Comparing Trados Studio 2019 and Across Translator Edition v7

Which software is better? Here is a rundown of features and reviews to help you make your decision.


Name	Trados Studio 2019	Across Translator Edition v7
Review breakdown	(28 reviews)	(6 reviews)
Most helpful review	From CAT Leader to Playing the Catch-up Game By Pavel Tsvetkov From CAT Leader to Playing the Catch-up Game PROS 1. Trados is still considered by many to be the best CAT tool out there – if not the most advanced or reliable, at least the most comprehensive one. 2. Their support is supposed to be good. (As long as you are ready to pay for it.) 3. It is actively developed and marketing is aggressive, and with clear messages – not the case with Atril's marketing, which I would call unpredictable. 4. If you are looking for a separate term managing solution (and do not mind the glitches and the counter-productive interface logic) MultiTerm is your best choice. 5. On-the-fly spell checking using Microsoft spell checker (Déjà vu X3 and MemoQ still cannot figure that out). 6. Segments are marked clearly depending on the stage the file is in (translation, reviewing, etc.) This used to be a Trados-exclusive feature (and a very useful one, I might add), but now their competitors offer it as well. 7. There is an actively developed platform (SDL OpenExchange) where third-party vendors and enthusiasts publish Trados add-ons, some of which are indeed very helpful. CONS 1. Where do I start? Trados is a behemoth – installation packages are big, installation is slow and sometimes troublesome, until recently activating the software was mission impossible for many. It has happened to me that Windows would have to be reinstalled with no chance of returning the license before that and the amount of trouble that would create when trying to activate the newly installed Trados was often mind-boggling. While working, it creates a multitude of unnecessary files in obscure locations. 2. I have been using – and paying for Trados – since 2007, and it that period there has never been a version that I would call reliable. You either cannot get your file in, or you cannot get your translation out. And in between the software used to crash every hour or so. Version 2011 was the first ‘more stable‘ one. The new version 2015 is much more stable than version 2011 when it first came out (they practically sold a beta, or so many freelancers thought – check the forums on this site), but it will still crash and give the odd error message when least expected. 3. Until recently Trados used to cost an arm and a leg (or both), and every year you would have to pay them more for a ‘new’ version, which more often than not was just the old version with a few bugs fixed – come on, SDL, this is not a nice way to treat paying customers! In recent years, they have been forced to reconsider their price policy by the success of the ‘young lions’ at Kilgray, and the low prices of Atril's Déjà vu X2 and X3. Of the ‘Big 3’ CAT makers Trados is the only one that obstinately sells a separate term solution (Multiterm), instead of incorporating it with the project manager like their competitors at Atril and Kilgray. Why? You guessed it correctly: money-wise it is better to sell two overpriced products than just one. Cost aside, Multiterm and Trados simply do not – and have not over the past 7 years – work/ed together flawlessly, they act more like products made by different vendors, who do not like comparing notes. Example? You can now add terms to your term base with a single click, but if you want to edit a term... No, sorry, you cannot do that from inside the editor, you have to open both Trados Studio and Multiterm as two separate products to be able to edit the term. Warum, SDL?! 4. Things are happening notoriously slow at SDL. New technology finds its way there last. Their aggressively advertised AutoSuggest v1 feature (which they initially tried to sell separately) was hopelessly outdated for years (Déjà vu X3 being the leader in offering revolutionary CAT technology), but they would be the last to admit it. What they still call ‘impossible’ is what their competitors at Atril and Kilgray have been offering for 2 years now. In version 2014 for example the threshold for creating an AutoSuggest dictionary was lowered (as a result of the public outcry), and still it was not low enough to make it convenient for the freelancer. Compare this to the fact that Déjà vu X3 creates ‘autosuggest’ entries on-the-fly even from the last segment you have just confirmed. Now, finally, AutoSuggest 2 has emulated the success of Atril's AutoWrite and is offering on-the-fly suggestions even from the last segment you have just confirmed. 5. You will have to pay for a support package. Sometimes I think they keep Trados in a state of disrepair, just so that they can sell support packages. I am sorry if this hurts someone’s feelings, but until recently, Trados was the sole king of the CAT market, raking in huge profits, and I simply cannot understand why it would be so unreliable, and known problems would not be fixed over a period of 7 years, etc. Why? Anyone? 