Studio 2011 Series : The Return of the Bilingual Word File Type
I didn't want to start this piece off with "You asked and we did it..!"... but basically this is what we have done so that now you not only get the benefit of being able to work within the bilingual Word supply chain, but you also get the benefits of all the QA and review features that were never available to users of the Trados toolbar in Word in the past.
Before I go any further I better explain exactly what a Bilingual Word File Type is because we see a lot of new users who may not know. This file type was established in 1994 by Trados as a de facto standard for a bilingual document that is still used by some companies and translators who only work with Microsoft Word documents. The bilingual material is held within the Word document with the source text formatted as hidden text that you can see when you use the "Show paragraph marks and other formatting symbols" command. When the document is translated and contains both source and target text it is referred to as "unclean", and when you "clean" the document three things happen:
- A backup copy of the document is created that contains the source and translated material (*.BAK),
- a copy of the target document with no source is created (the "clean" file - *.DOC) and,
- the Translation Memory is updated (*.TMW)
The best way to show you how this works in practice in Studio is to run through a simple example of a partially translated Word document containing various styles and Word features that we do better than anyone else. So, consider this example where you have been provided with a Word document and a 2007 Translation Memory and have been asked to provide an unclean bilingual file by your customer.
The first thing to do is to create the bilingual document, pretranslated against the 2007 Translation Memory. To do this you open the memory in SDL Trados Translators Workbench and use the Translate feature under Tools. A couple of important things to note are:
- You must have "Segment unknown sentences" checked to ensure the file is fully segmented even where no match is found from the 2007 TM;
- You must uncheck the "TRADOStag XML workflow for Word .doc files" to avoid getting a *.TTX file instead;
Now you can add your doc file by clicking "Add" and then "Translate". The result will be a fully segmented doc file that you can now open in Studio 2011 for translation. So far so good, but for this example I also want to show you how to use the 2007 Translation Memory I was provided by my customer. I'll just use the Open Document approach for this rather than creating a Project as I only have the one file to translate. So I use CTRL+Shift+Open (or Open Document from the toolbar) and select the bilingual Word document.
This brings up the Open Document Dialogue window where I check I have the correct source and target languages and I can add my Translation Memory. I select "Add" and choose "File-based Translation Memory" and ensure I have the legacy file type selected in the file type drop down so I can see the 2007 *.TMW memories I have available. I choose the memory my customer provided and as I'm happy to do this quickly with the default options I select "Quick Upgrade":
This creates my new studio Translation Memory for me and I can click on OK to open the document in the Studio Editor ready for translation.
Before we translate the document there are a couple of interesting points to note. First of all we have all the document structure information in addition to this being a wysiwg document. So by clicking on the right hand column I can see the following:
This segment is a heading Style and it is also a page header or footer.
This segment is also a footnote, so we have retained compatibility with footnotes.
The document structure information can of course be used with the "View In" preview feature as long as you have MSWord installed so you can see what the source or target document look like in Word at any time during the translation without having to close your work.
I can now start translating in Studio as normal. My customer has advised me that all 100% matches from his Translation Memory should be left alone, so I filter on 100% matches and lock these before I start.
I can now filter on unlocked only using the new display filter, or just display everything and allow Studio to skip the locked segments as I work. I decide to display only what I need in case I lose sleep over the quality of the 100% matches I've been instructed to leave ;-)
This leaves me with only the unlocked segments to work on so I have a clear unobstructed view of the work I have to do.
I translate the first segment and when I come to the second I notice that these segments should actually be merged into one.
I thought I might have a problem being able to merge segments in a bilingual Word file type, but I needn't have worried.
I press alt+shift+down to select the two rows with the keyboard; the black outline indicating the current location of the cursor:
Then ctrl+alt+s to merge the segments (could use the mouse and toolbar of course too) and find a match in the Translation Memory after they are merged:
I continue down the document and complete my translation ready for clean up in Workbench so my customer can have the saved target bilingual Word from Studio and an updated Translation Memory. A quick check on the unclean document reveals the footnotes like this:
The cleaning up the document in SDL Trados 2007 Workbench updates the TM like this:
I think the end of this simple exercise confirms that the Bilingual Word File Type is back; brought up to date, and with the added benefits of Studio translation and review functionality, all with proper support for this format.
What's really interesting in terms of the new bilingual doc filter is that you can now take advantage of the new Studio features, such as AutoSuggest and internal fuzzy matching. This allows you to get additional bonus when working with 2007 customers...
