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Software costs and agencies
Thread poster: David Jones
David Jones
David Jones  Identity Verified
Taiwan
Local time: 22:05
Chinese to English
+ ...
Nov 24, 2020

Hey folks, so I'm super excited because I just signed a contract with an agency that I found via Proz so this is a very nice start to my week. They just told me that in the future they'd like me to work with MemoQ and they'll help train me up in how to use this... Does that mean that they will expect me to buy the license for this? How does this normally work with agencies?

I'm planning on investing in Trados (probab
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Hey folks, so I'm super excited because I just signed a contract with an agency that I found via Proz so this is a very nice start to my week. They just told me that in the future they'd like me to work with MemoQ and they'll help train me up in how to use this... Does that mean that they will expect me to buy the license for this? How does this normally work with agencies?

I'm planning on investing in Trados (probably) - just not yet...

Any other thoughts and tips on CAT for newbies would be greatly appreciated
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Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:05
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Ask them - not us Nov 24, 2020

David Jones wrote:

Hey folks, so I'm super excited because I just signed a contract with an agency that I found via Proz so this is a very nice start to my week. They just told me that in the future they'd like me to work with MemoQ and they'll help train me up in how to use this... Does that mean that they will expect me to buy the license for this? How does this normally work with agencies?

I'm planning on investing in Trados (probably) - just not yet...

Any other thoughts and tips on CAT for newbies would be greatly appreciated



Ask them - not us!


Peter Motte
David Jones
Jorge Payan
 
Joakim Braun
Joakim Braun  Identity Verified
Sweden
Local time: 15:05
German to Swedish
+ ...
Supplier Nov 24, 2020

David Jones wrote:

Does that mean that they will expect me to buy the license for this?


It varies. But as a supplier you should expect to provide and pay for your own toolset. It's a very small cost in the long run.


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:05
Member (2008)
Italian to English
$175.00 per month Nov 24, 2020

Joakim Braun wrote:

David Jones wrote:

Does that mean that they will expect me to buy the license for this?


It varies. But as a supplier you should expect to provide and pay for your own toolset. It's a very small cost in the long run.


MemoQ pricing starts at $175.00 per month, per user - for the rest of your life! That's what I spend for 3 weeks' worth of groceries! I wouldn't consider that a small cost. So in response to your client's generous offer to train you in the use of MemoQ (which is their suggestion - not yours) I would invite them to also pay for it.

[Edited at 2020-11-24 11:32 GMT]


Peter Motte
Jocelin Meunier
Hyun Jung Kim
 
David Jones
David Jones  Identity Verified
Taiwan
Local time: 22:05
Chinese to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks folks Nov 24, 2020

Thanks for the feedback folks - good news - they provide a license for the training

 
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Germany
Local time: 15:05
English to German
In memoriam
Per month? Nov 24, 2020

Tom in London wrote:
MemoQ pricing starts at $175.00 per month, per user - for the rest of your life! That's what I spend for 3 weeks' worth of groceries! I wouldn't consider that a small cost. So in response to your client's generous offer to train you in the use of MemoQ (which is their suggestion - not yours) I would invite them to also pay for it.

[Edited at 2020-11-24 11:32 GMT]


Per month? Are you kidding? I'm using a MemoQ Translator Pro license that cost me 620 € once, and I never paid anything else. That's all you need as a freelance translator, I even can use this license both on my desktop and laptop. I consider this a good investment and it is ridiculously low compared to the projects I completed with it in the last few years.

That being said, some agencies offer MemoQ licenses that can be used by translators (exclusively for the projects of the respective agency, normally), so the question of the original poster makes sense, and I would ask the agency about it.


Joe France
Dan Lucas
Christine Andersen
Omer Dasbilek
 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:05
Member (2008)
Italian to English
I got the price here Nov 24, 2020

https://www.capterra.com/p/162762/memoQ/

 
Joe France
Joe France  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:05
Member (2016)
German to English
+ ...
Not sure where $175 per month came from Nov 24, 2020

I agree that $175 per month is obscene - not sure where whoever compiled that page's info found that.

Kay-Viktor Stegemann wrote:

That being said, some agencies offer MemoQ licenses that can be used by translators (exclusively for the projects of the respective agency, normally), so the question of the original poster makes sense, and I would ask the agency about it.


As you noted, Kay-Viktor, there is a one-off price for around that mark - but I opted for Trados, in part because every agency that has asked me to work with memoQ has also given me a temporary licence on a project-by-project basis. This actually seems like a huge advantage for freelancers, shifting the cost of software investment to agencies.

By the way, OP: I know that SDL have a pretty substantial Black Friday sale on at the moment - so if you're going to invest in a CAT tool, it will likely rarely be cheaper than this. I certainly plan to upgrade from Trados 2017 this week.


Christine Andersen
 
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Germany
Local time: 15:05
English to German
In memoriam
Probably a price for another setup Nov 24, 2020



I assume this is a price for an agency/server version. If you look two lines below on the same page, is also say "It is also available at $770 per license with additional features.", which corresponds to the €620 price.


Peter Motte
Jorge Payan
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 15:05
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
@David Nov 24, 2020

David Jones wrote:
They just told me that in the future they'd like me to work with MemoQ and they'll help train me up in how to use this... Does that mean that they will expect me to buy the license for this? How does this normally work with agencies?


