Translation Software

I am hoping to start up as a translator and wondered if any of you use software such as Trados or Déjà Vu and is it any good?

Michael, I use wordfast even when agencies ask for an unclean document and they can't tell the difference ;-)

Glad to hear the later versions of Trados are more reliable - I had some very bad moments with the earlier versions which I'll never forget (and some sleepless nights caused by Trados too!!!)

I use Trados, mainly because most agencies now insist on it rather than through choice. Of course, they will expect a discount for high fuzzy matches, i.e. 75 per cent and above.
There are some compatibility issues if an agency for which you work has an older version. At about 800 euros, it’s not cheap but it is good once you get used to working with it.

Thank you for the advice.

I've used Trados but find it sooo heavy that I dumped it and have used wordfast for years now. It's much lighter, does just the same thing and doesn't stress the computer or crash like the earlier trados CATs I used. It's also free! I use sdlx with one agency but I'm not a fan. Never used déjà vu, had a look at it but I'm a great fan of wordfast and wouldn't/don't use anything else when I have the choice (99% of the time)