My macOS apps selection
Thread poster: Gregory Lassale
Gregory Lassale
Gregory Lassale  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 05:51
English to French
Dec 24, 2019

I’m always interested in discovering new tools that can make my job easier. If you are interested, here are mine:


Antidote ($130)
Spelling/grammar checker and writing aid. The program includes a large dictionary and also allows you to build your own. Very useful if you work with a technical term base. I really like Antidote, that said it’s been extremely unstable for me since I first bought it (version 9). It slows down to a crawl, freezes and even crashes constantl
... See more
I’m always interested in discovering new tools that can make my job easier. If you are interested, here are mine:


Antidote ($130)
Spelling/grammar checker and writing aid. The program includes a large dictionary and also allows you to build your own. Very useful if you work with a technical term base. I really like Antidote, that said it’s been extremely unstable for me since I first bought it (version 9). It slows down to a crawl, freezes and even crashes constantly. I really hope that gets fixed at some point.

https://www.antidote.info/en/


aText ($5)
One of two text expansion apps I use. Expansions are quick in Pages (unlike Textexpander and Rocket Typist, for example). The UI is pretty good. I’ve tried pretty much every text expanding app out there. This is one I definitely recommend.

https://www.trankynam.com/atext/


Cafetran (€200 one-time fee or €80/year)
My main CAT tool. Most Mac users have heard about it. It’s stable and updated very regularly). The only thing I would change is the GUI. It could be more streamlined and slicker, with nicer icons. It’s a bit “Windowy” as is. Other than that, it’s a great program. Bonis, it’s more than reasonably priced (and free for ProZ members)

https://www.cafetran.com


Client Folder Maker ($5)
A nifty app that allows you to build a folder structure really quickly. Great if you want to redesign your backup/archive or regularly create projects that contain folders and subfolders.

https://clientfoldermaker.com


Le Robert & Collins Dictionnary ($150)
To be honest, I have hardly used it since I bought it. Given the $150 price tag, that’s a shame. Which leads me to…


Le Grand Robert
I don’t own it but am close to pulling the trigger. But… $150? That Robert guy is a pretty darn greedy.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/le-grand-robert-v4-1/id1351745370?mt=12


Dropbox
I use my dropbox account a second backup for certain documents. Cloud storage is a no-brainer must-have, especially if you travel often like I do. I think I have the standard plan which is $12.50/mo.

https://www.dropbox.com


Dropzone ($10)
Dropzone makes it easy to perform various actions such as opening or installing an app, moving, copying or zipping a file, or emailing an attachment, via a drag and drop interface. I wish the app made it possible move a file to several folders at once. I emailed the dev with the suggestion but never heard back.

https://aptonic.com


F5 Transcription Pro ($55)
My go-to app for transcriptions. Pretty nice interface and easy to use. Hot key to insert time stamps (which format can be edited) and perform various actions. It even features basic built-in text expansion. I use it with an Infinity foot pedal. The pedal sometime stops working - disconnecting/reconnecting the USB cable fixes that - but I think that the pedal is the problem, not the app.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/f5-transcription-pro/id935669212?mt=12
https://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Digital-Control-Computer-USB2/dp/B002MY6I7G


Hazeover ($6)
Hazeover helps you focus on the app you’re working in by dimming the others.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hazeover-distraction-dimmer/id430798174?mt=12


Le Robert Correcteur (~$85)
I grew tired of Antidote crashing so much and recently bought LRC. Several reviews/tests have shown that it doesn’t catch quite as many errors as Antidote, but it’s very close. I hope it’s more stable than Antidote. I plan on using both, though.

https://robert-correcteur.lerobert.com


Magnet ($2)
One of the best window resizing apps out on macOS.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/magnet/id441258766?mt=12


OmegaT (free)
A streamlined and very capable open-source CAT tool. It’s am especially great option for new translators who don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a CAT tool.

https://omegat.org


Pages (free with macOS)
I do have MS Word installed on my machine but honestly never use it. Pages is just as capable (at least for what I need it to do) and it’s bundled with every Mac.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pages/id409201541?mt=12


PopChar X ($30)
A great app that allows to easily and quickly insert special characters. No more googling or trying to remember combinations of key to type that currency, trademark symbol or foreign language character. Ergonis also makes KeyCue, an app that list all the available shortcuts for any program you are currently working in.

https://store.ergonis.com/products/popcharx


PopClip ($13)
A great text action app that allows you to quickly format, highlight, copy or look up - among many other things - any text you select.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/popclip/id445189367?mt=12


Syncmate ($40)
Do you regularly backup files to more than one location? Syncmate can sync your data between multiple devices and cloud storage in one click.

https://www.sync-mac.com


The Unarchiver (free)
Utility app that can unpack many types of archive files (Zip, RAR, Tar, etc). Handy when your client sends you a document compressed in a format your Mac can’t unpack natively like RAR.


