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What is your opinion on XTM Cloud CAT tool?
Thread poster: WolfestoneGroup
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 00:29
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Browser user agent and XTM Nov 29, 2020

Vickie Dimitriadou wrote:
... the other client uses the latest version of XTM that DOES NOT work in Firefox 52 and prompts me to upgrade my browser.


If you can find a user-agent switcher extension for your version of FireFox (not sure if this one works for your version), you can play around with identifying as various other browsers, and you may find one that successfully tricks XTM into thinking that you have a more recent version of Firefox. I've used user-agent switchers in the past when online CAT tools insist that I use the developer's personal favourite browser.


 
XTM Intl
XTM Intl
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:29
TM (fuzzy) propagation Nov 29, 2020

Stepan Konev wrote:
Even though source segments are already copied into the target section, XTM automatically replaces them with previous fuzzy translation (which I DON'T need).


Hello Stepan,

I see that Samuel mentioned a section in the XTM Manual that may help you understand this behavior in XTM (thank you Samuel!).
Reading your comment, I suppose that you are having challenges confirming the match that you want to 'impose'.
The way TM matches are showed in the TM Match docked panel or pre-populated in the segment directly is controlled in the system settings (owned by the client administrator).
In your case I think however that the problem is somewhere else. When you populate source to target, you also need to confirm that segment. Otherwise XTM will think that the segment is incomplete and will keep looking in the TM.

I suggest to check a couple of places in the Workbench Settings:
1. Under Settings > Shortcuts > Navigation/Matches, your shortcuts for confirming segments and jumping to the next (you can decide to which segment you want to go, it works similarly in MemoQ).
2. Under Settings> General your setting for automatically confirming a segment when you leave it (this can save you some clicks or keystrokes but not all linguists prefer working this way)
3. Populate source to target, check if it is on -> useful for non-translatable segments but keep in mind that you need to ensure that the segment gets confirmed so that it is marked as done
4. Populate repetitions (does not apply to fuzzy repetitions) - you can turn this off here and still populate repetitions up and down on a segment by segment basis from the segment options (from the 'More' menu in Workbench or right-click to open context menu for that repetition).

If you still have troubles, please reach out to our support team at [email protected] and we will be happy to assist you.
Many thanks,

Sara Basile
Product Manager
XTM International Ltd
www.xtm.cloud


 
cedery
cedery
Local time: 19:29
Member (2010)
English to French
XTM: A major step in the wrong direction May 4, 2021

This is by far the worst translation software I have ever encountered, incredibly slow and lacking in essential functionalities, how on earth did this software gain so much traction? It could not have been designed with the translator in mind.

Miranda Drew
Sonia Tirado Gómez
NickyO
J. Goldman
Claudio Porcellana (X)
 
Georgios Tziakos
Georgios Tziakos  Identity Verified
Spain
Member (2011)
English to Greek
+ ...
A PROFESSIONAL translators' tool where CTRL+ Z is not working May 28, 2021

Katrin Braams wrote:

Since there is no "undo" feature I have to ...


Enough said. I curse fate every single time a client sends me work on this joke of a tool. The UI is roughly equivalent to that of a freeware late 90s word processor (there's no comparison to Microsoft Word).

XTM is definitely a good case study on why capitalism and competition don't really work. If they did, this company would definitely be out of business by now (or have come up with a half-decent tool).

[Edited at 2021-05-28 15:42 GMT]


Dalibor Skalník
Miranda Drew
 
Dalibor Skalník
Dalibor Skalník  Identity Verified
Local time: 00:29
English to Czech
Bad CAT Jun 2, 2021

Georgios Tziakos wrote:

Katrin Braams wrote:

Since there is no "undo" feature I have to ...


Enough said. I curse fate every single time a client sends me work on this joke of a tool. The UI is roughly equivalent to that of a freeware late 90s word processor (there's no comparison to Microsoft Word).

