Phrase is a cloud-based TMS (translation management system) with a CAT tool interface that has many similarities with memoQ. All project management work happens in a web browser.

As for translators, the CAT tool interface can be used either directly on a web browser or through an installed desktop editor. To work in the desktop editor, you will need your PM to send you downloaded translation files (in .mxliff format) which you can open in the editor. The web version does not require any installation or separate files.

The desktop editor is free to download and use. All Sandberg staff have the editor installed on AVD, and freelancers can download the latest version from the Phrase website: https://phrase.com/download/

There is no difference in the main functionality of the web and desktop versions, even if icons and their placement in the translation editor may look slightly different. Unless otherwise stated, the screenshots in this wiki are from the web version.

This depends on the project at hand and your PM will tell you which version you need to use.

As a general rule, if the login credentials you are asked to use for a project are something generic like “Danish Translator” or “Finnish Reviser”, you should be working in the desktop editor. This is specifically because these types of logins are almost always used by multiple different linguists, often simultaneously, and if more than one person tries to log in to the web version of Phrase with the same logins, the most recent person logging in will kick the previous person out. However, when using the desktop editor, multiple linguists can use the same logins while translating without issues.

If your login credentials are specific to you, for example containing your initials or your specific ID number, you can usually work directly in the web editor, because no one else will be trying to use the same credentials.