Smartcat

Solid CAT tool for small teams

Kommentare: We occasionally use Smartcat to work on game localization projects in a team with other translators and it has never failed us. Solid solution and you can't beat the price because it's free to use.

Vorteile:

A free robust CAT-tool makes it extremely attractive for translators, small teams and localization specialists.

Nachteile:

Navigation within the many dashboard could be improved. Seems like they're trying to be everything at the same time: a CAT tool, project management software and a marketplace for freelancers and it makes it a bit overwhelming.

Smartcat, an excellent tool for freelance translators

Kommentare: In general, Smartcat is a wonderful tool with a great MT/TM motor that allows for rapid translations in all kinds of fields. The best features are the AI behind the segmentation and the fact you can import .xliff files an translation memories. I can use this tool for direct clients or clients through Smartcat without the use for any other translation software, and the price is great. The QA check needs to be improved.

Vorteile:

I love it when I receive translation jobs from clients (translation agencies) and I don't have to o any configuring or preparing. I can just start translating. Also, when I receive documents that need to be translated, they can easily be converted into a translation file and at the end you can just download the completed translation in the same original file format. Finally, it has been a huge support for me that Smartcat accepts .xliff files and translation memories from SDL Trados.

Nachteile:

The QA is one of the least developed features of Smartcat. You can only review each segment at a time (for as far as I know) and when you indicate you want to ignore an error, the software does not apply it automatically to each of the same issues. It therefore takes a lot of time to do the QA. Also, it would be great if you could receive -xliff files, complete them and then export them to the original .docx, .xlsx, etc. Finally, it would be great if the PDF converter becomes more powerful. In this case it is still difficult to upload PDF files with a lot of images.

Do not recommend this for translation companies

Vorteile:

The software is reasonably easy to use and quick to deploy.

Nachteile:

Management changed the focus of this software to be for businesses, not for translation companies. They don't even mention translation companies on website anymore. They are trying to get rid of translation companies which is very sneaky because we are the ones that helped build this software over the years by providing feedback and funding the software. The software is not well suited for translation companies. We will move away very soon because limited features for translation companies. They can also not be trusted as they changed their fees and model often. The smartwords model is bad. I would advise translation companies to not using this software. There are better options on the market.

Scope of upgradation

Kommentare: Hi, Thanks and congratulation for making SmartCat very useful CAT tool. I use Smart Cat from the beginning and very much satisfied compare to Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast and some other online CAT tools. Previously I had informed about some bugs in this Cat tool for working with xliff file for compatibility with Trados.
And thank you very much Team to solve those issues. Now It works fine. I am mainly Bengli/Hindi Translator, working with all Indian languages. Working in this industry for 17+ years. I am requesting you if possible solve following 2 points only. 1. SmartCat allows to export bilingual file but working with this it is not uploaded/updated. In other Cat tools like Trados and MemoQ I can export bilingual word file and can work or edit offline and after that it easily upload/update. For this facility one can work offline in a exported word file. Also for this facility translation done on CAT tool can be reviewed by other translator who do not CAT tool. After reviewing the file Translator can update. 2. Proofreading very much important part for translation and some times client want proofread files along with changes marking, i.e track change mode. Where Reviewer's changes are shown on that file. This facility can be done with Trados in Review by active Track change mode. This is very important facility in trados for Proofreading. If you can add above two facilities Smart Cat will be a complete number one CAT tool. Feel free to write me if any support require.

Vorteile:

Showing text normal size, does not show small or big as shown in original document compare to Trados. Very simple tag management

Nachteile:

Unable to update the translation after working on SmartCAT exported doc file.

Best cloud based CAT tool for translation

Kommentare: I prefer to use SmartCat and choose to use other CAT Tool software only when the client requires me to work on SDL Trados or MemoQ. It also supports Xliff projects and easy to use.

Vorteile:

1. Itis could based so no need to take you files with you. Just login and start your work. 2. It uploades almost all kinds of document format and give good export options 3. Machine Translation assistant, QA checking System, Translation Memory and Glossary are vice easy to use, handly and very easy to import and export.

Nachteile:

It does not have support for Punjabi.western language and we need to manually adjust the right-to-left context direction for tables, Phone numbers, coding strings etc after exporting the target file.

Amazing free tool

Kommentare: It's perfect for my needs and the volume of translations I do. I know it's not perfect but I like it and I keep mentioning it to all the translators I know and the agencies I work with. I like the fact that clients can pay through it, so I don 't have to chase invoice payments.

Vorteile:

It's free and it's heaven for those who cannot afford the expensive cost for the licence of other CAT tools. Moreover, it's compatible with 99% of file formats and that means I can accept jobs from many translation agencies. Every time I needed help the support team was there for me and was quick in replaying.

Nachteile:

They have two servers (Europe and USA) and if you are logged on one, you don't get notification about chat messages received on the other. Sometimes you lose connection to the server too often. They used to send you SMS notifications, which was a great feature, but then they had issues back in December 2018 and never fixed them. I got the feeling that they have stopped developing the software and become less tech guys and more salesmen. I hope they will fix the tech issues with SMS notifications.

