time I lost on it. There are freeware programs that are quite decent, but it's definitely not OmegaT.

So I used boot-camp to create a separate partition on my Mac and installed Win7. So far it's OK. I'm using my favorite CATs (DVX and MemoQ) and I like them as much as I like Mac.

I heard that Wordfast had a version for Mac. No idea how user-friendly and efficient it is. I already have my two CATs and not going to buy another one.
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BabelOn-line
BabelOn-line
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:06
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks for the input! Aug 8, 2011

So, there is stuff out there, things to try, but no clear winner!

Thanks for all your input guys, that really helps.

Claudio: I am using OmegaT for this project, it is a bit fiddly initially but i'm getting the hang of it. I start having fuzzy matches popping up, not sure how to select between the one ii want in multiple suggestions.

Works OK indeed when you convert you Excel files into Neo Office ones. At the end, you have to convert back and copy t
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So, there is stuff out there, things to try, but no clear winner!

Thanks for all your input guys, that really helps.

Claudio: I am using OmegaT for this project, it is a bit fiddly initially but i'm getting the hang of it. I start having fuzzy matches popping up, not sure how to select between the one ii want in multiple suggestions.

Works OK indeed when you convert you Excel files into Neo Office ones. At the end, you have to convert back and copy the files back into your main Excel file. Not ideal, but it works and it is free. As often with freeware, you can tell that a serious coding effort was made to get the software to work but then the user interface and manuals are a bit scarce.

Selcuk: Thanks, i'll check cafe tran. And i have heard of Wordfast. Will check your friend's blog too.

Yana: Yes, more or less the same experience with OmegaT. I am not too hot on installing Windows on my mac (tried it in the past in the very early days of Bootcamp and it was very poor), but you seems to say it works fine, so may be i should not be a Mac-bigot and reconsider.


Anyway, i guess it is time i start using TM.

Thanks all of you for your time.
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Sergei Tumanov
Sergei Tumanov  Identity Verified
Local time: 16:06
English to Russian
+ ...
Wordfast Classic does it all! Aug 8, 2011

MS Office for Mac + Wordfast Classic = the Solution that is required

 
Sergei Tumanov
Sergei Tumanov  Identity Verified
Local time: 16:06
English to Russian
+ ...
it works Aug 8, 2011

Photobucket

 
BabelOn-line
BabelOn-line
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:06
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Oooh, looks nice Aug 8, 2011

Hi Sergei

That may well be the route to follow. I have to say, working with OmegaT is a bit of an eye opener.

I remember i tried Wordfast free trial version a long time ago – but did not do any RTM. If they still offer a demo trial, i'll give it a go.


I like the idea of having all my apps at hand in a Mac environment.

Thanks for this, appreciated.


 
yanadeni (X)
yanadeni (X)  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 10:06
French to Russian
+ ...
Another thing to add. Aug 8, 2011

New Macs are more powerful and new version of VM seem to be powerful too. I tried Paralles+Win XP on my MacBook 13" 3 years ago and it was quite a deceiving experience. I didn't want to get back to it.

Now I have MacBook Pro 17" (on bootcamp it supports only Win7 and higher), and I heard a lot of good things on new Parallels.
Maybe it'a about how powerful your machine is and how new your software is.

Moreover, Win7 is so beautiful. I don't believe myself but I'm c
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New Macs are more powerful and new version of VM seem to be powerful too. I tried Paralles+Win XP on my MacBook 13" 3 years ago and it was quite a deceiving experience. I didn't want to get back to it.

Now I have MacBook Pro 17" (on bootcamp it supports only Win7 and higher), and I heard a lot of good things on new Parallels.
Maybe it'a about how powerful your machine is and how new your software is.

Moreover, Win7 is so beautiful. I don't believe myself but I'm charmed. Though I'm taking precautions: antivirus, firewall, daily backup, never let it run alone at night.
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yanadeni (X)
yanadeni (X)  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 10:06
French to Russian
+ ...
Google Translation Toolkit Aug 8, 2011

BTW, you can try Google Translation Toolkit.
I translated a couple of files there. It's basic and not very friendly, but still a good solution (if you're not scared to share your content with Big Brother Google).


