Documentation Center

Previewing files

There are several methods that you can use to preview a document in SDL Trados Studio. Depending on which preview mode you use, different file types are supported.

When previewing documents that contain tracked changes, you can only see the tracked changes in the preview for *.docx files (Microsoft Word 2007-2016 file type). For all other file types, tracked changes will appear as if they are accepted in the preview.

Previewing files in the Preview window

Use the Preview window to preview your source text or target text or both the source and target side-by-side. Select how to preview your document:

  • Select Preview to preview the translation as it is now. This preview is only updated with confirmed segments if you press Refresh.
  • Real-time Preview - Select this if you want the translation preview to update to reflect the changes as you type. This update occurs every time you confirm a segment. This feature uses a lot of processor power. If your instance of Trados Studio becomes slow, you may want to use the Preview option instead.

You can only preview the following types of documents in the Preview window:

  • Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx)
  • Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx)
  • Microsoft Excel (.xls, .xlsx)
  • RTF
  • XML
  • HTML
  • PDF

To preview additional file types, use the View In preview option where you can view the document in the application in which it was originally created.

Preview in the native application

To preview a document in its native application (the application in which it was originally created) use File > Print & View > View In option. You can choose to preview your source text or target text or both the source and target side-by-side.

Print Preview

Use this option to preview the document as a bilingual *.sdlxliff file in a web browser. The source and target text is displayed side-by-side. When you preview the document you can also print it from your web browser.