CafeTran Espresso vs OpenTM2

CafeTran Espresso is a computer-assisted translation tool built for translators, with document translation, translation memory and glossary tools. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. The product lists AI and machine-translation integration, smart autocompletion, one-click placement of suggested text and a customizable interface. It supports office and publishing formats as well as bilingual formats such as XLIFF, SDLXLIFF, SDLPPX, MQXLIFF and TXML. The maker says translators can accept jobs from clients using SDL Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast and other major CAT tools. The standard version can serve as a translation-memory server for team collaboration, and the system clipboard can support work with PDFs and other difficult formats. The free version runs indefinitely but is limited to 1,000 translation units and 500 glossary terms. The Annual Subscription costs €80 a year and removes those size limits for the subscription year, with updates and full support while current. A One-time Purchase is listed at €200 a month and includes four years of upgrades and support.

OpenTM2 is a free Windows desktop program for managing translation projects and automating repetitive work for professional translators. Its Workbench combines a translation editor, translation memories, and project glossaries, alongside terminology management and alignment tools. Supported formats include HTML, Java properties, OpenOffice, XHTML, generic XML, XLIFF, and TMX translation memory databases; TMX, TBX, and XLIFF are supported for exchanging translation assets. The maker says the software handles all languages, including bidirectional scripts and East Asian ideographic languages. For software localization, XLATE lets translators work on interface strings in context and resize dialog boxes for translated text. Scripts can automate project creation, importing and pretranslating files, word counts, and exports. Translation memories can be shared on a local network, with offline synchronization options for remote translators. OpenTM2 is released under the Eclipse Public License, which the maker describes as suitable for commercial and open-source software. Downloads include an installer/updater and source code; the application has a built-in update mechanism.