{"id":471,"date":"2023-01-02T21:03:39","date_gmt":"2023-01-02T21:03:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LTD\/?p=471"},"modified":"2026-03-14T17:20:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T17:20:33","slug":"ata-tektalks-1-4-nicole-loney-of-rws-group-discusses-the-iconic-platforms-past-present-and-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LTD\/ata-tektalks-1-4-nicole-loney-of-rws-group-discusses-the-iconic-platforms-past-present-and-future\/","title":{"rendered":"ATA TEKTalks 1.4: Nicole Loney of RWS Group Discusses the Iconic Platform\u2019s Past, Present and Future"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>By Bridget Hylak, Administrator, ATA Language Technology Division<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Members of ATA\u2019s Lang Tech Division, in collaboration with the Professional Development Committee, welcomed Nicole Loney, Product Marketing Manager for RWS Group (formerly SDL\/Trados), during ATA TEKTalks 1.4 on October 6, 2022. Approximately 275 people registered for the online event.<\/p>\n<p>The fourth and final installment this year in the LTD\u2019s quarterly series did not disappoint, as Loney discussed the past, present and future of the iconic platform known to linguists, translation companies, corporations and localization specialists worldwide. <\/p>\n<p>Loney brought a healthy dose of optimism, clarity and passion to the table. Many RWS\/Trados features and insights are intimately known to language pros, but she delved into new twists and future promise, as well as a solid and interesting history of the longevity of this tool and how it became an industry standard for decades.<\/p>\n<p>The interactive and informal \u201ctalk show\u201d style chat featured Loney, LTD Admin Bridget Hylak, and LTD Assistant Admin, Daniel Sebesta \u2013 facilitated by Dmitry Beschetny of the PDC \u2013and revealed some interesting feedback. Loney was asked a series of questions prepared and provided in advance, as well as a number of bonus questions from the audience that she answered via email to form part of the discussion below.<\/p>\n<p>Please join us next year as we launch ATA TEKTalks 2.0 on February 28th, when we chat with a representative from Phrase (formerly Memsource) and discuss how their recent merger is progressing. The remaining roster for ATA TT 2.0 includes DeepL, Lsp.expert and memoq.<\/p>\n<p>NOTE: LTD TEKTalks are not lang tool trainings (there are enough of those, just Google away!), but rather, showcase language industry tools and technologies, and especially the people and philosophies behind them. <\/p>\n<p><strong>RWS Group Sprouts from the SDL\/Trados Garden<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen discussing a tool as old, as comprehensive, as mainstream, and yet, as \u201cnew\u201d and forward-thinking as RWS Trados, you start with the basics. What would you say are Trados\u2019 three top features? This was the first question posed to our guest, Nicole Loney, and her answer was emphatically clear. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe first feature would have to be Trados Studio cloud capabilities.\u201d Noting that RWS is the only provider on the market that offers a truly hybrid experience, allowing users complete flexibility over how, where and when they work (desktop, cloud or both), Loney then added, \u201cEvery Trados Studio user receives free access to individual cloud capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As for \u201ctop\u201d feature number two, Loney pointed out the RWS AppStore. \u201cSimilar to the Apple and Google Play AppStore,\u201d she said, \u201cyou can use our AppStore to add functionality to suit your unique ways of working, or even diversify your services, for example, by downloading something like the subtitling app and translate subtitles through the studio interface.\u201d Incidentally, she said, most apps are free to download. <\/p>\n<p>A third main perk of choosing SDL? \u201cThat would have to be our the tool\u2019s interoperatbiity.\u201d Loney explained that \u201cTrados was developed as a sophisticated, open ecosystem that can handle whatever is thrown at it\u201d as it offers robust, open APIs and other features to reduce industry fragmentation.<\/p>\n<p>A little history on the 35+ year old German-made tool (with some lesser-known details) was kind of enlightening. Originally launched as an LSP, TRADOS stands for \u201cTranslation and Documentation Software,\u201d in case you were wondering (I was). The original LSP recognized a missing link due to increasing project volume with linguists unable to keep up, so it did what any (well, actually, no other) good LSP at the time was doing, turn to technology to fill the gap. TED was launched in 1988, a very early version of what we know today as Translator\u2019s workbench.