Key concepts
This section contains some key concepts that you may want to understand before starting work with SDL Trados Studio.
- Selecting TM and folder for alignment results
Before starting an alignment, specify the translation memories (TMs) where you want SDL Trados Studio to send the alignment results. You can choose to send the results to a new or to an existing TM, whether it is a file-based or a server-based TM. - Adding multiple files to align
After selecting a translation memory (TM) for importing the alignment results, add the folder structures containing the target and source language documents to align. - Processing alignment files
After you have selected the files to be aligned and you have set the alignment options, click Finish on the Alignment and TM Options page to start the alignment process. - Changing file type settings for alignment
When you are aligning multiple files, you can change the default file type settings for your selected documents. - Automated translation
Automated translation is translation performed by computer software. The application that provides the automated translation is installed on a server and is accessed in a similar way to a server-based translation memory. - AutoSuggest
- Encoding
Characters are stored by computer programs as numbers. Encoding tells the computer how to interpret a number and display the character on the user's screen. For example, the UTF-8 encoding is able to represent any character in the UNICODE standard. Other encoding schemes are also available. For example the encoding iso-8859-1, windows-1252, contains the character sets for Danish, Dutch, Finnish, and other European languages. - PerfectMatch
A PerfectMatch is a form of context match that compares updated source files to a corresponding set of existing bilingual documents rather than to a translation memory. Segment matches, known as PerfectMatches, are checked for context, that is, the surrounding entries are checked to ensure that they are the same. In addition, if your existing bilingual document was segmented differently to the current document or had merged segments, PerfectMatch can dynamically merge up to three consecutive segments in your current document to improve your match results. The translations are then extracted from the existing bilingual documents and transferred to the updated source files. - MHT files
MHT files are a web page archive format used to group an HTML file and its components that are included along with it into one single file. These components are usually a collection of files such as HTML files, images files and Flash animations. - Tags
- Tasks
A task is a process that is performed on an individual file or on a group of files (for example, an entire project). There are two types of task in SDL Trados Studio: - Terminology
A termbase is a database containing terms, term translations, and term-related information, for example, a definition of the term. The purpose of a termbase is to reduce the amount of time and effort involved in translating new documents by enabling you to lookup term translations. - Translation memories
- Language pair
A language pair is used to store settings relating to translation from a specific source language into a specific target language. Resources and options are typically configured for use across all language pairs to which they apply. Multilingual resources, such as termbases and server-based translation memories, may apply to more than one language pair. Bilingual resources, such as file-based translation memories, only apply to a specific language pair. - Abbreviation list
When segmenting text, SDL Trados Studio follows certain rules, including the rule to break segments after a full stop (period). To ensure that abbreviations do not incorrectly trigger a segment break after full stop, Trados Studio uses a default list of abbreviations for each source language. When Trados Studio finds a full stop preceded by text, and the text appears in the default Abbreviation List, the full stop is interpreted as an abbreviation punctuation mark and Trados Studio keeps reading until the next full stop. - Language Resource templates
A language resource template holds a modified set of language resources. You select the template when you create new translation memories and the settings stored in the template are added to the new translation memory. - Segmentation
Studio processes files for translation by breaking text into segments. A segment can be a paragraph or a sentence. Punctuation marks are used to identify where each segment ends. This is called segmentation and affects how the text is displayed in the Editor upon opening a document. - Segmentation rules
Segmentation rules define how SDL Trados Studio divides paragraphs of source text into segments. Often a segment is identical to a sentence, in which case the rules specify the text patterns that constitute a sentence. - Active document
You can have more than one document open in the Editor, but only one can be displayed at any time. The currently displayed document is known as the active document. - Active row
There are multiple segments displayed at the same time in the Editor window in the Editor view. However, only one of these can be selected at any time and this row is known as the active row. When a row is the active row, a lookup in the translation memory and termbase is automatically performed. You can only edit the target segment for an active row. - Active project
You can have several projects listed in the Projects view at the same time. However, only one of these can be open in SDL Trados Studio at any time and this project is known as the active project. - Segmentation and tokenization
Understanding how SDL Trados Studio segments and tokenizes a source file is the key to using TMs effectively. When you open a file, the software uses the file type settings to do initial segmentation. It then uses the TM segmentation rules (taking into account some file type settings) to do further segmentation. - Language resources
Language resources control the process of segmenting source document text ready for translation memory to be applied to the segments. Language resources are stored in the form of lists and rules. There is a set of default language resources for every language supported by SDL Trados Studio. In addition you can create a language resource template that contains a modified set of language resources. - Ordinal follower list
SDL Trados Studio uses a default source language ordinal follower list when segmenting text. An ordinal follower, or ordinal noun, is a word which is typically found following a number. - QuickPlace
QuickPlace is a feature which can be used to speed up how recognized tokens from a source segment are inserted into a target segment in the Editor window in the Editor view. Recognized tokens can include text formatting, tags, numbers, variables and dates. - Recognized tokens
A recognized token is a short piece of text, enclosed in a segment, that a TM treats as a single word because it is a defined format. For example, if dates are enabled as a recognized token in a TM, the TM recognizesMonday 1 January, 1900as one word. Tokens that can be recognized are: - Pre-translation
When you create a project, it pre-translates project files by applying translations from translation memories, terminology databases (termbases) and previously translated files. Pre-translation refers to the automatic translation of segments in the source file(s). - Project templates
Project templates reduce the amount of time and effort involved in creating new projects by reusing settings and selections used to create previous projects. - Pseudo-translation
Pseudo-translation is a procedure which simulates how a translated document will look after translation and how much extra DTP or other work will be required before actual translation is done. This can help in the planning of the project to set appropriate estimates and expectations. - Recognition settings
Recognition settings in a translation memory (TM) specify whether to identify elements that do not change during translation. If enabled, SDL Trados Studio recognizes designated elements and treats them as recognized tokens during translation. These items include variables, dates, times, numbers, measurements and acronyms. - SDLXLIFF File Format
SDLXLIFF is an XML-based file format specially developed for use in SDL Trados Studio. It is compliant with version 1.2 of the*.xliffstandard.*.sdlxliffstands for SDL XML-based Localization Interchange File Format. - Translatable
By default all project files are given a status of Translatable. This means that they can be translated in SDL Trados Studio. If a file requires translation but cannot be translated in Trados Studio, they should be given a usage status of Localizable. - The variables list
SDL Trados Studio allows you to include a customized list of variables in the translation memory setup. Each item on the list is treated as a non-translatable element (recognized token) in Trados Studio. You can create your own variable list in a language resource template or during the translation memory creation. Variables can be useful if, for example, you may not want to translate a company name. Adding it to the variable list identifies this as untranslatable content. The properties of the variable list are as follows: - Language pair settings
Language pairs indicate the source and target languages of your translation. You can specify language pair settings in various locations, for the current project you work on or for all future projects.