Phrase Localization Platform Reviews & Product Details

I like using the Phrase Localization Platform for translating our mobile and web applications into 14 languages. It's easy to use and offers a rapid turnaround. I also appreciate the easy tools provided for managing translations. The integration with our translation company is pretty seamless, and we can get translations from translators who are knowledgeable in our field, ensuring that the terminology isn't lost. The ability to submit requests for translations using our existing terms allows us to translate new features quickly, typically within a few days. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Slightly better integrations with providers would be nice. We always have to select a glossary for each language even though there's only one with the provider. Also, we don't really use the feedback system that the system provides, but bubbling up problems that the translators are bringing up when needed would be nice. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It offers a powerful and flexible API.

The documentation is comprehensive, making integration straightforward and seamless.

Support is fast and efficient.

The platform is user-friendly. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The time taken to resolve bugs could be improved, as noted in support requests.

Navigation within the Phrase Strings UI, particularly when moving from the editor back, could be more intuitive.

Not all supported file formats are fully integrated (e.g. XLIFF v2) Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Phrase successfully separates strings and their translations, with easy management of the multiple languages required. We use it daily for new or updated translations. Customer support was agile and assertive when I needed to recover some translations I had mistakenly deleted. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The interface for translators could benefit from better approaches. There is no way to batch upload screenshots to contextualize translators better. I'm not sure if there is a way to integrate Figma for this. Our product lacks real-time integration, and we have to upload new translations manually; however, I'm not fully aware of the explanation behind this. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Phrase Localization Platform is a comprehensive localization solution that provides a wide range of tools and features. I appreciate its CAT Editor, which is straightforward enough to enable productive and efficient translation, while still offering all the functionalities translators require. Additionally, I find the Phrase TMS product to be an effective platform for managing translation projects.

I do appreciate the customer support team which usually react quite fast and try to help. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I am not a fan of Phrase's pricing model. While it might appear appealing to have all components of the platform—such as TMS, Strings, and Orchestrator—bundled together under a single subscription, this approach does not really benefit small LSPs or individual freelance translators. Additionally, the volume-based pricing structure is not favorable for clients, as it forces them to reconsider their workflows in order to minimize the number of words or characters and stay within the set volume limits. To make matters worse, the way these limits are calculated is not always clear or transparent. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I really appreciate the Phrase Localization Platform for its intuitive and user-friendly interface, which provided an absolutely smooth setup experience. We never encountered any technical issues during the initial deployment, which speaks volumes about its usability and reliability. The platform excels in offering powerful automation features that are incredibly beneficial for our engineering content localization and translation processes, catering to multiple languages such as German, English, Spanish, and Russian. The high volume of repetitive content in our technical documentation necessitates automation to boost efficiency, and Phrase effectively meets this need. I find the combination of its pricing, comprehensive toolset, and customer attention to be remarkable, ensuring high customer retention and satisfaction. The most valuable features that stand out are its use of different machine translation engines, enhanced by AI developed by Phrase, which significantly enhances our machine translations and is a testament to the platform's cutting-edge capabilities. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I am somewhat frustrated by the lack of free educational resources such as webinars, master classes, or workshops focused on the AI-enabled features of the platform. While there are several resources available, they are often not free of charge. Having access to free educational tools would enhance client engagement and provide valuable insights into the platform's capabilities. Additionally, I would appreciate more transparency and explainability regarding how the AI-powered tools were created, which would help users understand and leverage them more effectively. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I really like that everything I need is in the same space with Phrase Localization Platform. It covers management, a powerful CAT tool, UI string localization, and more. Plus, it makes it easy to see who's working on what and how far ahead we are on any given task in a project, helping keep everything organized. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It could be more easy to understand when you use it for the first time. It has a steep learning curve, in my opinion. Maybe offering tutorials when you use each of the features, so you get exactly the help you need at the right time. It wasn't as smooth, that's why I mentioned that it could be more friendly or help-packed. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I use Phrase Localization Platform for language translation. I find its features awesome because they make it easy to update or fix content, and sharing is a breeze, which helps everyone participate in tasks. I love the simple design of Phrase and the many helpful tools it has. It supports all languages, and I really appreciate the QA tool that helps catch my mistakes and easily fix them. I also love how Phrase protects privacy and allows me to choose who can see and edit my work, which is very effective when working with a team. The initial setup was extremely easy. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It's already a very good platform so keep up the good work! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I find it very easy to use. I like its visual appearance, and it allows me to work efficiently. It is easy to find terms from databases and content from the translation memory. It is possible to perform general searches and replacements, and I can be sure that everything is saved. Of all the cloud-based translation tools, Phrase is the one I like using the most. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Sometimes, it is necessary to go back and make changes to a completed file, especially when working with partial deliveries. I would like to have the option to reverse the action of completing a file in order to modify whatever needs to be modified. I understand that this has to do with assigned roles. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Phrase is one of the online CAD and translation management tools. It takes time to get used to the complex project interface. But once I was used to it, it became relatively easy to upload my document and start translating. They were quick to adapt various machine learning and artificial intelligence tools. But you still need to learn basics such as getting an API and finding the right place to put it. I think the translation memory and term base management features are very basic, without more cutting edge semantic alignment tools. Depends on what you are looking for really. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