<\/p>\n<p>Around that time, Trados became a pioneer in what today is commonplace in the industry by opting to split the company in two and rebrand. The translation services sector went to INK in the Netherlands, while other tech-forward Trados founders concentrated on honing, streamlining and perfecting a language technology product that would help optimize the work of linguists. Fast forward a decade or two, and SDL Trados Studio was further enhanced and issued multiple product releases. Over this time Trados found itself becoming the industry standard, \u201cwith many competitors trying to emulate our features and functionality,\u201d Loney said, until it was acquired by RWS in 2020 and became the language services and technology company we know today.<\/p>\n<p>Well, that was a mouthful of history, and only scratched the 35 year-old surface, but the clock was ticking. As for key tools available to freelancers and LSPs, Loney highlighted four:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\tLocalization<\/li>\n<li>\tContent management<\/li>\n<li>\tArtificial intelligence<\/li>\n<li>\tIntellectual property services<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cFreelance translators and LSPs, of course, fall within the Trados bucket for localization,\u201d she said, and several Trados offerings are tailored to their requirements.<\/p>\n<p>She described Trados Studio as the place \u201cwhere the magic happens\u201d for linguists. \u201cIt offers multiple core technologies built to help improve the quality, efficiency, and scalability,\u201d which include translation memory, terminology and machine translation.<\/p>\n<p>She added, \u201cTrados Studio now comes with free essential cloud capabilities that enable users to connect to secure cloud-based projects, files and translation resources, either through Trados Studio or in a browser\u201d (the flexibility point again \u2013 noted!).<\/p>\n<p>But what about LSPs, corporations, and corporate language divisions?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur solutions enable LSPs to collaborate with clients and translators and manage their translation process, either in the cloud or through an on-premise solution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trados is constantly evolving and changing, she said, which makes perfect sense in an ever-changing industry. Newer tools, such as Trados Team and Trados Accelerate, enable team collaboration and translation management. <\/p>\n<p>Future-forward linguists delving into MT and MTPE might appreciate noting, according to Loney, that the tool is \u201cthe home of NMT with 65+ apps on the RWS AppStore, including DeepL, Microsoft, Google, etc. No other tool can match that.&#8221; Trados also offers AutoSuggest features to more easily leverage MT results (you never have to start with a blank page).<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re not a fan of (or can\u2019t use) the RWS AppStore, you can connect to RWS\u2019s proprietary MT engine, Language Weaver, (users receive 6 million characters a year free, to giver it a risk-free whirl).<\/p>\n<p>Loney added, \u201cWe see MT as an emerging, vital resource &#8211; MT alongside translation memories and termbases only make you a more efficient and productive translator.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As the ATA is multiplying its efforts on education, awareness and training in MT\/MTPE, it\u2019s interesting to note RWS\u2019s \u201cPost-Editing Certification\u201d course. This unique course was recently included in a comprehensive research study conducted by the Language Technology Division (to be published in 2023) on currently-existing MTPE trends and opinions. This study provides an unbiased, \u201cmatter-of-factual\u201d overview of current MTPE guidelines, trainings and certifications, so we asked Loney about it.<\/p>\n<p>Developed by RWS\u2019s AI consultancy team, the free, online course takes approximately one hour to complete, she said, and is available in bite-sized sessions. It covers the gamut, from the history of MT, to developing a content strategy, to testing and evaluating the quality of MT output. It even explores how to train gender neutral models, and how to address different MT behaviors. Successful completion earns linguists a \u201ccertification\u201d endorsed by RWS \u2013 an impressive-sounding credential, for sure, but one that takes only an hour to achieve \u2013 but for the time being, it\u2019s the only one of its kind with a good punch of entry level merit, in this author\u2019s opinion.<\/p>\n<p>Back to RWS as a potential solution, what about Mac users &#8211; previously left behind in the European tool\u2019s development and expansion as a PC\/Windows product\u2026?<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s some good news (finally!) on tap. According to Loney, the tool\u2019s expanding cloud-based and localization technology offerings mean Mac users now have more ways to use RWS tools with less effort. (As a Mac-based linguist for decades, a resounding \u201cyey!\u2019 swelled up within me at the news\u2026 But can we finally bury Boot Camp, Parallels and VMware\u2026? The answer is \u201csort of\u201d and \u201cnot quite yet,\u201d though times are, indeed, a changin\u2019.)<\/p>\n<p>As clouds grow, however, so do rainstorms, aka, security concerns. So what about data protection for the assets of Trados users \u2013 and their clients?