Typeit4me ($20)
My other text expanding app. Very fast like aText, and very responsive customer service as well. I will keep using both until one shows it’s clearly better than the other.

https://www.ettoresoftware.com/mac-apps/typeit4me/


Winmail Decoder ($8)
I often receive winmail.dat encrypted email from my clients, which macOS can’t open natively. This app does the trick.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/winmail-decoder-the-best-winmail-dat-reader/id909540242?mt=12


Workspaces ($10)
Nifty productivity apps that lets you start all the defined resources needed for a given project with one click. Say that every time you start a translation you need to launch your CAT tool, your termbase app, your text expander, open Linguee in your web browser and launch iTunes to play some relaxing music. Workspaces lets you do that in one click. You’re welcome

https://www.apptorium.com/workspaces


That covers it for me. Very interested to learn about the apps you use and like.





[Edited at 2019-12-24 03:20 GMT]
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Jean Dimitriadis
Jean Dimitriadis  Identity Verified
English to French
+ ...
  Dec 24, 2019

I’m running GNU/Linux, not MacOS (although I have used it for several years in my past office job, and remember using TextExpander extensively), but here are some programs that might be of interest to Mac users:

Zotero (or Mendeley) along with the browser connector: a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, o
... See more
I’m running GNU/Linux, not MacOS (although I have used it for several years in my past office job, and remember using TextExpander extensively), but here are some programs that might be of interest to Mac users:

Zotero (or Mendeley) along with the browser connector: a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share research.

Purpose: documentary research

Zettlr (free): a Markdown Editor for the 21st Century

Purpose: markdown viewer/editor for writing, note taking, todo lists, journaling…

TimeCamp or TMetric (the free plans are just fine, subscription-based otherwise)

Purpose: Time tracking, user activity/productivity recording.

PlayOnMac (free) or CrossOver (paid):

Purpose: run some Windows applications without virtualization. Not all Windows applications are supported, but for example, you can run XBench (QA checker, terminology management and localization file formats converter), LFAligner (an excellent document aligner) in GUI mode (the Linux and Mac versions are available from the terminal only), Rons CSV Editor or Infix PDF editor (can be used with TransPDF).

Calibre (free)

Purpose: e-book management. All ebooks (PDFs, ePubs, etc.) in one place…

XLIFF Manager (free)

XLIFF Manager is a cross-platform open source graphical user interface for OpenXLIFF Filters (an open source set of filters for creating, merging and validating XLIFF 1.2 and 2.0 files) written in JavaScript.

With XLIFF Manager you can:

Create XLIFF 1.2 and 2.0 files that can be translated in any modern CAT tool for a variety of file types [see a list of supported document types].
Convert your translated XLIFF files to original format with a couple of clicks.
Validate XLIFF files created by any tool. Validation is supported for XLIFF 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 and 2.0.
Produce an HTML file with word counts and segment status statistics from an XLIFF document. The XLIFF files generated by OpenXLIFF Filters don’t use proprietary markup and are fully compatible with most CAT tools.

Purpose: use as an additional file filter for some file formats that may not be handled by your CAT tool, without relying to other CAT tools for the roundtrip.

---

A note on Antidote:

If you have Antidote 9 (English and French module), I strongly recommend upgrading to Antidote 10.

The impressive full list of new features and improvements is here: https://www.antidote.info/en/antidote-10/whats-new

Performance-wise, it is more responsive and there are many welcome improvements, but what was a game changer for me is that they added TRANSLATIONS between English and French, both for words and word combinations, which means you can also use it as a bilingual dictionary.