XTM is definitely a good case study on why capitalism and competition don't really work. If they did, this company would definitely be out of business by now (or have come up with a half-decent tool).

[Edited at 2021-05-28 15:42 GMT]


I'm currently doing a big job in XTM and that's where the design flows show the most. I've said it already - stay away from this tool. It's ok for small jobs, it's really bad for big jobs.


Miranda Drew
 
Georgi Kovachev
Georgi Kovachev  Identity Verified
Bulgaria
Local time: 01:29
Member (2010)
English to Bulgarian
+ ...
No need to refuse jobs in XTM Jun 3, 2021

When I am offered projects to be processed using XTM, I boost my productivity using the following workaround:
1. I filter all of the unmatched segments and 75% to 84% fuzzy matches, then
2. select, copy and paste the resulting text in Word,
3. delete the redundant segment numbers, tabs, and paragraph marks,
4. save as a plain text,
5. upload the .txt file in my preferred CAT tool and translate the text,
6. copy the translated text and paste it in XTM,
7
... See more
When I am offered projects to be processed using XTM, I boost my productivity using the following workaround:
1. I filter all of the unmatched segments and 75% to 84% fuzzy matches, then
2. select, copy and paste the resulting text in Word,
3. delete the redundant segment numbers, tabs, and paragraph marks,
4. save as a plain text,
5. upload the .txt file in my preferred CAT tool and translate the text,
6. copy the translated text and paste it in XTM,
7. check the 85% to 99% fuzzy matches in XTM.

It works for me.
Collapse


 
ORSZAGH Technologies Ltd
ORSZAGH Technologies Ltd
Cyprus
Local time: 01:29
Czech to Slovak
+ ...
Does XTM allow pasting the translated text in one goe? Jun 6, 2021

Does XTM allow pasting the translated text in one go?


Georgi Kovachev wrote:
...
6. copy the translated text and paste it in XTM,
...



 
Georgi Kovachev
Georgi Kovachev  Identity Verified
Bulgaria
Local time: 01:29
Member (2010)
English to Bulgarian
+ ...
@ORSZAGH Technologies Ltd Jun 9, 2021

Not really. You do it segment by segment. The time spent is offset by the auto-suggest feature of your preferred CAT tool, in addition to your TMs and glossaries.

[Edited at 2021-06-09 12:39 GMT]


 
Marinus Vesseur
Marinus Vesseur  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 16:29
English to Dutch
+ ...
The translator reduced to a cogwheel in a machine Jul 19, 2021

You hit the nail on the head, Miranda. It may be a general problem with CAT, but with XTM it applies most specifically: not made with translators' needs in mind. It makes you wonder if real translators were even consulted when it was designed. XTM reminds me of Across in the way it has removed translator capabilities to do anything but translate and shut up. We are reduced to small, replaceable cogwheels in the grand cloud-based machine.

Add to that the idiosyncrasies, the often slo
... See more
You hit the nail on the head, Miranda. It may be a general problem with CAT, but with XTM it applies most specifically: not made with translators' needs in mind. It makes you wonder if real translators were even consulted when it was designed. XTM reminds me of Across in the way it has removed translator capabilities to do anything but translate and shut up. We are reduced to small, replaceable cogwheels in the grand cloud-based machine.

Add to that the idiosyncrasies, the often slow reaction time, the lines jumping all over the place, the very slow "Finish" process and other bugs that continue to plague the program, and you have the perfect recipe for a bad day at work.

Worst of all, for me, is the way that fuzzy matches are calculated to the absolute disadvantage of the translator. Segments that need more than 100% work because of having to rearrange content and tags are calculated as 99% matches. I'd suggest you charge double for any job with XTM. If you succeed in that, it may be worth working with.

