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Translation Office 3000
Thread poster: Katie Roskams
Katie Roskams
Katie Roskams
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:02
Dutch to English
+ ...
Mar 30, 2015

Hello,

I'm about to embark on my freelance career, and after being shown Translation Office 3000 by a friend (and downloading the trial version), I decided it'd be worth buying it. Does anyone happen to know of any special offers on the software at the moment? I thought it would be worth asking!


 
Emma Goldsmith
Emma Goldsmith  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 02:02
Member (2004)
Spanish to English
Group buy Mar 30, 2015

There's a good offer here:
http://www.proz.com/tgb/929


 
Katie Roskams
Katie Roskams
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:02
Dutch to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks! Mar 30, 2015

Emma Goldsmith wrote:

There's a good offer here:
http://www.proz.com/tgb/929


That's exactly what I was looking for, thanks so much! I'd found the group buys for older versions but had somehow overlooked this one - it even finished a couple of days before I plan to start working, so perfect timing from my point of view! Thanks again.


 
Anton Konashenok
Anton Konashenok  Identity Verified
Czech Republic
Local time: 02:02
French to English
+ ...
Do you really need it? Apr 1, 2015

Katie, are you sure you really need it if you are only embarking on a freelance career? I'd have understood you if you were starting an agency, or if you were well-established in business and handling hordes of small clients. I've been in the industry for 30 years but only work with a few (5-10) large clients, and a simple spreadsheet in Excel (or its freeware counterpart) handles all my needs nicely.

 
Alex Lago
Alex Lago  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 02:02
English to Spanish
+ ...
Proz had good discounts Apr 1, 2015

I personally use it and wouldn't do without it, it saves me loads of time and makes it very easy to keep track of everything (clients, quotes, jobs, invoices, etc) but there are loads of translators that don't use it. In fact according to TO themselves they've only sold 5,257 licenses, so this gives you an idea of the extremely low percentage of translators that use it (baffles me, but there you have it).

Since you say you've tried it and want to get it Proz usually has the best off
... See more
I personally use it and wouldn't do without it, it saves me loads of time and makes it very easy to keep track of everything (clients, quotes, jobs, invoices, etc) but there are loads of translators that don't use it. In fact according to TO themselves they've only sold 5,257 licenses, so this gives you an idea of the extremely low percentage of translators that use it (baffles me, but there you have it).

Since you say you've tried it and want to get it Proz usually has the best offers

[Edited at 2015-04-01 21:41 GMT]
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Berthe Bogers
Berthe Bogers  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 02:02
Member (2014)
English to Dutch
Wouldn't do without it either Apr 2, 2015

Hi Katie, I totally agree with Alex. I bought TO3000 (Advantage) when I started out as a freelancer and in my opinion it's a great tool. It beats me why it isn't used by many more freelance translators.

 
Katie Roskams
Katie Roskams
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:02
Dutch to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks! Apr 3, 2015

Thanks for your help, everyone! I personally think it's a good option for me, especially given that I'm just starting out - it effectively 'forces' you to organise and stay on top of your paperwork, which I quite like.

 
Vladimir Pochinov
Vladimir Pochinov  Identity Verified
Russian Federation
Local time: 03:02
English to Russian
Translation Office 3000 is a great tool for freelance translators May 10, 2015

Anton Konashenok wrote:

Katie, are you sure you really need it if you are only embarking on a freelance career? ... a simple spreadsheet in Excel (or its freeware counterpart) handles all my needs nicely.


@Katie and @Anton:

I know quite a few seasoned translators who do not use CAT tools... who use Excel spreadsheets for job tracking and invoicing purposes... who think that any translator using MT engines is a loser... who don't give fuzzy match discounts...

Different people have different approaches. Personally, I use SDL Trados Studio 2014 Professional and SDL Studio GroupShare 2014 ... I use TO3000 (to be replaced with either XTRF or Plunet BusinessManager soon) ... I use MT engines, as appropriate ... and, don't shoot me, guys .. I can give fuzzy match discounts.

