Does anyone know "Fortis"? Thread poster: Johanna Timm, PhD
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Hello all,
Today I was approached by a company inviting me to participate in a large localization project (translation/localization of software user manual, helpfiles and , at a later point, user interface etc). They insist on using a CAT tool called Fortis (previously known as Transit, I was informed), which they asked me to either purchase (USD 499) or rent from them. They have also offered a 2-day free workshop to introduce me to this tool.
I have Trados 3.5 but have NEVER used ... See more Hello all,
Today I was approached by a company inviting me to participate in a large localization project (translation/localization of software user manual, helpfiles and , at a later point, user interface etc). They insist on using a CAT tool called Fortis (previously known as Transit, I was informed), which they asked me to either purchase (USD 499) or rent from them. They have also offered a 2-day free workshop to introduce me to this tool.
I have Trados 3.5 but have NEVER used it, simply because 1)the bulk of my translations consists of "fresh" material( legal & medical stuff) 2) because I never really have the time to "practise" because of my workload, 3) I am simply horrified of CAT tools when reading the frequent cries for help because files have simply vanished or users get strange error messages. I would appreciate any comments on Fortis, specially how user-friendly the tool is!
Thanks,
johanna ▲ Collapse
| | | | Uwe Kirmse 
Local time: 17:34
Polish to German
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| To purchase from them? | Feb 25, 2004 |
Johanna Timm, PhD wrote:
...which they asked me to either purchase (USD 499) or rent from them. They have also offered a 2-day free workshop to introduce me to this tool....
If they offer to purchase ist from them, forget them. (The rest in German, sorry.)
Derartige Geschäftspraktiken gibt es in vielen Branchen. Wenn man das Arbeitsgerät erst einmal gekauft hat, ist die Angelegenheit erledigt. Auch der kostenlose Kurs bleibt ein Versprechen. Wenn sie natürlich nur verlangen, dass die Software irgendwo gekauft wird, muss man sich überlegen, ob man den Auftrag will.
Dasselbe gilt bei Miete gegen Vorkasse. Wenn die Miete natürlich mit der Übersetzung verrechnet wird, ist das akzeptabel.
Das ist zwar nicht die Antwort zur Software, mit der du gerechnet hast, aber für alle Fälle wollte ich darauf hinweisen. Ähnliches kenne ich aus Erfahrungen in der Verwandtschaft. Besondere Merkmale für unseriöse Angebote sind auch versprochene besonders gute Bezahlung und die Erzeugung von Termindruck. (z. B.: "Zunächst haben wir Sie ausgewählt, aber es gibt noch viele Interessenten, also entscheiden Sie sich schnell.")
Sorry for writing German, but my English is too poor.
Edited:
After posting this I've looked for "Fortis" on the web. I couldn't find anything related to CAT, only this:
http://www.sdlintl.com/solutions/solutions-finance-and-legal.htm
A client of SDL! Perhaps it's a bank.
[Edited at 2004-02-25 20:07]
| | | | Endre Both
Germany
Local time: 17:34
English to German
1) Transit still exists: http://www.star-solutions.net/html/dt/produkte/TransitXV.html . There is also no mention on the site about a name change.
2) I have never heard of Fortis nor can I find it on the web.
3) If a translation company wants you to buy a certain CAT tool, that's fine (although I probably would think hard before agreeing) -- however,... See more 1) Transit still exists: http://www.star-solutions.net/html/dt/produkte/TransitXV.html . There is also no mention on the site about a name change.
2) I have never heard of Fortis nor can I find it on the web.
3) If a translation company wants you to buy a certain CAT tool, that's fine (although I probably would think hard before agreeing) -- however, if they require you to buy it from them, I would be careful. There have been previous scams of this type on ProZ before.
Maybe you could ask them for some reference material (preferebly on Star's own web site) about that name change from Star Transit to Fortis .