Miranda Drew wrote:

"1. When you receive a task in XTM
Workbench, the file has already been analyzed. You can access the Metrics (analysis) and progress from within Workbench under the File menu (if you are on the latest version 12.5) or from the Task view, in the context menu on the left side of your task name. Unless you are also a project manager, you cannot reanalyze the file/project. "

This tool is clearly made for project managers, not translators. We NEED to reanalyse the project while it's ongoing to figure out how much is left to do (fuzzy and no match). It is a very BASIC feature that all other CAT tools have. All XTM does seems to just make EVERYTHING harder for translators. This is insulting

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J. Goldman
Miranda Drew
Claudio Porcellana (X)
 
NickyO
NickyO
United Kingdom
Dutch to English
Glad it's not just me Jul 28, 2021

I am so reassured to have found this thread which clearly shows that I am not alone in loathing xtm. One of my clients uses it exclusively and basically, if you want to work for them, you have to use it. I find it to be clumsy and difficult to use and it genuinely slows me down as a translator rather than speeding up the process. I use other CAT tools such as MemoQ and Trados and, while neither of these are perfect, they increase my productivity and generally 'make life easier'. That is absolute... See more
I am so reassured to have found this thread which clearly shows that I am not alone in loathing xtm. One of my clients uses it exclusively and basically, if you want to work for them, you have to use it. I find it to be clumsy and difficult to use and it genuinely slows me down as a translator rather than speeding up the process. I use other CAT tools such as MemoQ and Trados and, while neither of these are perfect, they increase my productivity and generally 'make life easier'. That is absolutely not the case with xtm. It is a very annoying tool which hinders rather than helps the process of translation!Collapse


Miranda Drew
 
ORSZAGH Technologies Ltd
ORSZAGH Technologies Ltd
Cyprus
Local time: 01:29
Czech to Slovak
+ ...
I see, thanks. Not an effective solution then but it might work for some situations. Aug 12, 2021

Georgi Kovachev wrote:

Not really. You do it segment by segment. The time spent is offset by the auto-suggest feature of your preferred CAT tool, in addition to your TMs and glossaries.

[Edited at 2021-06-09 12:39 GMT]


 
jensskarpe
jensskarpe  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 00:29
Member (2013)
Swedish to Spanish
+ ...
XTM gettign bigger due to mergers Aug 17, 2021

Hi all, very interesting discussion.

I am not very active here, but wanted to try to add to the discussion. Due to the latest mergers in the translations bussiness it is my experience/feeling that XTM is getting much more common, and I hate it!

Personally I will definately be raising my fees if this continues. Any full time translator should be happy to pay the license for Studio (or similar), because they will save thousands of euros (dollars or whatever currency you
... See more
Hi all, very interesting discussion.

I am not very active here, but wanted to try to add to the discussion. Due to the latest mergers in the translations bussiness it is my experience/feeling that XTM is getting much more common, and I hate it!

Personally I will definately be raising my fees if this continues. Any full time translator should be happy to pay the license for Studio (or similar), because they will save thousands of euros (dollars or whatever currency you work with) per year working with Studio rather than XTM (or all other shitty freeware).

It is also a desaster for quality. Just a simple fact that there is no option to batch open files is a clear indication that the developers has no clue of translating nor the the competition.

Another thing is QA, it is so bad it is not even worth comenting. The only decent way is a way to complicated workflow of exporting files, run a XBench and go back file hopping for hours, or days if it is a big project.

Some examples of how shitty the tool is:

- TM searches are manual and complicated, and you even have to switch panel to jump between concordance and fuzzy.
- Virtually no customization, you cant even decide where to place the TM/Glossary. I think the only option is within the browser window or in a separate browser window.
- All settings are client imposed, and most clients have never seen a translator in work, and much less done a professional translation.
- There is no batch opening files nor project QA
- No productivity features like in Studio and other professionall software, with automated substitutions, text prediction etc.
- You need to work in the same order as the client assigned the files or you will get stupid "match from other file" message.
- QA errors are not definied, you just get a icon and have to spend time on hovering or clicking to see what the error is about
- Tm updates, search, fuzzy etc. seem to work in a mysterious way.
And so on for a long time.

