Not Considering

Hi,

We are not considering this change. By design, this feature does not support "reviewing" empty segments - i.e. translating from scratch is not supported in the bilingual export. A CAT tool should be used to translate any segments from scratch to ensure best productivity. So, as a consequence, it is important to make sure target segments are all available in the exported file. (Again, it's meant for review, not from scratch translation).

Thanks

Daniel

Import correctly reviewed bilingual files

Many of us have noticed that Trados correctly imports all segments that had had at least some translated text present (even a single word) before the export of the bilingual file, but imports none of the segments that were completely empty (no translation whatsoever) before the export and were then translated from 0% to 100%.

This is how the bilingual file looks before the import back into Trados:

And this is what Trados actually imports:

So, Trados is willing to import only 'light edits' and completely ignores segments that were previously empty and are now translated. The translator is then left with the only option available: to manually copy the missing segments from the Word file into Trados Editor.

This 'feature' has to be fixed as quickly as possible. None of the other big CAT tools (Déjà vu X, MemoQ) acts in the same mind-boggling way.

Best regards,

Pavel Tsvetkov

Pavel Tsvetkov
  • in reply to Daniel Brockmann

    Daniel, the workflow that I use is sending medical translations to doctors to translate them and then I need to import back the file into my project for a linguistic review. Doctors are not translators, they do not know what Trados is, what a translation memory or a termbase is, and by the way, they do not need to know those things. They are not your potential customers and they are not interested in buying Trados and learning its intricate ways. Copy source to target is a possible workaround (although it makes for a messy read and a file that is twice the size), but I am just surprised at the stubborn reluctance to provide a simple and straightforward solution. You have actually taken special steps to make this impossible by way of coding it into your software.

  • in reply to Pavel Tsvetkov

    Thanks  - there are pros and cons to this approach. I think asking a translator to translate in table cells in Word is not giving them access to the productivity they ideally need. They have no TM, no termbase, no AutoSuggest, nothing other than an Office productivity app. That is not ideal. For reviewers, the situation is a bit different - in that case you use the features such as Track Changes that help with the process, and you don't need to be a CAT expert. But I also see your point - why not go all the way with our approach? A tip: if you use copy source you will anyway be able to get such translations back also - maybe that is an option for you to consider. Anyway, hopefully you can follow the reasoning a bit better now. Thanks, Daniel

  • Well, thank you for commenting on this, Daniel. The thing is that this 'feature' (not considering new translations in the import process) is counterproductive for your paying customers and they don't want it, so you 'not considering' to make amends is going against the wishes of your most valuable assets (supposedly). The inclusion of this 'feature' handicaps Trados, as all other major CAT tools have chosen to omit it. So, why are you not 'considering' making this change? I guess, it is the desire to sell more Trados Pro licenses to outsources and also sell more Trados Freelance licenses to linguists doing any type of translation work as part of a Trados workflow. This is a 'feature' in the same way that Apple and Samsung removing SD card slots and headphone jacks is a feature. It is essentially selling less for more. This type of thinking—trying to enforce unwanted 'features' on your customers as part of an effort to make them pay more—is ultimately a functional and PR disaster; it is damaging your company's image and not even helping your bottom line, as customers find workaround methods, or turn to your competitors.