They are hoping that you would consider buying it, but you can also just tell them that you don't want to buy it at this time. It is also possible that they can give you a temporary license for it -- some agencies have such roaming licenses that they give to freelancers that work for the duration of the job. Also ask them if their jobs can be done using the free version of MemoQ (not all jobs can).

Anyway, there are many ways that they can export files from their MemoQ in such a way that you can still provide value for them even though you don't have MemoQ yourself.

The full price for MemoQ is USD 770, and so far one was generally able to keep on using the same version for half a decade or more without running into comparability issues. Still, as CAT tools go, it's on the higher end of the price spectrum.


 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 15:05
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
Looks like a good way to try MemoQ Nov 24, 2020

In your place, I would accept the agency's offer and learn to use MemoQ.

Personally, I have used Trados for many years, and when I tried MemoQ some years back, I liked it, but not enough to give up Trados. Others who have tried both prefer MemoQ.

It is also possible, at least to some extent, to transfer packages and jobs between the two, so you can work on the CAT tool you prefer, but I have to admit I have never tried.

You may find that one handles Chinese
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In your place, I would accept the agency's offer and learn to use MemoQ.

Personally, I have used Trados for many years, and when I tried MemoQ some years back, I liked it, but not enough to give up Trados. Others who have tried both prefer MemoQ.

It is also possible, at least to some extent, to transfer packages and jobs between the two, so you can work on the CAT tool you prefer, but I have to admit I have never tried.

You may find that one handles Chinese better than the other, which is relevant to you, but not to everyone. Give yourself time to try out both demo versions thoroughly, and find out which your clients prefer. Then you can make a choice.

When you invest in your own CAT, whichever you choose, you can build up TMs and glossaries which are yours, and do not belong to the agencies, and which will become more and more valuable to you over the years. Older generations of translators made glossaries and kept notes, and your CAT tool is just a modern way of doing it, but it is a key as you build up experience.
You can exchange with colleagues, but be conscious of what you accumulate in your CAT system, and who you give extracts to - and keep it up to date. Then you will reap the benefits of your investment, even if it seems a lot of money at the start.

Best of luck!
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David Jones
 
Lincoln Hui
Lincoln Hui  Identity Verified
Hong Kong
Local time: 22:05
Member
Chinese to English
+ ...
Triumph of reading and research skills Nov 25, 2020



Setting aside the unquestionable genius of using a 3rd-party website rather than Kilgray's own...or offers available on ProZ...

From the same website:
It is also available at $770 per license with additional features.

At this point it feels like a deliberate attempt to spread misinformation


 
David Jones
David Jones  Identity Verified
Taiwan
Local time: 22:05
Chinese to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks so much for that long perspective :) Nov 26, 2020

Christine Andersen wrote:

In your place, I would accept the agency's offer and learn to use MemoQ.

Personally, I have used Trados for many years, and when I tried MemoQ some years back, I liked it, but not enough to give up Trados. Others who have tried both prefer MemoQ.

It is also possible, at least to some extent, to transfer packages and jobs between the two, so you can work on the CAT tool you prefer, but I have to admit I have never tried.

You may find that one handles Chinese better than the other, which is relevant to you, but not to everyone. Give yourself time to try out both demo versions thoroughly, and find out which your clients prefer. Then you can make a choice.

When you invest in your own CAT, whichever you choose, you can build up TMs and glossaries which are yours, and do not belong to the agencies, and which will become more and more valuable to you over the years. Older generations of translators made glossaries and kept notes, and your CAT tool is just a modern way of doing it, but it is a key as you build up experience.
You can exchange with colleagues, but be conscious of what you accumulate in your CAT system, and who you give extracts to - and keep it up to date. Then you will reap the benefits of your investment, even if it seems a lot of money at the start.

Best of luck!


Thanks so much for that long perspective


 
Niels Stephan
Niels Stephan  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 15:05
Member (2009)
English to German
License often provided by agencies Nov 26, 2020

MemoQ works this way: If you want to work with it on your own projects, you need a paid version.
There is a free version as well and all the agencies that expected me to use MemoQ in the past, provided a temporary licence to me for the duration of the project. Naturally if you have your own license, they need less licenses, so they like that. But if they insist on a certain software, they should pay for it as well.


Jo Macdonald
Christine Andersen
 
Riccardo Schiaffino
Riccardo Schiaffino  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 08:05
Member (2003)
English to Italian
+ ...
Ehm, no, it doesn't Nov 27, 2020

Tom in London wrote:


MemoQ pricing starts at $175.00 per month, per user - for the rest of your life! That's what I spend for 3 weeks' worth of groceries! I wouldn't consider that a small cost. So in response to your client's generous offer to train you in the use of MemoQ (which is their suggestion - not yours) I would invite them to also pay for it.

[Edited at 2020-11-24 11:32 GMT]


A full memoQ freelance license costs about 600 euros or so. After that it's 124 euro/year to keep it up to date (that means it includes all updates published during the year). I know because I've just paid for the yearly subscription a few days ago.

I have no idea where you got that $ 175 per month. Perhaps that's the cost for the server edition or for the PM edition... which a freelancer would not need.


 
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