Also, if Fortis is worth USD 500 (a price that would get you almost any of the leading CAT tools), they surely must have comprehensive information material on it (even more so if it is developed from Star Transit, a mature CAT tool -- which I don't believe, however). Maybe they could provide you with that material before you decide whether to go ahead with that training? Also, there are demo versions of all professional CAT tools -- maybe you could ask them for a Fortis demo?
I'd be really interested in how forthcoming they are when asked for more info about their product.
Endre ▲ Collapse
| | | | Williamson
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:34
Flemish to English
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Fortis is the biggest bank in Belgium and one of the major banks in the Netherlands.
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| Thanks, Uwe and Endre | Feb 25, 2004 |
for the helpful replies. I am not too worried about the company's integrity - it's a local company - and the purchase was to be "arranged" by them. But then again I am a very trusting person - to a fault!!
I was/am tempted to go for it because I figure that way I can finally learn how to properly use a CAT tool - a skill that might come in handy - who knows - for other jobs. The tool is required for phase 2 only, so I will have time to request a demo and see if I can handle it. Than... See more for the helpful replies. I am not too worried about the company's integrity - it's a local company - and the purchase was to be "arranged" by them. But then again I am a very trusting person - to a fault!!
I was/am tempted to go for it because I figure that way I can finally learn how to properly use a CAT tool - a skill that might come in handy - who knows - for other jobs. The tool is required for phase 2 only, so I will have time to request a demo and see if I can handle it. Thanks again! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Uwe Kirmse
Local time: 17:34
Polish to German
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| Again in German :-) | Feb 25, 2004 |
Johanna Timm, PhD wrote:
...I am not too worried about the company's integrity - it's a local company - and the purchase was to be "arranged" by them. But then again I am a very trusting person - to a fault!!
Und ich bin nun mal sehr misstrauisch. Passe nur auf, dass du nichts zahlen musst, ehe du Geld von ihnen bekommst und teste sie einfach mal, indem du sagst, du könntest Fortis woanders für 100 Dollar weniger bekommen, sie werden doch nicht darauf bestehen, dass du es durch ihre Vermittlung kaufst?! Aber mündlich, damit sie keine Zeit zum Überlegen haben! Ich wäre auf die Antwort gespannt, zumal dieses Wunderwerk nirgends im Internet zu finden ist. Einen Rückzieher kannst du ggf. immer noch machen (begrenzte stückzahl war ausvekauft...).
I was/am tempted to go for it because I figure that way I can finally learn how to properly use a CAT tool - a skill that might come in handy - who knows - for other jobs. The tool is required for phase 2 only, so I will have time to request a demo and see if I can handle it. Thanks again!
Na ja, wenn es gut geht, sage mal Bescheid, vielleicht kann ich dann meinen Glauben an das Gute im Menschen etwas aufbessern.
| | | | Brandis (X)
Local time: 17:34
English to German
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| take a frame contract with 10% downpayment | Feb 25, 2004 |
Johanna Timm, PhD wrote:
Hello all,
Today I was approached by a company inviting me to participate in a large localization project (translation/localization of software user manual, helpfiles and , at a later point, user interface etc). They insist on using a CAT tool called Fortis (previously known as Transit, I was informed), which they asked me to either purchase (USD 499) or rent from them. They have also offered a 2-day free workshop to introduce me to this tool.
I have Trados 3.5 but have NEVER used it, simply because 1)the bulk of my translations consists of "fresh" material( legal & medical stuff) 2) because I never really have the time to "practise" because of my workload, 3) I am simply horrified of CAT tools when reading the frequent cries for help because files have simply vanished or users get strange error messages. I would appreciate any comments on Fortis, specially how user-friendly the tool is!
Thanks,
johanna
Hi! it may be a good tool, and you may never need it once the translation is over and the company may never contact you once the sale is done. take a frame contract with 10% downpayment and buy, resell in Ebay. brandis
I would do it, if a customer forces me to buy against my willingness just because he has some work to be done. I have other arguments too, but some other time.
| | | | Endre Both
Germany
Local time: 17:34
English to German
| Proceed with due caution | Feb 25, 2004 |
uwe wrote:
Passe nur auf, dass du nichts zahlen musst, ehe du Geld von ihnen bekommst...
