5 myths about working with the Trados cloud platform

We’ve heard a few misconceptions about our cloud platform that we’d like to put right! This blog aims to debunk some of the most common myths we hear.

Trados now offers a cloud platform, with multiple subscription offerings to suit every translator, LSP and translation team.

• Trados Studio, our computer-assisted translation tool, comes with free essential cloud capabilities enabling individuals to work in the cloud. 
• Trados Team has been designed for translation teams enabling them to collaborate and share.
• Trados Enterprise is our intelligent end-to-end translation management system, built for companies that need to streamline and automate their entire localization process.

All these subscriptions are built on the same technology, so you can easily scale up and down as your business needs evolve. 

As our cloud platform is still relatively new, many people are still learning about the benefits of using it. To separate fact from fiction, we’ve decided to debunk a few common misconceptions about working with our cloud platform. This blog will focus on the free cloud subscription that comes with Trados Studio:

1. ‘Working in the cloud’ simply means working in a browser-based version of Trados Studio.

Trados Studio is a desktop-based tool. However, Trados Studio is also fully integrated with our cloud platform, meaning users can access cloud capabilities without ever leaving the desktop environment. These include:

• The ability to store linguistic resources and projects in the cloud for safe storage. 
• Access to translation engines - these are a new concept in the cloud, and they have been designed to group your resources together (including translation memories, termbases and any machine translation providers) to speed up project creation.
• Cloud processing power - when creating file-based projects, Trados Studio relies on the power of your local machine to complete pre-processing and Trados Studio is locked until the project has been created. When working with cloud-based projects through Trados Studio, the cloud does all the heavy lifting, freeing up Trados Studio so you can continue working on something else until the project is ready.

In addition to this, there is of course a browser-based version of our cloud platform, which you can access through any device. A lot of the core functionality available in Trados Studio is also replicated in the browser, but they’re not exactly the same - in many ways, the browser environment offers much more:

• Benefit from a contemporary user interface with modern project management features, for instance, an inbox that provides a Kanban task view, helping you to focus attention where it is needed most.
• Access key business metrics only available in the cloud.
• Translate in the online editor - This editor offers additional features that are not available in Trados Studio, such as the ability to switch your translation segments to appear horizontally rather than vertically, and additional previews.

You can work with cloud capabilities as much as you like, either through Trados Studio or in a browser. We do believe though, that combining the sophistication of the desktop environment with the power of the cloud gives you the best of both worlds.

2. I need to dedicate a lot of time to learn all the new features to work in the cloud.

If you’re an experienced Trados Studio user, you’ll be pleased to know that our cloud platform has been built with you in mind. As mentioned, a lot of the core functionality available in Trados Studio is also replicated in our browser. In addition, our cloud platform has an intuitive, modern user interface and is compatible with most browsers, meaning you can get started in the cloud environment with ease. If you’re completely new to Trados then don’t fear, we offer monthly webinars to walk you through the whole platform, explaining all features and functionality along the way. 

As you would expect when adopting something new, there is a small amount of set-up required. We’ve created a great tutorial video that shows you how to upload your linguistic resources, set up your filing system, alter your settings and create your first project, after which point you will be good to go. If you do have any additional questions, we have a thriving RWS Community where you can go for support.

It’s also worth remembering, that once you have set up your cloud account you can continue to work in Trados Studio as you always have done. Instead of creating file-based projects you can create cloud-based versions through Trados Studio and translate using the Studio editor, so you can still benefit from cloud storage and cloud processing power without ever accessing the cloud through a browser.

3. I do not need cloud translation technology since I already have a cloud repository where I save my projects and resources.

Unlike other cloud repositories, our cloud solution is built for translation purposes. 

Online cloud storage solutions such as Dropbox and One Drive are designed solely as a place to save files and resources. In comparison, while our cloud solution has been designed for this purpose too, it also offers other benefits to translators:

It fully integrates with Trados Studio - our cloud platform has been designed to work alongside translation software, whereas third-party cloud solutions have not. 

Should any issues arise when using our cloud platform, we’ll be better equipped to troubleshoot with you - if you are using a third-party tool this may be more difficult.

Plus, our cloud platform adheres to the strictest security standards, which your clients not only expect, but require. Find out more about our security protocols here.

4. My projects and translation resources are more secure on my desktop than in the cloud.

You have worked hard to develop your translation resources, if they’re not backed up then you’re vulnerable to losing your data. What if you lost or broke your laptop? How would you retrieve any stored data? 

With our cloud offerings, you can quickly and easily save your translation resources to the cloud directly from Trados Studio and have peace of mind that they are secure. There are easy-to-use wizards that allow you to save local projects and batch upload your file-based translation memories and termbases to the cloud. Once in the cloud, you can access your files and translation resources from anywhere, on any device, so no matter what happens to your laptop, you know your business is backed up. 

Our cloud platform is built to enterprise scale, meaning large corporations and enterprises are using the same software. You can rest assured, we have adopted all the security protocols necessary to keep your data safe – find out more here.

5. RWS can access, view and use any data I put in the cloud.

Any data saved in the cloud can only be accessed and viewed by those you give access to. That means we, at RWS, cannot access, view or use your data for any reason, unless you provide us authorization to do so. What’s more, your data is separated from other client data in the platform, so not only can we not see your data, but no one else can either.

Summary

Now that we have debunked a few of the common misconceptions about working in the cloud, why not give it a try? Access to essential cloud capabilities for individuals comes for free with your Trados Studio licence. And remember, as all our cloud subscriptions are based on the same platform, once you know how to work with Trados Studio’s cloud capabilities, you’ll easily be able to pick up and work on projects from your clients using our other cloud subscriptions, making you a more desirable vendor.

To learn more, click here or contact us.