SDL Trados Manual

Few investments have been as profitable in my translation career as this manual. Reading it has earned me many thousands of euros.

Curiously, Trados’s official vendor doesn’t provide a manual, and Mats Linder has filled that gap since 2012. It’s well written, clearly organized, and contains everything you need to master the software. You can skip chapters that cover features you don’t need.

When I bought it in 2012, I’d already used Trados for years and thought I handled it well. I knew the basics and could usually solve problems (and Trados has plenty). That changed with this manual. I read it cover to cover—something I’d never done with software documentation—and it was worth it. I learned to use many features effectively and discovered others I hadn’t even known existed. Since then, before any job, I set up the project properly so Trados saves me as much work as possible.

Over the years, the knowledge gained—kept current thanks to the author’s free updates for previous buyers—has significantly increased my productivity. Hard to quantify, but I estimate about +5% once I applied what I learned: I translate 5% faster and earn 5% more. (I work exclusively in technical translation, where CAT tools deliver the most value.)

I strongly recommend that every technical translator use—and master—a CAT tool. If you use SDL Trados Studio, you need this manual to reach your full potential.

Official site: tradosstudiomanual.com
Price: €62

Alejandro Moreno-Ramos - www.ingenierotraductor.com