 
BabelOn-line
BabelOn-line
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:06
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks, Yana Aug 8, 2011

My Mac is getting a bit old but still packs some punch: it is a two dual core chips machine on which i have installed 7 Gb of RAM. So it would handle VM no problem.

It is probably an old Mac user reflex: the idea of paying my good money to install Windows on my Mac is about as exciting as eating a barbecued rat on a stick. But if it is worth it...

My guess is, i have to see which one i like / would really use and factor in the cost of getting VM ware + windows + antivi
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My Mac is getting a bit old but still packs some punch: it is a two dual core chips machine on which i have installed 7 Gb of RAM. So it would handle VM no problem.

It is probably an old Mac user reflex: the idea of paying my good money to install Windows on my Mac is about as exciting as eating a barbecued rat on a stick. But if it is worth it...

My guess is, i have to see which one i like / would really use and factor in the cost of getting VM ware + windows + antivirus.

BTW, do you have any problems with the mac/PC keyboard on VM ware? Used to be one of my gripes: in bootcamp mode, the keyboard used not to recognise all the keystrokes from my Mac keyboard.

And agree with you re: Google. As much as i like their search engine, Google has taken this bad habit of reading everything you write. Not that i mind that much, but the idea of a world where my browser decides what i want to see, buy or befriend is something i am not happy with.

Doing much better with the OmegaT freeware now. I have to say that TM rocks when you have a massive Excel jobs with repeat segments. To you it must seem routine, but seeing so many cells populated automatically, to me, that's bordering witchcraft.
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Claudio Chagas (X)
Claudio Chagas (X)
Brazil
Local time: 11:06
English to Portuguese
+ ...
MS Office for Mac + Wordfast Classic Aug 8, 2011

I like Sergei Tumanov's approach.... I have worked with Wordfast before and in my experience it works well with Word documents, but I am not so sure how well it handles spreadsheets and Powerpoint presentations. As I mentioned in my first post I found OmegaT particularly useful for working with spreadsheets and presentations, converting Excel and PPT files into Neo Office and then back to MS-Office format. The output is not perfect, you have to tweak the files a little to correct formatting and ... See more
I like Sergei Tumanov's approach.... I have worked with Wordfast before and in my experience it works well with Word documents, but I am not so sure how well it handles spreadsheets and Powerpoint presentations. As I mentioned in my first post I found OmegaT particularly useful for working with spreadsheets and presentations, converting Excel and PPT files into Neo Office and then back to MS-Office format. The output is not perfect, you have to tweak the files a little to correct formatting and styles, but at least it does a bulk translation of the content across multiple files. This approach doesn't work well with complex documents with complex layouts though.

Macs are still not ideal for translators wanting to use industry standard CAT tools, and to set up a virtual PC in your Mac just for the porpoise of working with these PC native applications is often expensive and the the performance is not that great. I'd rather buy a good PC and work with dedicated software in their native platforms. This setup can be less expensive and less buggy than installing everything on a high end Mac. But it's a personal choice, and if you travel a lot you might enjoy the convenience of carrying only one laptop....

Since projects have different requirements you will probably end up using a combination of different tools. Start with those available for free before you decide which one works best for you.

Best,
c
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BabelOn-line
BabelOn-line
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:06
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Interesting point, Claudio Aug 8, 2011

Yes, could be an idea to buy a cheap PC.

Buying a separate Windows and antivirus would be expensive – if you compare it with a bundled offer PC + Windows + antivirus that you can probably get for GBP 300 these days.

To tell you the truth, between the time i posted this topic and now, i have really come to grips with OmegaT. There is the small drawback of having to go through Neo Office, but that's a little price to pay given the time it saves me for this specific job
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Yes, could be an idea to buy a cheap PC.

Buying a separate Windows and antivirus would be expensive – if you compare it with a bundled offer PC + Windows + antivirus that you can probably get for GBP 300 these days.

To tell you the truth, between the time i posted this topic and now, i have really come to grips with OmegaT. There is the small drawback of having to go through Neo Office, but that's a little price to pay given the time it saves me for this specific job. I don't mind the spartan interface, as long as the app engine works.

So all the info you give me is interesting, as it gives me a good insight of what TM could do.

Again, thanks, Claudio!
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