6. Version 2015 is still far from perfect. The sliding panel for adding new terms can drive you crazy, and you will waste precious time looking for important options buried deep in the re-modeled interface. CONCLUSION This is the most comprehensive tool out there (can open the widest range of formats), but it is usually somewhat outdated, it costs a lot to buy and renew, and it is both complex and sometimes unreliable. Just like with Windows XP, the old versions of Trados are the most widely used ones (outsourcing translation companies still have them), and this is what dictates the market. While the competition at Kilgray and MemoQ has developed immensely over the past 2-3 years, and is offering more reliable and small footprint software with (in certain respects) better advanced features, SDL seems to be losing momentum, and ultimately – clients. They have drastically lowered their prices, but if you check the promotions page on www.proz.com, you will find out that they still sell less than their nearest competitor Kilgray. Although, they seem to finally be on the right track with Studio 2015, precious 3-4 years have been lost and now SDL has surrendered its position of CAT leader and is playing the catch-up game with Kilgray (in terms of new customers) and Atril (in terms of technology). 143 out of 163 found this review helpful. Read more reviews →	By far the worst translating tool on the market By johannes van de pavert This is the one translation tool that should be avoided at all cost. (Unfortunately, a major customer of mine switched to Across some time ago, and I had little choice but to go along. My previous experience with Across had already placed it on my blacklist, and I had made it a rule to refuse any offers that involve Across.) First, there's the mere size of it. On my system, the Basic Edition of V7 claims 1.17 GB (!) according to the "Programs and Features" of the Windows Control Panel. Seeing that number alone, you know that shit gonna be bad. It will also slurp up your memory (currently running at 467 MB, together with its satellites, making Chrome's memory usage a laugh). On slightly older computers, Across will cripple the whole system, especially during uploads and downloads (stop your music). Then, it co-installs a spy-ish application called CodeMeter which is unclear as far at its intentions are concerned, and without which it will not run. You will be working directly through your client's server and speed will very much depend on your connection and on how that server feels. This may compromise the whole application to a great degree; the very concept is a guarantee for super slow working pace. In order to start working, you will have to retrieve orders from the client's server. The process is slow and it is totally unclear what is being downloaded and where it is stored, or even what the use of that procedure may be. In fact, you have no local control whatsoever of the material you are working on. There is no memory on your system, there are no files for you to use on your disk, and there is no archive of any previous order. Any work you do just vanishes though your internet connection with the client's server and there is no reward in the form of any library on your local disk. Every string translated is simply donated to the client's server. There is no export function that will allow you to keep a local copy of your work (except as stated below). The interface is sloppy and counter-productive. There is an overview of the strings of the texts in which you cannot directly work; instead, for inexplicable reasons you have to edit texts in a separate pane. This may not be the worst of all disadvantages, but it sure ranks high on the ladder of stupidity. Quality assurance features (number checks, tag verification, term recognition, spelling) are many, but far too cumbersome to be happy about. Term recognition is quite useless, as it is not aware e.g of cases of nouns in languages that have declensions. Spelling correction is as slow as one can possibly imagine, positively reaching the "I wouldn't bother if I cared" level. You can either correct or add spelling mistakes; the option to ignore unknown words (names!) in the whole text is not included. In fact, the only way to use Across is to avoid using it as much as possible. There is, however, one one single ray of light in this darkness: through the "Correction Mode" pane, you can generate a side-by-side overview of all strings in HTML that can subsequently be imported into other programs (e.g., Word) and then translated using other translation tools; you will just need to take the time to copy your translation back into Across on a phrase-by-phrase base when you are finished. This way, you can speed up the translating process with Across, so that it may perhaps take less than ten times more of your precious time than any other tool, but it will also reward you with your own translation memory for future use. 30 out of 31 found this review helpful. Read more reviews →