My estimation and opinion is that a translation in XTM should be priced 20-25% higher than a translation in Studio, due to the incredibly slow and complicated workflow. It also requires at least one or two more QA steps to guarantee some minimum quality for the end users.

End clients using XTM clearly hasnt got a clue about translation/localization and uses it to save "a couple of pennies" and "keep control", but in the end ends up paying more, needing more time, getting a smaller translator pool etc. making the projects take longer, being of lower quality etc. and finally leading to loosing the client or having to change to a professionall software.

The only tool on the market that is worse is Across/CrossWeb, but that is virtially exclusive for John Deere.

To me there are just 2 CAT Tools on the market, SDL Trados Studio and MemoQ, the rest are just sad copies with the only "advantage" of being online.

The problem is that very few end clients still doesnt have a clue about what localization is, like "my nephew spent 3 months in Madrid, maybe he could do the Spanish localization if we are in a hurry", when the reality is that many translators are better prepared than most CEOs of smaller companies and very professionall, working very long hours with the pressure of always being expected to deliver perfect quality (I am quite confident that 90% of the translations have better quality than the source texts).

I am sorry for the long post, but I needed to vent somewhere, because the business suddenly seem to be going backwards. I would honestly prefer using Workbench or TagEditor before most of the software used today.
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Claudio Porcellana (X)
Elina Sellgren
 
jensskarpe
jensskarpe  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 00:29
Member (2013)
Swedish to Spanish
+ ...
Across, XTM, Cogwheels Aug 17, 2021

Marinus Vesseur wrote:

You hit the nail on the head, Miranda. It may be a general problem with CAT, but with XTM it applies most specifically: not made with translators' needs in mind. It makes you wonder if real translators were even consulted when it was designed. XTM reminds me of Across in the way it has removed translator capabilities to do anything but translate and shut up. We are reduced to small, replaceable cogwheels in the grand cloud-based machine.

Add to that the idiosyncrasies, the often slow reaction time, the lines jumping all over the place, the very slow "Finish" process and other bugs that continue to plague the program, and you have the perfect recipe for a bad day at work.

Worst of all, for me, is the way that fuzzy matches are calculated to the absolute disadvantage of the translator. Segments that need more than 100% work because of having to rearrange content and tags are calculated as 99% matches. I'd suggest you charge double for any job with XTM. If you succeed in that, it may be worth working with.

Miranda Drew wrote:

"1. When you receive a task in XTM
Workbench, the file has already been analyzed. You can access the Metrics (analysis) and progress from within Workbench under the File menu (if you are on the latest version 12.5) or from the Task view, in the context menu on the left side of your task name. Unless you are also a project manager, you cannot reanalyze the file/project. "

This tool is clearly made for project managers, not translators. We NEED to reanalyse the project while it's ongoing to figure out how much is left to do (fuzzy and no match). It is a very BASIC feature that all other CAT tools have. All XTM does seems to just make EVERYTHING harder for translators. This is insulting



I wouldnt call XTM and Across CAT Tools becuase there is no assistance from the computer. WorkBench is almost 30 years old and still technically more advanced than these tools. Still comparing XTM with Across is like comparing a Tesla with a plastic tricycle for babies, Across is not by far the worst translation software in the history, it could probably fight for the title worst software in history. Just the fact that they made a Desktop version that uses the same online TM as the online version explain how incredibly retarted they are at Across. As a favor to a agency I use Across even though always say I will never use it again, and they are insultingly useless. Not even their own developers/programmers know how it works, which is probably due to no one lasting more than 3 months in the company (except probably the CEO, CFO etc.).

Anyhow, most of these softwares have no export options, no settings etc. meaning we have to blindly trust their word counts, they way the software analyzes files etc. I know for sure that Across is extremely bad for translators with fuzzy matches and other things, and you ALWAYS end up using much more time thatn expected.

