SDL Trados Studio - Setting up and using the editor

When you open a file for translation in the editor, the content of the right column varies. You may find:

• 100% match and context match translations
• fuzzy match suggestions
• source text
• nothing at all

It depends on how you or someone else has prepared the file for translation and on the your editor settings.

Starting a translation with an empty right column or with just 100% match and context match translations in the right column is quite convenient. This way you always get up-to-date suggestions from your memory or from your automated translation server (see Automated Translation)

If the right column includes draft segments, get rid of them going to the Translation menu and selecting Clear Draft Segments.

The right column can be automatically populated with fuzzy match suggestions (if available) or with source text (if no fuzzy match suggestion is available).

Go to Tools / Options / Editor. Make sure that Automatically copy source content to target cells when opening document is not selected.

Go to Tools / Options / Automation Make sure that Copy source when no match is found is selected.

Consider whether to enable Auto-propagation or not

Auto-propagation is a good method to ensure translation coherence. After translation or editing, the target of all repeated segments will be the same, within a file or a set of merged files.

However, take care of auto-propagation issues when repeated segments require different translations depending on the context. An example is a file containing the same segment (cover) twice: at the beginning of the file (indicating the cover page) and later in a list of parts (indicating a shelter).

Go to Tools / Options / Auto-propagation and set as follows:

This way, changes will be conditionally propagated. When you translate for the first time a segment which is repeated somewhere else in the document, no prompt is displayed. When reviewing, if you change the translation of a repeated segment and confirm the change with CONTROL+ENTER a prompt is displayed. You can propagate the change to its repetitions or change just the current segment.

ADD AS NEW TRANSLATION

When you want to create a different translation for the same source text, use TRANSLATION/ADD AS NEW TRANSLATION (CONTROL+SHIFT+U).

This is useful in case of segments with same text and different formatting

Assuming the default penalty settings of 1 for Missing formatting, Different formatting, and Multiple translations, when you have segments with same text and different formatting:

• translate the first segment and store it in memory as usual with CTRL+ENTER
• when you reach a segment with same text and different formatting Trados stops because of the different formatting penalty. Adjust formatting tags, then store this segment in memory with ADD AS NEW TRANSLATION (CTRL+SHIFT+U)

Go to the first segment, right column: translate it, adjust the suggested translation, or just make sure that the included translation is correct, then confirm it by pressing CTRL+ENTER You’ll reach the next segment which requires translation or adjustment. Translate it or adjust the suggested translation, then confirm it by pressing CTRL+ENTER Repeat the process until you reach the end of the file.