Product description	Translate faster and smarter using the world’s #1 computer assisted translation (CAT) tool for translation professionals. Trados Studio 2019 the industry’s most popular CAT tool has evolved to bring you a brand new experience. Designed with user experience at its core, Trados Studio 2019 transforms how new users get up and running, helps experienced users make the most of the powerful features, ensures new levels of productivity for the whole translation team and helps in delivering unrivalled quality in your translations. Used by over 250,000 professionals worldwide, when you choose Studio, you become part of the largest translation community in the world. What’s New in Trados Studio 2019: Get started easily with on-demand tips and tutorial videos: From the moment you open Trados Studio 2019, you are guided through each area with tips, tricks and tutorial videos showing you how to create and manage projects, use the translation editor, and get the most out of your translation assets. Instant access to every feature and setting with 'Tell Me' technology: Did you know Studio 2019 has over 700 commands and 1300 settings, that’s a lot of functionality. Our new ‘Tell Me’ technology helps you access a setting 4x faster. Tell Studio exactly what you need to know: simply type in a word or phrase, and Studio 2019 intelligently suggests commands, options and settings that you might want to access. Effortless project creation and simple project updates: Create projects up to 28% faster with the brand new one step project creation wizard. Adding and updating specific files mid-project is also now a much quicker and pain-free process – up to 82% faster than Studio 2017. Enhanced quality checks: Studio 2019 introduces the option to customize settings for each language, increasing your flexibility and control over quality assurance (QA) checks. When you run a QA check in Studio 2019, the source and target segment are now included in the report, so you can see at a glance exactly where each error occurs. Improved translation memory (TM) management: With Studio 2019, you have more control over the Translation Memories Editor: you can now view up to 1000 translation units per page, navigate to a specific page or directly to the last page of a TM, meaning it’s quicker and easier to sort through your TMs, change and update translations MultiTerm 2019: Don’t forget that MultiTerm is included in your purchase of Trados Studio 2019 - Using correct terminology is crucial to ensuring high quality, consistent translations. MultiTerm 2019: Don’t forget that MultiTerm is included in your purchase of Trados Studio 2019 - Using correct terminology is crucial to ensuring high quality, consistent translations. Additional file types supported: Brand new support for the Microsoft Visio file type is available with Studio 2019, and other file formats have been updated to match the latest third-party (e.g. Microsoft) releases. Discover the new features in more detail	Across Translator Edition v7 Deliver high-quality translations with our fast and secure CAT tool. You can integrate machine translation and other third-party systems. The Across Translator Basic Edition is free for freelancers. Full-Fledged Translation Environment Translation memory, terminology system, quality assurance, and project management. Basic or Premium Chose from the variant of the Across Translator Edition that best suits your needs based on your mode of operations and project volume. Versatile Work Environment Multiple configuration options, intuitive and easy use, quick overview of project and tasks. Systematic Translation The Across Translator Edition supports nearly all languages and more than 60 file formats. Speed up your translations by connecting machine translation and quality assurance tools. New business opportunities with crossMarket Communicate easier and faster with customers and peers with your crossMarket profile. Get Started Immediately Create a crossMarket profile, download and install the Across Translator Edition with just a few clicks. Support The support for the Across Translator Edition and crossMarket is free for freelance translators. You can find information on how to contact our customer support team on our website. Free Learning Resources How-to guides File formats tips and tricks YouTube tutorials Blog Video
Price	Trados Studio 2019 Freelance - Ideal for freelance translators (€695/$845/£595/¥100,000)	Basic Free / Premium from € 19.50 monthly (included in crossMarket membership)
File formats	Work with any file format and any project. View list.	Works with 60+ file formats. View full list (page 186).
License type	Perpetual	Software as a service (subscription)
Operating system	Windows	Windows
System requirements	As a minimum requirement, we recommend an Intel or compatible CPU-based computer with 8 GB RAM and a screen resolution of 1024x768.For optimum performance, we recommend a 64-bit operating system, 16 G	Microsoft .NET 4.7.1. RAM: 2 GB of memory. 15 GB hard disk space, min. screen resolution 1280x800 px. Browser-based work: IE 11, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Chrome, Safari.
Compatibility	Open standard file formats XLIFF, TMX, TBX & OLIF, interoperability with other CAT tools and an app store making it possible to integrate with any workflow.	Supports open standard file formats XLIFF, TMX, TBX.
Support and upgrades offered/included	Free installation and licensing support, Free online community help from RWS employees, Paid support available for unlimited specialist support and free upgrades	Free upgrades to all future versions, Free technical support via support ticket center
Support and tutorial links	Support available here.	Free support for freelance translators.
Free trial	Download a 30-day free fully functional trial of SDL Trados Studio 2019	Download Across Translator Edition free basic package.
Languages supported	Virtually any language combination that is also supported by Microsoft Windows. View list.	Across is capable of supporting practically all languages.