Posted by: Agenor Hofmann-Delbor | 07/16/2011 at 12:48 PM
This is great news. The lack of interoperability throughout the supply chain has been one of our biggest concerns in migrating to Studio.
Posted by: Uta Moncur | 07/20/2011 at 08:03 PM
Now it should now be possible to avoid mantaining and interconverting to separate sets of TMs. But... how about bilingual TTX?
Many clients continue requiring TTX deliverables, and most of these TTX types cannot even be saved as target.
Posted by: Luca | 08/20/2011 at 02:43 AM
Hi Luca, ... "most"? My initial thoughts would be are you disabling smart tag pairing? Handling TTX files in Studio is a very common workflow that works well. I can look at one or two with you?
Posted by: Paul Filkin | 08/20/2011 at 08:35 PM
"You asked and we did it..!" Sounds good. But I receive pretranslated files for proofreading. Will I be able to proof them in Trados 2011 without any further rigmarole? If documents HAVE to be prepared as described above, then I won't have gained much at all if I have to spend half an hour preparing existing texts just so I can read them. I was hoping to be able to cut out the step of having to work with Workbench entirely - especially seeing as it messes up MulitTerm (I reserve judgement as to whether this has been solved in T2011 until after I have installed the software).
Look forward to your feedback.
Nick
Posted by: Nick Quaintmere | 11/03/2011 at 04:59 PM
Hi Nick,
If you receive pretranslated bilingual files then they are already prepared... so no, you won't have to do this. The example here starts with a monlingual document and explains how to create the bilingual word document for those newer users who haven't worked with these old filetypes before.
If you get a bilingual word doc then all you need to do is open it in Studio, translate or review, and save the target. You end up with a completed bilingual word doc.
Workbench won't mess up MultiTerm 2011.
Regards
Paul
Posted by: Paul Filkin | 11/03/2011 at 05:04 PM
Hello Paul,
I'd like to know if you handle TTX files in a similar way in Studio 2011? My client is using an older version of Trados and wants back bilingual TTX files (the file I received only includes the source language).
I've translated the TTX file in Studio and selected the Save Target As option as I'm dealing with a single file. However, will the TTX file be saved in a bilingual form this way for the older version of Trados, or will it only include the translation?
Moreover, the saved TTX file is now displayed in my folder with both "TTX" and "SDLXLIFF" still showing in the same file title. I suppose the client will nevertheless be able to open the file, or do I need to do anything else in addition to having used the Save Target As option?
I would be very grateful for any help.
Kind regards
Tanja
Posted by: Tanja | 01/15/2012 at 02:19 PM
Hello Tanja,
Let's tackle the filename first. When you open the TTX for translation in Studio it is converted to an SDLXLIFF and the file name given is based on adding sdlxliff to the original so you know what it was. So filename.ttx becomes filename.ttx.sdlxliff for example.
The client won't be able to open the sdlxliff unless they have Studio or another tool that supports sdlxliff. Worth noting though that another tool won't be able to save the target, only the sdlxliff... amongst a few other deficiencies that are not supported in the way Studio will do this.
When you save the target you are presented with two options. The first is to save the TTX file. The second is to save the target translation based on the format originally converted to TTX (I hope that's clear, it's a bit of a mouthful).
So to answer your first question. Do we handle TTX in the same way?... sort of. We need to have the TTX first, so you would have to create these using Workbench, or TTXit which is a small application from the OpenExchange. With Studio 2011 you will find TTXit is already installed in the start menu under SDL Trados Studio 2011 - OpenExchange Applications. It is also worth noting that it is best to disable smart tag pairing in the filetype settings for TRADOStag in the options menu as this is "kinder" to older versions of Trados.
A good resource to read is this one:
http://translationzone.com/en/landing/premium-downloads/how-to-work-with-the-translation-supply-chain-with-sdl-trados-studio-2009.asp
Regards
Paul
Posted by: Paul Filkin | 01/16/2012 at 09:00 AM
What can I do if I receive a pretranslated file in Word format only i.e. without any TM?
Tahnks in advance for your help.
Posted by: Emmanuelle | 02/28/2012 at 08:46 PM
Hi Emmanuelle,
Is this a pretranslated bilingual word file, or just a word file that has been translated... so you also have the source?
If it's a bilingual word file, then just open it in Studio and you will see the source and target populated appropriately in the Studio Editor.
If you have monolingual source and target then I suppose it depends on what you have been asked to do. If they are for using as a TM then you can align them using WinAlign which will create a *.TXT TM. This can then be upgraded to a Studio *.SDLTM using the upgrade wizard.
Does this answer your question?
