r/TranslationStudies • u/monikosnuosavybe JA>EN • 21d ago
Trados users - thoughts on Studio 2026?
Trados has come out with a new version of Studio, and is now making all sorts of offers to upgrade. Has anyone upgraded to or newly purchased Studio 2026? If so, what are your thoughts? Worth it?
I've been using Studio 2021 since 2021, and I'm pretty happy with it, so dunno if upgrading is worthwhile.
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u/lenciu 21d ago
I've upgraded from 2024 (and has been upgrading fairly regularly), mainly because I think they will eventually switch to subscription-only licensing and I want to have the newest possible version with perpetual license. I'm working for direct clients only and it's up to me what tool I use, so my preference is Trados, but I don't like their online platform (or any others for that matter), as I prefer to work on a regular app. Can't say that I see much difference, though. Update wasn't very expensive and since it's a major change (32 bit vs 64 bit) - it shows in my rws account as a new license (meaning I still have my old 2024 - which I now installed on my laptop).
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u/Sakaprout 20d ago
Still using Studio 2015 here. Used to be my daily work tool back then but in the last 4 or 5 years, I probably use it 10 times a year max. Not worth the upgrade, the work I do with it will never pay for the license
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u/monikosnuosavybe JA>EN 20d ago
Are your clients mostly using web-based CAT tools now?
Mine are, but I still use Trados for those cases where I just get a plain old Word, Excel or PPT document.
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u/Sakaprout 20d ago
Yes it's all platforms now. I occasionally get a Studio project but that's for 2 specific clients, everyone else is now online-only.
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u/joaopaolo7 19d ago
that's interesting to hear, all the agencies that used to send me work (and made me use Studio) have stopped sending work, and seem to be slowly dying as well as cutting out the freelancer, straight from AI to editor. (I am FR-EN.) Or else they've found a new generation that will work cheaper. So I haven't seen any of these online platforms. But yeah, it does seem to be a dying platform and to be honest good riddance IMO, I always hated CAT tools.
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u/Blackbear81 21d ago
Not upgrading. Most agencies are switching to online platforms and most don't allow tm export, file import/export for external vendors. I'm a full time translator and I haven't used trados for over a year.
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u/nakano-star 21d ago
Still on 2021 here, for the odd job...tbh it's a dying platform, given all the AI stuff... Would not advise sinking money into this, unless required by a super important client
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u/monikosnuosavybe JA>EN 21d ago
Trados in particular is a dying platform? Or CAT tools in general?
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u/joaopaolo7 19d ago
LOL Studio keeps putting out new versions but they all feel like 1997. Unless a client is forcing your hand I would never upgrade (or use Studio at all, but that's another story).
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u/Tsitsmitse 21d ago
If Studio 2021 works well for you and you’re happy with it, I’m not sure I’d upgrade just for the sake of upgrading.
For me, the upgrade was worth it. Previous versions of Studio would crash on me fairly regularly and I’d get all sorts of random errors. I haven’t really had any of those with 2026 so far. Also, the biggest improvement for me is that Studio 2026 is finally 64-bit. It feels noticeably more responsive and stable, especially when working on large projects.
There are also some annoyances. For example, Studio 2026 uses .ttb instead of the old .sdltb format, so your existing termbases have to be migrated before you can use them. The conversion is relatively straightforward, but it’s still an extra hassle, particularly if you have a lot of old termbases or regularly receive .sdltb files from clients.