User-friendly software

Kommentare: I've been working with Smartcat since more than 3 years and I keep using it as my preferred software for translations as it's user-friendly, as lot of features which are very helpful on my job.

Vorteile:

This software is very easy to use and has lot of features which are really helpful in my job. I think this it the best software for translatios at all!

Nachteile:

In 3 years I did not have any problem with this software. The only problem is that sometimes I cannot upload very heavy files.

I recommend

Kommentare: Smartcat is the main CAT tool i use in my translation work. I've tried out different softwares and none of them were as complex, but easy to use.

Vorteile:

The complex package of services offered The simple, but efficient workspace The intuitive design That it is a cloud based app

Nachteile:

I can't say i didn't like something about Smartcat

Great Companion!

Vorteile:

Easy to use. Convenient user interface. Cloud based. Free to use.

Nachteile:

Personal dictionary doesn't work properly. When you add a word to the dictionary it just ignores for the segment not for the rest of the document and in the future with another project it does not recognize the word either.

A freelancer's must-have!

Vorteile:

The thing I like best about SmartCAT is that I can accomplish everything in one place in CLOUD and FOR FREE there! I'm a very early user of SmartCAT and stick to it ever since my first trial. It's a highly integrated platform that I can set my profile, get contact from clients, accept tasks, do translation, submit translation and get paid all on there. The experience is very intuitive and smooth. Basically anyone who have ever used any CAT tool would master it without problem. SmartCAT also has a large translator and PM pool. I have formed good relationships with many translators and PMs there with whom I have collaborated. It has made my life as a freelancer so easy and I'm really grateful to it.

Nachteile:

I don't have major pain points about this software, but of course there are places for improvement. For example, it would be great if it could provide a calendar feature for translators so that it could send out-of-office replays to project invitations automatically during the translator is away on vacation. Currently I have to send chat messages to clients manually before I leave for vacations and that's kind of inconvenient.

Smartcat is the best, forget the rest!

Kommentare: As a freelance translator, Smartcat provides me with an easy way of translating my documents, keeping in touch with my clients, and the most importantly, finding new potential clients. So far, I have worked with so many clients and I have been able to please them with my service thanks to the service that Smartcat offers to me. So, I would like to thank you to Smartcat team for all the easiness and functionality they offer. This means a lot to me as it does to so many freelance translators like me!

Vorteile:

I work as a freelance translator on Smartcat about over 2 years and it continues to fascinates me. The functionality of the interface is the best feature of Smartcat, providing efficiency and speed with translators. Also, customer support team really helps all the participants of a project immediately, asking valuable questions in regard of the problem. Finally, Smartcat offers me everything for free that CAT tools do extraordinarily expensively. So, thank you!

Nachteile:

Sometimes I have difficulty in using machine translation in the segments or in setting some glossary option, which sometimes drives me crazy. Probably this is because of me but I wish the settings interface had the same functionality as main interface of the software.

Excellent CAT Tool for everyday use

Kommentare: I use smartcat on a daily basis. It's an excellent platform, that is free, powerful and allows you to manage your invoicing even for external clients.

Vorteile:

I love how smartcat is not only a powerful CAT tool, but much much more than that: a market place, has it's own invoicing system,..

Nachteile:

Some few glitches but they're always working to fix them. The few times I had some issues, I have been contacted by support and it was fixed extreemly fast.

Boost your translation profile, or find excellent candidates

Kommentare: Smartcat helps you focus on their translation by splitting files into sentences without worrying about formatting. It is a boon for businesses and freelancers to match and explore work opportunities.

Vorteile:

1. It has a web interface dashboard to view all your translation work, files, glossaries, and translation memories in one place. 2. You can pitch for translation, copywriting, transcription, or similar projects on the Smartcat community or apply on the inbuilt job portal. 3. Businesses can also find translator freelancers easily by going through the profile database and selecting as per star rating and credentials. 4. Freelancers can chat with businesses to explore further. 5. You can also set your pay rates to filter clients who meet the minimum price quoted. 6. The best thing about its payment page is that you can also receive payments from non-Smartcat projects. 7. The translation editor interface is easy to use and user-friendly. The best part is that all this comes for free. 8. There are a whole lot of settings to help in your translation work. Set up notifications, choose file formats, use templates, and so on. 9. Productivity services help you use OCR and machine translation. 10. If you complete your profile to 100% and get at least three ratings, you will get regular work from businesses worldwide.

Nachteile:

1. Machine translation and OCR are handy for freelancers, but they are payment-based services starting from a minimum of $1. 2. You may not get regular work initially. 3. Some jobs listed on the platform are too old to be helpful.

I won't get back to desktop

Kommentare: When I started to use Smartcat after a couple of years of Trados experience, I was so happy I almost burst into tears.

Vorteile:

Smartcat has almost everything I need as a translator or project manager. And more features are coming! I'm proud that I contributed to some of them because the Support Team pays attention to all requests and issues we may face when working in Smartcat.