As I mentioned in another discussion, even with 100% matches and repetitions paid at 20% of my regular rate, I managed to earn between US $160 and US$ 200 per hour on a particular long-term project (computer owner manuals and service manuals) back in 2005-2009.

.............

With regard to TO3000, I have been using it since 2003 (TO3000 v.3 at the time), and I have always been very happy with it. Regretfully, their Projetex server-client solution for agencies falls short of my needs as a fledgling agency owner.

By the way, Katie, you must take your time to investigate all customization options (some of them are not at all obvious). By way of example, see these "How Tos" from Valerij Tomarenko:

http://anmerkungen-des-uebersetzers.com/2014/02/27/three-how-tos-for-translation-office-3000/

Katie, just go for it (and go for the Advanced version), TO3000 is very likely to become one of your best investments, trust me

As to invoice (and quote) customization, feel free to contact me at vp @ key2russia.com, and I will help you learn the ropes in this area.

Regards,
Vladimir


 
Angela Malik
Angela Malik  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:02
German to English
+ ...
Just starting out is a good time to invest in TO3000 May 10, 2015

Anton Konashenok wrote:

Katie, are you sure you really need it if you are only embarking on a freelance career? I'd have understood you if you were starting an agency, or if you were well-established in business and handling hordes of small clients. I've been in the industry for 30 years but only work with a few (5-10) large clients, and a simple spreadsheet in Excel (or its freeware counterpart) handles all my needs nicely.


If you get to the point, like me, where invoicing becomes a burden because it takes too much time, TO3000 is a great investment because it is insanely cheap as far as professional software goes.

I bought the premium pro version (or whatever it's called, basically it was the most advanced version available) and never looked back. It turned invoicing and business expense tracking into a process that takes literally minutes. The software paid itself off within a month or two of purchase. THAT alone is a great return on investment.

Not only does it save time with invoices and business expenses, it also lets me track quotes to clients so I no longer have to keep endless multiple spreadsheets or go searching through the last six months of emails to find the one where I quoted a certain price to a certain potential client. It's all in one place.

If a client approaches me with a job that is an update or is based on "that one job you did for us back in 2013, sorry we don't remember where we put the TM for that one and the server is down" I can search my TO3000 database and find exactly that job in literally a few minutes.

It produces reports that show you exactly where you are spending most of your time, so you can change your business strategy if you need to. AND it will export almost anything to a spreadsheet, if you are still too attached to Excel to let go completely.

It is a great investment for freelancers who are just starting up precisely because it is cheap but does the job, and also because its compatibility with more powerful software gives you great scope for growth in future. It exports its databases to formats that are compatible with mainstream database-type software that is more expensive and more powerful, so if you find that TO3000 is no longer cutting it, moving on to more expensive/powerful software solutions in future will be less of a headache.

In my opinion, just starting out is a great time to invest in this particular product.

[Edited at 2015-05-10 09:44 GMT]


 
Angela Malik
Angela Malik  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:02
German to English
+ ...
Agreed May 10, 2015

Vladimir Pochinov wrote:

With regard to TO3000, I have been using it since 2003 (TO3000 v.3 at the time), and I have always been very happy with it. Regretfully, their Projetex server-client solution for agencies falls short of my needs as a fledgling agency owner.


This is exactly why I think it's a great investment for those jsut starting out. It's perfect for newcomers, but isn't as awesome for businesses that grow beyond the scope of a freelancer.

Vladimir Pochinov wrote:
...see these "How Tos" from Valerij Tomarenko:

http://anmerkungen-des-uebersetzers.com/2014/02/27/three-how-tos-for-translation-office-3000/


Fantastic link, thanks for sharing


 
Katie Roskams
Katie Roskams
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:02
Dutch to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks! May 10, 2015

Thanks very much all! I did get TO3000 in the end - been using it for the last month (my very first as a freelancer!) and I've found it pretty useful just for keeping track of what's going on with my various projects. Thanks also for the how-to guide, have to confess I found the invoice customisation thing difficult to get my head round, it's not at all obvious!