Regards
Paul
Posted by: Paul Filkin | 02/29/2012 at 07:01 AM
Hi Paul,
I have just tried this and followed your instructions to the letter but I keep generating ttx files,not bilingual Word ones.
What am I doing wrong ?
Lola
Posted by: Lola Cello-Kirkham | 03/07/2012 at 04:39 PM
Hi Lola,
Presumably you are referring to the process in Translators Workbench.
I think you probably need to double check Step 2. If you don't uncheck the TRADOStag workflow then you will create a TTX file rather than a Bilingual Doc.
Regards
Paul
Posted by: Paul Filkin | 03/14/2012 at 08:26 AM
Hi,
I have had a similar issue as the one Lola talks about with the Word .docx files - even though it is possible to create a bilingual .docx file if you translate directly in Word, the Workbench automatically creates a .ttx instead of a bilingual .docx file with the "Translate" command. (I don't know how different the file types are to chance simply re-naming the file extension to .doc.)
If you happen to have a solution and/or a workaround for this issue, it would be a great help!
Regards,
Reetta
Posted by: Reetta Hänninen | 04/17/2012 at 07:05 PM
Thanks Reetta, I think you have described the problem nicely. This legacy workflow is for *.doc files and not *.docx. If you use Workbench and the Translate Option then TTX files will always be created unless the source was *.rtf or *.doc. So if you wish to use bilingual *.docx files in this workflow then either save as *.doc first or open the *.docx in Word and manually presegment the document using the Trados toolbar.
Regards
Paul
Posted by: Paul Filkin | 04/18/2012 at 05:15 AM
Hi Paul
Thanks for this - it looks like the process I need for one of my agency clients. However, Workbench is hanging when I try to process the file. It's relatively large, with 12,000 words and lots of pictures. But Workbench hangs even with a modifed version of the file with no pictures. I'd love to start using my shiny new Studio 2011 upgrade in this way, am stymied by this problem. Hope you can help.
Cheers
Susan
Posted by: Susan McDonald | 04/25/2012 at 12:52 PM
Hi Susan,
The obvious drawback to creating bilingual files with Workbench is that you are using the old 2007 filters. Since I wrote this article we have the SDLXLIFF to Legacy Converter application on the OpenExchange that will allow you to prepare the file in Studio using the new filters, and then save the SDLXLIFF as a Bilingual Doc for your agency client. So you can provide them with a clean file from Studio and a Bilingual Doc for them to update their TM.
But if you really have to have a bilingual word document prepared in 2007 then perhaps you could try splitting up the file into bite sized chunks? This may identify the portion of the document that 2007 is struggling with. Feel free to drop me an email if you'd like a little help?
Regards
Paul
pfilkin@sdl.com
Posted by: Paul Filkin | 04/25/2012 at 10:08 PM
Many thanks, Paul. As the deadline was approaching, I just reverted to using the old Word + Workbench combination. This long-standing client only wants me to send them uncleaned Word files. Mine is not to reason why! If I'd had more time, then I would have tried breaking the file down into bite-sized chunks, as you suggested. However, the same project had a couple of Word docs that were more "normal", so I used your procedure and Studio 2011 to do them. Worked like a charm! I also use voice-recognition software which seems to be working even better with Studio 2011. So the 2,200 words that I had to do got done in less than an hour for a first pass..... so much faster and easier than the old way!
As a complete aside, I have noticed that new Studio also works better with one of my electronic dictionaries that resides in memory. Previously, I had to cut-and-paste to get a quick definition. But now the dictionary's pop-up summary definition feature is working with the 2011 version. This is great! It's saving me time all round. Many thanks from a happy camper!
All the best
Susan
Posted by: Susan McDonald | 04/26/2012 at 06:11 PM
Hi there,
My clients often send me htm.ttx and xml.ttx files, for which I use TagEditor.
Will I be able to do this in T2011?, if so, how?
Thank you in advanced
Posted by: Laura | 04/28/2012 at 11:21 AM
Hi Laura,
Akll you need to do is open the file in Studio with "Open Document", or add it to a Project. Both Studio 2009 and Studio 2011 will recognise TTX as a translatable format so you can work on the translation and save the TTX and the Target file.
A good thing to remember is to ensure that you have the option to disable smart tag pairing set. This will reduce the likelihood of any compatibility problems when the TTX goes back to your customer. You find this option in Tools - Options - File Types - TRADOStag - Compatibility. Just make sure the disable smart tag pairing option is checked.
Regards
Paul
Posted by: Paul Filkin | 04/28/2012 at 10:51 PM