SDL Trados Studio Editions

Jul 6, 2021 · 4 min read · SDL Trados Studio

In this post, we'll briefly discuss the different editions of SDL Trados Studio 2021 and give some recommendations on which edition to choose.

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SDL Trados Studio from the British company SDL International is one of the most well-known automatic translation systems. The first version of the program was developed by the German company Trados GmbH, which SDL International bought in 2005. At the heart of the program is a special database - a translation memory containing texts from the source and target languages. Today there are several versions of SDL Trados Studio 2021 on the market. The most popular ones are listed below:

  • SDL Trados Studio Freelance
  • SDL Trados Studio Starter
  • SDL Trados Studio Professional

SDL Trados Studio Freelance and SDL Trados Studio Starter

The first two versions - SDL Trados Studio Starter and SDL Trados Studio Freelance - are intended for freelancers and small companies with small translation volumes or a limited set of languages. Here are the main differences between the two versions:

  • For SDL Trados Studio Freelance, you can buy either a perpetual license or an annual subscription with an option to extend it for one more year. SDL Trados Studio Starter is only available with a one-year subscription. Note that a perpetual license entitles you to receive free updates only for the current major version of the program (for example, updates for SDL Trados Studio 2019). To upgrade your system to an older version (for example, SDL Trados Studio 2021), you need to buy an upgrade package.
  • You can connect only one translation memory to SDL Trados Studio Starter, while the Freelance version supports working with several translation memories.
  • The SDL Trados Studio Starter subscription does not include the SDL MultiTerm terminology management system.

In both editions - SDL Trados Studio Starter and SDL Trados Studio Freelance - there is a limit to the number of languages supported per project. In SDL Trados Studio Freelance, you can use up to 3 target languages within one project, while SDL Trados Studio Starter supports only one target language. At the same time, you can create any number of projects in both editions.

Language Support
You choose your preferred languages when installing SDL Trados Studio on your computer. To change any of the languages later, you need to reinstall the application.

Both versions do not support creating AutoSuggest dictionaries, although you can use existing dictionaries without any restrictions. If necessary, you can purchase a separate license to create AutoSuggest dictionaries, but only for use with SDL Trados Studio Freelance.

SDL Trados Studio Professional

The main difference between SDL Trados Studio Professional and the above versions is the absence of language restrictions and many additional tools you can use to work with translations and terminology, edit your content, and manage your projects.

Functions in different versions You can find more information about the SDL Trados Studio versions and the available functions on the company's website.

SDL Trados GroupShare

A separate place is occupied by SDL Trados GroupShare, a solution designed for collaborative work on translation projects. Using this solution, translators and project managers can easily and securely share project files, terminology and translation databases in real time. To work in an SDL Trados GroupShare system environment, you can use the SDL Trados Workgroup version.

SDL Trados Studio - GroupShare edition

So what edition to choose?

For most self-employed translators, SDL Trados Studio Freelance is the best choice because it is more affordable and has all the necessary functionality to perform common translation tasks. SDL Trados Studio Starter can suit those who need to translate small text files occasionally. At the same time, the professional version is intended for small and large companies for which managing translation projects is also important.

So if you are a self-employed translator and do not plan to work with more than three target languages in one project, SDL Trados Studio Freelance is probably the best choice for you.

Using SDL Trados Studio Freelance on two computers
If you intend to work with translations on two computers at once, we recommend that you purchase the Freelance Plus version of SDL Trados Studio. This version comes with an additional license which allows you to activate the program on a second computer.

SDL MultiTerm

To work with terminology databases, we will also need to install the SDL MultiTerm application. The application is part of the SDL Trados Studio Freelance and SDL Trados Studio Professional editions.

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