Wordfast
Encyclopedia
Wordfast is a provider of translation memory
software. Wordfast provides platform-independent TM solutions for freelance translators, language service providers, and multi-national corporations.
who is credited with deciphering the Rosetta Stone.
In 1999, Yves Champollion developed the original Wordfast software, which was made up of a set of macros that run inside of Microsoft Word, version 97 or higher (unlike its competitors Trados, DéjàVu, and MemoQ). Up until late 2002, this MS Word-based tool (now known as Wordfast Classic) was freeware. Through word of mouth, Wordfast grew to become the second most widely used TM software among translators.
In January of 2009, Wordfast released the Wordfast Translation Studio which included Wordfast Classic and Wordfast Professional, a standalone Java-based TM tool.
Wordfast Classic: The original MS Word-based TM tool
Wordfast Pro: A stand-alone multiplatform (Windows, Mac, Linux) TM tool that works with filters to handle multiple file formats and provides a basic freelance level of batch analysis (up to 20 files).
Plus tools: A set of free tools designed to help WFC translators perform specific advanced functions such as text extraction and alignment.
VLTM Project (Very Large Translation Memory): Users can leverage content from a very large public TM, or set up a private workgroup where they can share TMs among translators they are collaborating with.
Additional products include:
Wordfast Pro Plus: An optional plug-in that integrates with Wordfast Pro to allow unrestricted batch processing, extraction of frequent segments across multiple files, and automated TM administration.
WF Server: A secure TM server application that enables real-time TM sharing among translators located anywhere in the world
Wordfast Anywhere beta*: A browser-based TM tool which allows translators to store their TMs in a private, password protected area on centralized server. It is designed so users are to use Wordfast on their projects anywhere they can work on a browser.
can read, including plain text files, Word documents (DOC), Microsoft Excel
(XLS), PowerPoint (PPT), Rich Text Format
(RTF), tagged RTF and HTML
. It does not offer direct support for OpenDocument
formats because the current versions of Microsoft Word do not have import filters for OpenDocument files.
Wordfast Pro can handle Word documents (DOC), Microsoft Excel (XLS), PowerPoint (PPT), HTML, XML
, ASP
, JSP
, Java
, and InDesign (INX).
. Wordfast can also import and export TMX
files for memory exchange with other major commercial CAT tools.
The maximum number of segments in a TM is 1 million. Translation memories and glossaries can be reversed, so as to instantly reverse the source and target language.
Wordfast is able to use server-based TMs, and retrieve data from machine translation
tools (including the on-line Google Translate
tool).
Wordfast's glossary
format is a simple tab-delimited text file. Wordfast Pro can also import TBX files.
The maximum number of records in a glossary is 250,000, but only the first 32,000 lines can be displayed during search.
Online help pages for Wordfast Pro can be found on the Wordfast website, along with video tutorials.
Wordfast offers users free support for one year with the purchase of a license. After that year period, additional support can be purchased for a fee.
Translation memory
A translation memory, or TM, is a database that stores so-called "segments", which can be sentences or sentence-like units that have previously been translated. A translation memory system stores the words, phrases and paragraphs that have already been translated, in order to aid human translators...
software. Wordfast provides platform-independent TM solutions for freelance translators, language service providers, and multi-national corporations.
History
Wordfast was founded in 1999 in Paris, France by Yves Champollion. Champollion has over 25 years of experience as a freelance translator, project manager and consultant in the translation & localization industry. Yves Champollion is a collateral descendant of Aegyptologist Jean-François ChampollionJean-François Champollion
Jean-François Champollion was a French classical scholar, philologist and orientalist, decipherer of the Egyptian hieroglyphs....
who is credited with deciphering the Rosetta Stone.
In 1999, Yves Champollion developed the original Wordfast software, which was made up of a set of macros that run inside of Microsoft Word, version 97 or higher (unlike its competitors Trados, DéjàVu, and MemoQ). Up until late 2002, this MS Word-based tool (now known as Wordfast Classic) was freeware. Through word of mouth, Wordfast grew to become the second most widely used TM software among translators.
In January of 2009, Wordfast released the Wordfast Translation Studio which included Wordfast Classic and Wordfast Professional, a standalone Java-based TM tool.