---

Dropbox free alternative:

I use Mega Sync. Nice security features, 50 GB of free storage space…

[Edited at 2019-12-24 07:12 GMT]
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Hans Lenting
Hans Lenting
Netherlands
Member (2006)
German to Dutch
My apps Dec 24, 2019

CRAX Commander, https://crax.soft4u2.com , great file commander, FTP client etc., € 18,70

Skim PDF reader, https://skim-app.sourceforge.io , programmable via AppleScript, free

Keyboard Maestro,
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CRAX Commander, https://crax.soft4u2.com , great file commander, FTP client etc., € 18,70

Skim PDF reader, https://skim-app.sourceforge.io , programmable via AppleScript, free

Keyboard Maestro, http://www.keyboardmaestro.com/main/, to create great macros to create workflows, to sync CafeTran Espresso projects with their PDF counterparts in Skim, to start combinations of apps at the same time, each in specific screen positions/window sizes, etc. Keyboard Maestro can replace many apps on your list, € 33,62

Airmail, great IMAP client, with Snooze feature, sending of large files via iCloud or Dropbox, etc. (interacts nicely with its iOS counterpart), $26.99

BBEdit, https://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit/ , best UTF-8 text editor ever, $49.99

ClamXAV, https://clamxav.com, Show viruses and adware the door, € 28,00/year

UltraEdit, http://www.ultraedit.com , a standard for coders, for me too complicated, I use it for gigantic files (like scanned dictionaries), $119 95
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Gregory Lassale
Gregory Lassale  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 05:51
English to French
TOPIC STARTER
Nice Dec 24, 2019

I already downloaded Zotero, XLIFF manager and Keyboard Maestro. I use Toggl and Timing for time tracking, which I forgot to mention. I also forgot to mention IA writer for markdown, and PDF Expert for PDF editing.

I do use Calibre for ebook management and Crossover, but not for work.

[Edited at 2019-12-24 16:32 GMT]

[Edited at 2019-12-24 16:34 GMT]


 
Gregory Lassale
Gregory Lassale  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 05:51
English to French
TOPIC STARTER
Billing Dec 26, 2019

I also forgot to include my billing software.

I started out with Excel/Numbers but found an app called Bill. I liked the interface and flexibility but grew tired of the serious bugs (including shoddy cloud storage implementation that can result in all your data getting wiped) that the dev hasn't bothered to fix in the few years I've owned the app.

https://billtheapp.com

... See more
I also forgot to include my billing software.

I started out with Excel/Numbers but found an app called Bill. I liked the interface and flexibility but grew tired of the serious bugs (including shoddy cloud storage implementation that can result in all your data getting wiped) that the dev hasn't bothered to fix in the few years I've owned the app.

https://billtheapp.com


I then stumbled upon GrandTotal, by the dev who makes Cheatsheet (freeware similar to KeyCue mentioned in the OP). The UI is pretty neat and the app offers integration for many 3rd party time programs, which is great. Unfortunately, I found invoice customization to be a bit too complicated and not user-friendly. For shame.

https://www.mediaatelier.com/GrandTotal6/


I don't like cloud-based services and always prefer to use computer-based software with a cloud storage option. I couldn't find another desktop app I liked, so I decided to give Wave (cloud-based) a try. I really like it. They could definitely unclutter the interface and make navigation more streamlined, but other than that it's excellent. And cherry on top, they offer a free pan!

If you're looking for a billing app, I highly recommend it.

https://www.waveapps.com

Feel free to share what you use for billing
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Hans Lenting
Hans Lenting
Netherlands
Member (2006)
German to Dutch
PlayOnMac doesn't work on macOS Catalina Jan 1, 2020

Jean Dimitriadis wrote:

PlayOnMac (free) or CrossOver (paid):


Isn't that a pity ...

https://www.playonmac.com/en/comments-1372.html

PlayOnMac does not work with macOS Catalina (v10.15) and next, because it drop 32bits support.


 
Hans Lenting
Hans Lenting
Netherlands
Member (2006)
German to Dutch
Duet Display Apr 8, 2020

To connect an iPad as an additional screen.

 
Gregory Lassale
Gregory Lassale  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 05:51
English to French
TOPIC STARTER
sidecar Apr 8, 2020

Hans Lenting wrote:

To connect an iPad as an additional screen.


iOS now allows you to do that natively (and for free) with Sidecar.


 
Hans Lenting
Hans Lenting
Netherlands
Member (2006)
German to Dutch
With restrictions Apr 8, 2020

Gregory Lassale wrote:

Hans Lenting wrote:

To connect an iPad as an additional screen.


iOS now allows you to do that natively (and for free) with Sidecar.


Only with recent hardware


 
stalmangarry
stalmangarry
Australia
Ny opinion Aug 2, 2023

I usually use such method as: https://mac.eltima.com/show-hidden-files-mac.html. Great opportunity.

[Редактировалось 2023-08-02 14:35 GMT]


 


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