 
Balasubramaniam L.
Balasubramaniam L.  Identity Verified
India
Local time: 06:32
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
I am a big fan too May 11, 2015

I bought it in 2006 (version 7), a year later, when version 8 came, I was allowed a free download of it. I have stuck with it since then. It not only saves time, but also money, because it helps you keep track of invoices that have become due. Another much used feature is the notes page that you can add to every client record. On it you can keep such critical information as invoicing formalities, passwords, rates, etc., of each client.

Unless you are a programming geek, you can't ma
... See more
I bought it in 2006 (version 7), a year later, when version 8 came, I was allowed a free download of it. I have stuck with it since then. It not only saves time, but also money, because it helps you keep track of invoices that have become due. Another much used feature is the notes page that you can add to every client record. On it you can keep such critical information as invoicing formalities, passwords, rates, etc., of each client.

Unless you are a programming geek, you can't make excel do all these.

I understand the later versions have even more cool features such as support for unicode, better folder management and multiple currencies.

TO should also enable cloud-based back up and even move the entire database to a cloud for better flexibility. Possibly, they might have already done it in the newer versions, I am still with Version 8.

[Edited at 2015-05-11 02:19 GMT]
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Michael Wetzel
Michael Wetzel  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 02:02
German to English
A few questions May 11, 2015

I currently use an accounting program (WISO Mein Büro) for this kind of thing. I am reasonably happy with it, but would certainly be happy to change if TO 3000 seemed better.

Can the "custom fields" in the version "Professional" be used to effectively produce all the data need for tax reporting (this would be the key feature for me)?
How good are the invoice templates or how practical is it to create and use customized invoice forms that look good (major minus-point of my cur
... See more
I currently use an accounting program (WISO Mein Büro) for this kind of thing. I am reasonably happy with it, but would certainly be happy to change if TO 3000 seemed better.

Can the "custom fields" in the version "Professional" be used to effectively produce all the data need for tax reporting (this would be the key feature for me)?
How good are the invoice templates or how practical is it to create and use customized invoice forms that look good (major minus-point of my current solution)?
Can the software be linked to an online banking account (major plus-point of my current solution)?
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Vladimir Pochinov
Vladimir Pochinov  Identity Verified
Russian Federation
Local time: 03:02
English to Russian
TO3000 - Invoice customization May 11, 2015

Michael Wetzel wrote:

Can the "custom fields" in the version "Professional" be used to effectively produce all the data need for tax reporting (this would be the key feature for me)?
How good are the invoice templates or how practical is it to create and use customized invoice forms that look good (major minus-point of my current solution)?
Can the software be linked to an online banking account (major plus-point of my current solution)?


1. As a sole proprietor registered in Russia and subject to the so-called Simplified Taxation System, I don't charge my clients VAT or any other taxes. However, I believe the built-in tax-related fields in TO3000 combined with custom fields let your produce the tax reporting data you need.

2. Here is a link to my existing TO3000 invoice template filled with some fictitious data: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ldfp7y7yvgo2dls/VP2015-0048.pdf?dl=0 Personally, I like this template

3. I don't think you will be able to link TO3000 to your online banking account. The only possible option might be to import data as an .CSV file

Hope it helps.

Regards,
Vladimir


 
LEXpert
LEXpert  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 20:02
Member (2008)
Croatian to English
+ ...
Anycount engine May 11, 2015

i bought it a few years ago, but have mostly used it for the Anycount engine to count words in large, multi-file projects or complex formats. There's just been too much inertia and too little time to make the full switch from my trusty spreadsheet, but, considering the TGB price I paid, I feel like I've gotten my money's worth from the Anycount functionality alone.

 
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