Products
Wordfast offers the Wordfast Translation Studio. A WFTS license gives users access to the following:Wordfast Classic: The original MS Word-based TM tool
Wordfast Pro: A stand-alone multiplatform (Windows, Mac, Linux) TM tool that works with filters to handle multiple file formats and provides a basic freelance level of batch analysis (up to 20 files).
Plus tools: A set of free tools designed to help WFC translators perform specific advanced functions such as text extraction and alignment.
VLTM Project (Very Large Translation Memory): Users can leverage content from a very large public TM, or set up a private workgroup where they can share TMs among translators they are collaborating with.
Additional products include:
Wordfast Pro Plus: An optional plug-in that integrates with Wordfast Pro to allow unrestricted batch processing, extraction of frequent segments across multiple files, and automated TM administration.
WF Server: A secure TM server application that enables real-time TM sharing among translators located anywhere in the world
Wordfast Anywhere beta*: A browser-based TM tool which allows translators to store their TMs in a private, password protected area on centralized server. It is designed so users are to use Wordfast on their projects anywhere they can work on a browser.
Supported source document formats
Wordfast Classic can handle the following formats: any format that Microsoft WordMicrosoft Word
Microsoft Word is a word processor designed by Microsoft. It was first released in 1983 under the name Multi-Tool Word for Xenix systems. Subsequent versions were later written for several other platforms including IBM PCs running DOS , the Apple Macintosh , the AT&T Unix PC , Atari ST , SCO UNIX,...
can read, including plain text files, Word documents (DOC), Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel is a proprietary commercial spreadsheet application written and distributed by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It features calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for Applications...
(XLS), PowerPoint (PPT), Rich Text Format
Rich Text Format
The Rich Text Format is a proprietary document file format with published specification developed by Microsoft Corporation since 1987 for Microsoft products and for cross-platform document interchange....
(RTF), tagged RTF and HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
. It does not offer direct support for OpenDocument
OpenDocument
The Open Document Format for Office Applications is an XML-based file format for representing electronic documents such as spreadsheets, charts, presentations and word processing documents....
formats because the current versions of Microsoft Word do not have import filters for OpenDocument files.
Wordfast Pro can handle Word documents (DOC), Microsoft Excel (XLS), PowerPoint (PPT), HTML, XML
XML
Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
, ASP
Active Server Pages
Active Server Pages , also known as Classic ASP or ASP Classic, was Microsoft's first server-side script engine for dynamically-generated Web pages. Initially released as an add-on to Internet Information Services via the Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack Active Server Pages (ASP), also known as Classic...
, JSP
JavaServer Pages
JavaServer Pages is a Java technology that helps software developers serve dynamically generated web pages based on HTML, XML, or other document types...
, Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
, and InDesign (INX).
Supported translation memory and glossary formats
The translation memory format of both Wordfast Classic and Wordfast Pro is a simple tab-delimited text file that can be opened and edited in a text editorText editor
A text editor is a type of program used for editing plain text files.Text editors are often provided with operating systems or software development packages, and can be used to change configuration files and programming language source code....
. Wordfast can also import and export TMX
Translation Memory eXchange
TMX is an open XML standard for the exchange of translation memory data created by computer-aided translation and localization tools....
files for memory exchange with other major commercial CAT tools.
The maximum number of segments in a TM is 1 million. Translation memories and glossaries can be reversed, so as to instantly reverse the source and target language.
Wordfast is able to use server-based TMs, and retrieve data from machine translation
Machine translation
Machine translation, sometimes referred to by the abbreviation MT is a sub-field of computational linguistics that investigates the use of computer software to translate text or speech from one natural language to another.On a basic...
tools (including the on-line Google Translate
Google Translate
Google Translate is a free statistical machine translation service provided by Google Inc. to translate a section of text, document or webpage, into another language.The service was introduced in April 28, 2006 for the Arabic language...
tool).
Wordfast's glossary
Glossary
A glossary, also known as an idioticon, vocabulary, or clavis, is an alphabetical list of terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms...
format is a simple tab-delimited text file. Wordfast Pro can also import TBX files.
The maximum number of records in a glossary is 250,000, but only the first 32,000 lines can be displayed during search.
Documentation
A comprehensive user manual for Wordfast Classic can be downloaded from the Wordfast web site. Training modules are also available free of charge along with online training videos.Online help pages for Wordfast Pro can be found on the Wordfast website, along with video tutorials.
Wordfast offers users free support for one year with the purchase of a license. After that year period, additional support can be purchased for a fee.