Nachteile:

There are still some things I'd like to see in Smartcat. Like editing URLs in hyperlinks. But I was promised that feature would come some day. Well, we'll see :)

Smartcat for smart business

Kommentare: Overall, it's a good platform for any freelancer to find jobs.

Vorteile:

I'm a freelancer who is registered with Smartcat to find new projects and potential clients. What I like about Smartcat is that it's easy to share a project with my client. It's an integrated platform where finding clients, working on projects, and getting paid for my work can be done at one site.

Nachteile:

I haven't been able to actively search for newly posted jobs. The client is the one who always offers me a job, but I'd like to be able to apply for jobs out there from my end too. In addition, I have had a couple of clients who didn't pay on time and couldn't communicate with them.

Not the best translation software but useful

Kommentare: It's been very useful to complete small tasks and it's ease of access accelerates the process.

Vorteile:

It's very, very easy to use. On the very 1st access, a quick look at the functionnalities will be enough to jump right off and start working efficiently.

Nachteile:

Definitely the lack of funtionnalities. This software is super easy to use and that's why ! There is not enough functionnalities to achieve very technical tasks.

Overall great software, just a few minor improvements to go

Vorteile:

I really enjoy the interface, and how it's easy to see who's online working on a task. I also like the fact that the glossary terms are highlighted in the source text.

Nachteile:

The fact that the segments are already made available for the next step, even when we haven't marked the task as Done yet. So when I'm an editor, for example, and I just edited a segment and confirmed it, the proofreader can already proofread it on their end. But what if I edit something later in the document and decide to do another change in a previously confirmed segment? I won't have access to it anymore because the proofreader had already confirmed it as well. I think this should not work that way. Another thing I dislike is that we can't edit our comments, or even delete them after a while. Finally, I also think the Concordance Search was more organized and easier to navigate.

A cat that cannot be tamed

Kommentare: It seems that Smartcat is destined to work with less-demanding tasks, such as plain texts stripped of formatting. In this case it shines, however if I were to work on something big, Smartcat wouldn't be my first choice.

Vorteile:

It's user-friendly and thus, a great cat to get started with and to work on less demanding tasks. It's very minimalistic so it doesn't intimidate with its features - there are no hidden options to discover after years of doing without. Smartcat is a cloud-based app, so it allows working on basically any machine, including real-time saving, which makes your work blackout- or system failure-proof.

Nachteile:

Certain web apps may be quite demanding when it comes to resources. Smartcat is one of these as you may see it struggling on less powerful devices. Its functionality is barbarically limited and there is no personalisation option. You either adjust to it or turn around. Sometimes I get an impression as if Smartcat was trying to outsmart me - well, kitty, I sure know my language better, thanks.

Excellent tool for every translator

Vorteile:

It's a free tool that offers to translators everything that paid options do.

Nachteile:

The only aspect of Smartcat which leaves something to be desired is the support, as it takes them a lot of time to respond to emails even though they are always polite and willing to help.

Very good CAT, clumsy money management.

Kommentare: I use frequently it's CAT interface, solving my translation term consistency needs (I use numerous CAT's).

Vorteile:

Convenient and smart translation tool with intuitive use.

Nachteile:

Clumsy money and pay management (e.g. no possibility to show minimum invoice sum and track payments conveniently).

What's great about Smartcat translation software

Kommentare: Translations in several different languages are made really easy.

Vorteile:

Translation memories and formatting features through keeping hyperlinks, pictures, graphics, etc.

Nachteile:

As I'm using the free version, what I get from this it's fantastic. Should I need to buy the paid version, I will do with no hesitation at all.

Very efficient product

Kommentare: We can save a lot of time, match all ours translations, coordinate with all our official languages, create useful glossaries.

Vorteile:

- The translation memory, it's very useful - The tool to align the existing translation - It's very easy to use.

Nachteile:

- For translation you need to see the full document to understand the context, it can be interesting to add preview mode, easy to access. - When you add a file avec the creation of the project, the automatic pre-translation doesn't work.

SmartCat is a greatt Asset to my team

Kommentare: My experience with SmartCat has been excellent.

Vorteile:

I love the collaborative functionality. I used to spend hours and hours merging track changes.

Nachteile:

I wish there were some better tutorials on getting started.

Easy to use

Kommentare: Smartxat saves lots of time. I have everything i need on smartcat, i love smartcat as much as i love my dear cat.

Vorteile:

It is easy to use, saves lots of time thnks to its MT results. Almost all my translation jobs are like post mt esiitng thanks to smartcat.

Nachteile:

It sometimes doesn't let me open my projects.

I hate it

Kommentare: I use this only because my client requires it. In my 21 years as a translator have never been a user of translation software. I'm sure it would have helped if I had had real training in using the software, so there are probably many shortcuts I'm not aware of. But I find that it increases my work time rather than shortening it. Translation matches are rarely recorded correctly and I end up doing everything by hand anyway.

Vorteile:

Nothing. Do I need to write more in order for my comments to be accepted. Apparently yes.

Nachteile:

Having to confirm hundreds of boxes after finishing my translation.