In any other sector someone with full availability during summer vacation and at half the price would inmediately be discarded as a fraud, but in this business people can actually scam a pretty decend salary in summer doing "translations". Personally I always spend a big part of my autumns fixing translations that are much worse than MT, even worse that G Translate (that at least doesnt do typos), just becuase the companies dont give a shit and think this is the easiest thing in the world.


Claudio Porcellana (X)
Miranda Drew
Dalibor Skalník
 
jensskarpe
jensskarpe  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 00:29
Member (2013)
Swedish to Spanish
+ ...
Export in XTM Aug 17, 2021

Georgi Kovachev wrote:

Not really. You do it segment by segment. The time spent is offset by the auto-suggest feature of your preferred CAT tool, in addition to your TMs and glossaries.

[Edited at 2021-06-09 12:39 GMT]


I dont really want to defend XTM, but to be fair the files can be exported for offline translation, QA etc., so if you pretranslate the files in XTM and then export them you would at least have the fuzzies. What worries me is concordance search (although concordance is manual in XTM, so not that big problem) and more so the glossary.

Note: Just writing this I have to say another thing. How the f**k is it that most clients still have their glossary in Excel!!!??? Even people that use Studio when TermBase is free of charge with all Studio licences!


 
XTM Intl
XTM Intl
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:29
Your feedback on XTM Cloud Aug 17, 2021

jensskarpe wrote:

(...) Just a simple fact that there is no option to batch open files is a clear indication that the developers has no clue of translating nor the the competition.

Another thing is QA, it is so bad it is not even worth comenting. The only decent way is a way to complicated workflow of exporting files, run a XBench and go back file hopping for hours, or days if it is a big project.

(...)



Thank you for your feedback.
I am sorry to read about your negative user experience with our product.
I would like to get back to you specifically on the product-related comments you posted in this thread.
It may depend on the XTM Cloud version that your client is using, but some of the functionalities you have highlighted are already available in XTM Cloud:

- You don't have to switch panel from TM to Concordance, you can drag and drop each tab of the docked panel and place it somewhere else, either in the same window, or in a separate browser window (ideal if you work on two screens).
- The same applies to all other tabs in the docked panel of course, so also Terminology, Inline tags, etc. You can also open Visual mode in a separate window
- QA profiles have been extended over the past releases and in the latest version (12.8) we have also added regex-based checks, which represent one of the most important and flexible functionalities when looking at other tools like XBench or other CAT Tools
- Since v12.6 (released back in December 2020) there is a QA tab in the docked panel, so you don't need to mouse over the QA warning in each segment, you can flexibly review a list of all QA issues found in the file and dismiss them in a batch or one by one. Each QA warning is also categorized based on the issue type (typo, grammar, etc.). See https://xtm.cloud/knowledge-base/how-to-manage-qa-warnings-from-within-the-docked-panel-in-xtm-workbench/
- The integration with Xbench is interactive, meaning that you can download the file directly to XBench, and by clicking on an issue in XBench you will be redirected to the corresponding segment in Workbench. See https://xtm.cloud/knowledge-base/how-to-perform-qa-in-xbench-2/


The possibility to open and manage multiple files within the same Workbench session is going to be released in one of our next versions and this represents one of our top priorities, as we are aware of how much value this would add to our users.
The same applies to productivity features like predictive typing, auto-conversion of numbers and separators, etc.

I would like to assure you that there is no feature that we develop in XTM Cloud without getting validation from our users, irrespective of their role (PM, linguist, etc.).
Our product and solution team is also made up of valuable members that used to work as linguists or PMs in the industry for a long time.
We constantly improve our product based on our users' feedback, and if you need any assistance please don't hesitate to reach out to our support team or just explore our Knowledge Base at https://xtm.cloud/knowledge-base/

Kind regards,
Sara Basile
---------------------------------------
Product Manager
XTM International Ltd.
www.xtm.cloud


 
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What is your opinion on XTM Cloud CAT tool?






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