Exactly what I was going to say: take care not to be paid for your work in "Phase I" with a Fortis licence "required for Phase II" (which may or may not materialise).
To be clear: I am not implying any wrongdoing on the part of the company; it's just that caution is warranted with any new client; and some circumstances, like these, warrant an extra amount of caution.
So go ahead and keep us posted -- I'd certainly be very interested in a new CAT tool worth USD 500.
Endre
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| Free Transit Satellite PE | Feb 26, 2004 |
If they do work with Star Transit (I have not heard or found any reference to Fortis either), you can download the FREE "Transit Satellite PE", which allows you to work on the files prepared for you by your client with Transit Professional. This is how it is described on the Star site (http://www.star-solutions.net/html/eng/produkte/Transit-Satellite-PE.html):... See more If they do work with Star Transit (I have not heard or found any reference to Fortis either), you can download the FREE "Transit Satellite PE", which allows you to work on the files prepared for you by your client with Transit Professional. This is how it is described on the Star site (http://www.star-solutions.net/html/eng/produkte/Transit-Satellite-PE.html):
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Transit Satellite PE - The free Transit version for freelance translators
Transit Satellite PE (Personal Edition) was developed for freelancers who cooperate or are intending to cooperate with translation agencies or other organizations. With Transit Satellite PE, a freelancer can receive projects, complete his/her translation and send the project back to the project manager in the translation agency. Transit Satellite PE fits perfectly with the concept of work sharing between different disciplines:
Transit Satellite PE was not designed as a separate product. It can only be used in conjunction with Transit Professional which prepared the translation project.
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The download includes a tutorial to get you started.
As well as more specific infos on Fortis (30-days demo versions are now pretty much the norm for most sw packages), it might be interesting to ask your client about this free sw module and how it fits into their "Fortis"...
Roberta ▲ Collapse
| | | | Brandis (X)
Local time: 17:34
English to German
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| today I have heard of vorbis and not yet fortis | Jun 9, 2004 |
Johanna Timm, PhD wrote:
Hello all,
Today I was approached by a company inviting me to participate in a large localization project (translation/localization of software user manual, helpfiles and , at a later point, user interface etc). They insist on using a CAT tool called Fortis (previously known as Transit, I was informed), which they asked me to either purchase (USD 499) or rent from them. They have also offered a 2-day free workshop to introduce me to this tool.
I have Trados 3.5 but have NEVER used it, simply because 1)the bulk of my translations consists of "fresh" material( legal & medical stuff) 2) because I never really have the time to "practise" because of my workload, 3) I am simply horrified of CAT tools when reading the frequent cries for help because files have simply vanished or users get strange error messages. I would appreciate any comments on Fortis, specially how user-friendly the tool is!
Thanks,
johanna
Hi! today I have heard of vorbis and not yet fortis, Ogg.vorbis is a voice recording codec or recording tool for further processing in a studio setting. This much I could find out. May be you can start with this information.
brandis
| | | | Selcuk Akyuz
Türkiye
Local time: 18:34
English to Turkish
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| I could not find the program, but a website | Jul 3, 2004 |
about Fortis. It is http://www.multiling.com/fortis.htm
However, there are no links to download a shareware version of the program, and surprisingly its price is not given as well.
The company is said to have a terminology management tool as ... See more about Fortis. It is http://www.multiling.com/fortis.htm
However, there are no links to download a shareware version of the program, and surprisingly its price is not given as well.
The company is said to have a terminology management tool as well, named semantis. See http://www.multiling.com/semantis.htm
Hope someone will be able to download and try these programs.
HTH
Selcuk Akyuz
[Edited at 2004-09-29 20:58] ▲ Collapse
| | | | mhj (X)
Azerbaijan
Local time: 18:34
English to Turkish
+ ...