For me the most annoying thing was their unexpectedly strict customer retention policy: If you are like me and you review your subscriptions at the last minute, I have some bad news for you. Phrase will charge you for the next years subscription, if you do not cancel it at least 30 days prior to the date of the renewal of your subscription. 30 days! I have been using numberless subscription services in the last decade, but this one was the most hideous. And when I wrote the Phrase team to request for a good will cancellation, they just repeated the Terms of Service and its relevant articles in their emails. I am very disappointed.

Another problem has been the very basic AI integration: In my experience current LLMs such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude usually work better than DeepL and Google Translate. At least on certain documents they are able to come up with better alternative translations or wordings. But Phrase won't allow me to use my tailored prompts for the translation. Which means I have to copy and paste between my windows which is very time consuming if you rely on AI tools rather than machine translation. And the solution they offer through Custom AI won't cut it.

Another problem is the translation memory tool which is very basic. I had some documents I translated years ago but with Phrase it is not easy to turn them into translation memories. Phrase's "align" tool is basically a sentence splitter and I found it very frustrating to use when working on long documents in particular.

Phrase is not practical for people like me who has to work on a lot of footnotes. I lost count of times when I had to go back to the translation interface to find the missing footnote. This is because the footnotes are indicated with a number in a small blue box and I tend to overlook them when I am in a translation flow. And once I complete the translation and export it, I am definitely sure that I will come across to some missing footnotes. It wasted a lot of time for me. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I greatly appreciate that the Phrase Localization Platform reduces the initial sunk cost into a translation platform, making it economically feasible for freelance translators like me. I admire how the Translation Management System (TMS) allows me remote access to my translations, including on mobile devices, making workflow seamless and convenient. The platform is characterized by its simple and straightforward user interface, following the 'Keep It Simple, Stupid (KISS)' design principle, which minimizes complexity and makes it easy to use. I value its reasonably priced first usage tier for freelancer accounts, which enables accessibility without a heavy financial burden. Additionally, the web-browser access is browser-agnostic enhancing usability; while Comet Browser works best for me, it performs well across various browsers. The option to import and export translation memories (TM) and glossaries is particularly neat and straightforward, facilitating flexibility and preventing user lock-in. I have found the setup process remarkably intuitive despite coming from various other tools. The platform's ability to compartmentalize and deploy accumulated assets across platforms is extremely beneficial for my work. Although it has its challenges, I am inclined to recommend it highly due to its overall functionality and practicality, having already recommended it to numerous students and colleagues. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I find it frustrating when the loading screen gets stuck sometimes at login or when trying to open an uploaded file to begin translation. This issue often occurs on WiFi, but it seems to resolve when I switch to mobile data tethering, although identifying the exact cause is difficult. Additionally, I think the platform could benefit from a more intelligent use of color-coding outside the translation UI to enhance overall design and make it more informative for users. Moreover, while I found the initial setup intuitive due to my experience with similar tools, my students, who are aspiring linguists and translators, find it confusing and non-intuitive, possibly due to its deviation from the design languages of their familiar operating systems (MAC/WIN). Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.