<\/p>\n<p>Loney was comfortable answering. \u201cTrados cloud is truly multitenant, meaning data segregation is part of DNA. You can work in your own confidential space, and no one, not even us, can see your data.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As selling term base assets and translation memory data has become more of a concern in recent years (decades\u2026), she mentioned a noteworthy app that could provide extra support. \u201cWe specifically developed as app called \u2018data protection suite\u2019 which protects data both at document and TM level. This app in particular prepares content and pseudonymize PII and then restores it back afterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That one, I jotted down and underlined. Twice.<\/p>\n<p>Gaming and software localization professionals may also find it useful to note RWS\u2019s own software localization tool, Passolo. RWS, Loney explained, has started to add software localization capabilities into the tools many translators already know and love, adding support for Multilingual Excel files (the gaming industry\u2019s de facto standard for providing localization strings) and Microsoft .NET libraries into &#8221; Studio and the cloud, allowing users to access all of Trados\u2019s features and functionalities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExcuse me, sir, but how much does all this power and punch cost\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When asked about platform costs, Loney\u2019s answer was a bit vague as she initially mentioned that Trados Studio can be purchased outright, or on an annual subscription basis. The cost difference between them is a question \u201cwe get a lot,\u201d she said, and the answer is more or less wrapped up in the name of each. To me, the difference sounded a bit like leasing or purchasing a vehicle \u2013 with built-in advantages and disadvantages to each. \u201cThey\u2019re both good options, but the choice depends on what the buyer, LSP or corporation needs and basically, where they are in their language services journey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Without mentioning cost specifics (\u201cpricing and promos change frequently\u201d), she did admit, \u201cThis topic does kind of become \u2018the elephant in the room\u2019 at times, but we feel that in light of our comprehensive offerings, the age-old adage that \u2018you get what you pay for\u2019 rings true \u2013 everyone\u2019s needs are different, and constantly changing, and there are pricing models to accommodate those great variations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>RWS may be looking to return to its roots as a language services provider and possibly expanding language service offerings via some type of marketplace down the line. Currently, freelancers may opt to become part of the RWS language team by heading to RWS.com\/ about\/ careers. After successfully completing a test translation, candidates will be added to their database. To hone one\u2019s skills, RWS offers a plethora of different training courses on their website and any of their free webinars. There are lots.<\/p>\n<p>While almost every linguist I know has a different opinion on the pros and cons of Trados, and the varying products they offer, one thing at least is consistent: they\u2019ve all heard of it and have used it at some point in their career. \u201cOur goal is to keep our tool at the forefront and to enable linguists to do their best possible work in an environment that requires their expertise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Here\u2019s to 2023!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Bridget Hylak, Administrator, ATA Language Technology Division Members of ATA\u2019s Lang Tech Division, in collaboration with the Professional Development Committee, welcomed Nicole Loney, Product Marketing Manager for RWS Group (formerly SDL\/Trados), during ATA TEKTalks 1.4 on October 6, 2022. Approximately 275 people registered for the online event. The fourth and final installment this year [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[13],"class_list":{"0":"post-471","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-ata-tektalks","7":"tag-ata-tektalks","8":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pQoPc-7B","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LTD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LTD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LTD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LTD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LTD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=471"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LTD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":488,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LTD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471\/revisions\/488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LTD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LTD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LTD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}