I was just looking for a solution for the project in Fortis and saw this topic, but the latest post was almost 4 years ago.
I am working with Fortis now, which is some kind of Transit actually with its appearance, functionality, etc. Yet it is not better than Transit. Although you have an executable file you couldn't work with it because it requires a dongle.
BUT,
it is possible to open Fortis files with Transit. No problem, just tested it.
I am looking for a solution to... See more I was just looking for a solution for the project in Fortis and saw this topic, but the latest post was almost 4 years ago.
I am working with Fortis now, which is some kind of Transit actually with its appearance, functionality, etc. Yet it is not better than Transit. Although you have an executable file you couldn't work with it because it requires a dongle.
BUT,
it is possible to open Fortis files with Transit. No problem, just tested it.
I am looking for a solution to convert Transit or Fortis files to TMX and so I could translate it with Trados, which means that I can use concordance.
In Fortis, the file system (as in Transit) is very confusing and a small mistake ends with not being able to use concordance. Actually, in the current project I don't have project folder, only translatable files. And what I have heard was that we couldn't use concordance in Turkish because of the lack of language support.
An update:
As Transit (or Fortis) files are listed in source and target files, copying and pasting them to an Excel file and saving as a csv file is possible.
As we have a csv file we can convert it to a tmx by using CSV to TMX Converter utility of Maxprograms (http://www.maxprograms.com/freetools/tmxvalidator.html)
Then it is possible to use that memory as a reference, but as Fortis files generally require a project filter, translating files with trados is not so effective and healthy.
But it is a good solution for the Fortis or Transit projects where concordance doesn't work.
[Edited at 2008-02-25 20:18] ▲ Collapse
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| New info on Fortis | Feb 12, 2009 |
Hi there, I realize that it's been a year but I thought anymore else searching for info on Fortis might appreciate the following information.
A new version has been released with pricing information, etc. It's available online now through a download at translate-now.net
I hear they've added TMX conversion now, so you can convert files to and from TMX to the fortis format (.fff I think). Anyways it doesn't have a trial version yet... but it seems like they should have o... See more Hi there, I realize that it's been a year but I thought anymore else searching for info on Fortis might appreciate the following information.
A new version has been released with pricing information, etc. It's available online now through a download at translate-now.net
I hear they've added TMX conversion now, so you can convert files to and from TMX to the fortis format (.fff I think). Anyways it doesn't have a trial version yet... but it seems like they should have one soon since everyone else does. Semantis is basically built into Fortis, it starts at the same time. So when you get Fortis you get Semantis.
[Edited at 2009-02-12 21:44 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 08:34
English to German
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In memoriam | Fortis Revolution | Sep 12, 2013 |
This is one heck of a fine CAT tool. I received it from the agency that developed it. No charge, but I don't have the full version. This stuff is neat!!! I am going to buy it.
Here is why:
First of all, you need to know that I am not crazy about CAT tools (for particular jobs I can not do without, though). The reason why I don't like CAT tools is that wrapping my text, my sentences, or - worst case scenario - fractions of individual words around tags is a nightmare. It slows m... See more This is one heck of a fine CAT tool. I received it from the agency that developed it. No charge, but I don't have the full version. This stuff is neat!!! I am going to buy it.
Here is why:
First of all, you need to know that I am not crazy about CAT tools (for particular jobs I can not do without, though). The reason why I don't like CAT tools is that wrapping my text, my sentences, or - worst case scenario - fractions of individual words around tags is a nightmare. It slows me down. It steals my time. I don't see any benefit in terms of "productivity".
This nice tool however allows the translator to take total control, even when working with the stripped-down version. Don't like tags? Hide them, and type away at full speed. Tags that are not needed (e.g. ampersands that are wildly popular in English, but bad style in German)? The freelance version allows you to protect/"un-protect" this kind of stuff, and you can delete any tag that is in your way.
For the first time ever I have encountered a CAT tool that was developed with the translator in mind. ▲ Collapse
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