Wordbee: The busy word bee is buzzing to popularity

by Helena Stamatovic

Web-based Translation Management Systems and CAT-tools are slowly taking over the market, even though many companies are still somewhat skeptical about the functionality and data security of such systems. However, we cannot deny that collaborative solutions are gaining immense popularity, which is why more and more businesses choose the cloud – even in Switzerland. High flexibility, scalability and reduced cost is what defines efficient cloud systems, and therefore they clearly outplay traditional server-based solutions.

One of the most advanced systems in this field seems to be the language technology provider Wordbee. We wanted to know more about the company everyone is talking about and started in-depth testing. Read our review here.

An integrated system par excellence

Upon first login, we realized immediately that Wordbee Translator is not a system that concentrates on only a few processes; instead, it includes every little aspect of the production chain, from job assignment to order management all the way to job completion including invoicing, quality assurance and detailed analytics and reports – with everything being highly customizable of course.

Considering its broad feature set we recommend a one-on-one demonstration with their team. Having a clear structure in place about the different roles and their access rights is definitely an advantage and one of the many steps where you can count on the software provider's support. Although we found the user interface to be mostly intuitive, with an in-depth demonstration you will get the most out of the system and learn about all the extensive features and automation options.

Ain't no process tricky enough

Compared to other localization platforms, Wordbee has one major advantage: its functionality. The system can demonstrate any process, no matter its complexity. While workflows often have to be adapted to the software, this is not necessary with Wordbee – you can adapt the software to fit your company's needs.

Apart from Wordbee Translator, their translation management system, the technology provider also offers Wordbee Beebox, which are ready-to-use content connectors for over 40 CMS, DMS and ECM (like WordPress, SiteCore, censhare, but also Microsoft SharePoint, OneDrive etc.). These integrations are part of the reason why Wordbee is one of the top providers for a collaborative system. The best part is that not only enterprises and LSP benefit from it, but also freelance translators (see edition comparison).

The editor: pleasure or pain?

We were extremely excited about testing their new translation editor (CAT) because most online tools provide limited flexibility and functionality compared to traditional desktop systems.

Wordbee's editor presented itself with a refreshing and dynamic design, stretching over the whole screen. The settings include color and display design, layout of different workspaces, TM-tuning, character limits, shortcuts, and many more. Although the display of matches and terminology takes some getting used to, in terms of productivity the editor turned out to be as good as any other CAT tool.

One of the most useful features is the automated translation of previously translated terms, phrases and segments which actively supports the translator during his work. Moreover, you have a chat option and real-time comments, and the option to connect to an online database like IATE, Reverso and various machine translation engines.

Our conclusion: With a little bit of practice you can do great work in Wordbee's new editor.

The sore point of compatibility

Wordbee supports dozens of file formats including xliff-files, and offers various import options. However, the exchange of linguistic resources like translation memories or terminology databases is still a little bumpy. When importing a tmx-file, numerous metadata that does not conform with the tmx-standard but is still used in many tools was lost. According to the technology provider there is a quick fix for this problem. In order to carry out extensive data migrations including metadata you need to prepare the files that need to be imported together with Wordbee beforehand. For us, this is a small drawback that can be disregarded.

There are also demerits when it comes to terminology: A simplified form of prescriptive terminology management can be set up using custom fields and "usage labels". However, classic, concept-oriented terminology work is not possible with the current structure of the database. On this topic, read our update from November 2019 (in German).

Drawbacks:

  • No full compatibility with linguistic resources from other systems
  • Data structure does not allow concept-based terminology management (update November 2019)
  • Editor: spellcheck depends on browser (Wordbee uses Hunspell)
  • Editor: window for online databases like IATE can't be pinned to main window
  • User interface not completely translated into all available languages – e.g. German, French, Italian (however, Wordbee is working on the localization as part of its continuous system expansion)

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