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Customizing auto-localization formats

During translation, Trados Studio automatically adapts the following placeables to the format of the target language: dates, times, measurements, numbers and currency. These formats are used when auto-substituting values in TM matches and when generating QuickPlace suggestions. Starting with Trados Studio 2024, you can extend the formats that Trados Studio uses for identifying and auto-localizing placeables.

About this task

When to customize localization formats?

The default auto-localization formats that Trados Studio suggests during auto-substitution are based on your Windows Regional Settings. You might want to change the formats that Trados Studio recognizes and auto-localizes when:
  • your source text contains non-standard formats for numbers, dates, times, measurements or currency amounts and Trados Studio cannot correctly identify them as placeables.
  • the translation units in your TM use incorrect or inconsistent formats for placeables and you do not want to use these for your new translations.
  • you do not want to use the default localization formats in QuickPlace suggestions and Automated Translation results

Customize auto-localization formats

To customize the localization formats used for auto-substituting placeables, specify different formats than the default ones. Make sure to then prioritize the new format for auto-substitution and QuickPlace.

For cloud TMs

All settings for cloud TMs are read-only in Trados Studio and can be updated only from RWS Language Cloud. To customize placeables for cloud TMs, open your cloud account in a browser, go to the Resources tab and update the Language Processing Rule that your cloud TM is using. For information on how to update cloud language processing rules and placeables, see the "Language processing rules" chapter in the Language Cloud documentation.

For local and server-based TMs

Procedure

  1. To add custom localization formats from Trados Studio:
    • for a local TM - go to the Translation Memory view > Home tab, click Open > Open Translation Memory and navigate to the *.SDLTM fille on your computer.
    • for a TM available on a server: go to the Translation Memory view > Home tab, click Open > Open Server-based Translation Memory and connect to the server where the TM is located. For server-based TMs, you can only customize placeables for source languages.
    • for a language template that you can then apply to TMs: go to the Translation Memory view > Home tab, click Open > Language Resource Template and navigate to the *.SDLTM.RESOURCE file on your computer.
  2. In the Translation Memories navigation pane on the left, right-click on your TM or template, and select Settings. Alternatively, click Project Settings > All Language Pairs > Translation Memory and Automated Translation, select your TM and click the Settings button.
    This displays the Translation Memory Settings window for TMs or the Language Resource Template Settings window for templates.
  3. For local and server-based TMs, also click Language Resources in the navigation tree.
  4. In the Recognize section, check that the placeable for which you want to customize the format is enabled in the Recognize section. Any disabled items are treated as normal, translatable words during auto-substitution.
    If you enable new items as placeables, make sure to re-index the TM so that Trados Studio can rescan existing TUs for new placeables.
  5. In the table, identify the language for which you want to define the placeable formats:
    • edit formats for the source language to change the patterns that Trados Studio identifies as placeables. For example, "15.2 in" may not be recognized as a measurement, but as a number followed by a word.
    • edit the formats for the target language to change the formats that Trados Studio uses for auto-localizing placeables. For example, change the default French localization of numbers from standard "x xxx,x" to custom "x'xxx.x". For server-based TMs, you can only customize placeables for source languages.
  6. In the table, click on the column corresponding to the recognizer for which you want to create custom localization formats. Check the existing defaults and add a new format if the one you need is not in the list:
    • Dates and Times:
      1. In the Date Formats or Time Formats dialog box, expand the first drop-down menu to see the list of options for creating a new date format.
      2. Click the Add component plus icon next to each component to include Day, Month, Year and Day Name for date formats and Hour, Minutes, Seconds, AM/PM for time formats.
      3. Type separators between the components that you have selected. You can use any of the following regular separators ` : - / , ; * + ? > < _ ! @ # $ ^ & ( ) ~ = { } [ ] . The following characters are reserved for special separators: % \ " '
      4. Click the Add icon and check the Example column to see how Trados Studio will convert your specified format.
      5. Add as many custom formats as needed and click OK.
      6. Use the Move up Move up and Move downMove down arrows in the first column to prioritize the order of the custom formats. The first long and short formats in the list are used by default for QuickPlace and Automatic Translation suggestions (unless you choose another format under Auto-substitution > Dates and Times).

        For TM matches, Trados Studio uses the same format as in the TM match to show you examples of how dates and times have been localized in previous translations. You can make TM matches always use the same format by disabling the option For TM matches, copy the TM format under Auto-substitution > Dates and Times.

    • Measurements:
      1. In the Measurement Units dialog box, type the measurement name under Label and click the Add icon.
      2. Add as many measurement units as needed and click OK.
    • Numbers :
      1. In the Number Formats dialog box, type the information about the number format under the Thousand Separator and Decimal Separator columns, and click the Add icon. Check the Example column to see how Trados Studio will convert the number format.
      2. Add as many number formats as needed and select OK.
      3. Use the Move up Move up and Move downMove down arrows in the first table column to prioritize the order of the custom number formats. The first long and short formats in the list are used by default for QuickPlace and Automatic Translation suggestions (unless you choose another format under Auto-substitution > Numbers and currency). For TM matches, Trados Studio uses the same format as in the TM match to show you examples of how number formats have been localized in previous translations. You can make TM matches always use the same format by disabling the option For TM matches, copy the TM format under Auto-substitution > Numbers and currency > Separators for numbers.
    • Currency:
      1. In the Currency Formats dialog box, type the currency symbol under Symbol, and select a value from the Position list. This will determine the default position in which the symbol is placed.
      2. Add as many currency formats as needed and click OK.
      3. Use the Move up Move up and Move downMove down arrows in the first column to prioritize the order of the custom currency formats. The first long and short formats in the list are used by default for QuickPlace and Automatic Translation suggestions (unless you choose another format under Auto-substitution > Numbers and currency).

        For TM matches, Trados Studio uses the same format as in the TM match to show you examples of how currency formats have been localized in previous translations. You can make TM matches always use the same format by disabling the option For TM matches, copy the TM format under Auto-substitution > Numbers and currency > Separators for currency.

  7. Click OK to close the Settings page.

    Trados Studio prompts you to re-index the TM so that existing TUs can be rescaned for pleceables and new format patterns. Click Upgrade on the Translation Memory and Automated Translation page of the Project settings window to start reindexing the TM.

  8. Make sure your preferred custom formats are enabled under Project Settings window > [Your language pair] > Translation Memory and Automated Translation > Auto-substitution > Dates and Times and Numbers and Currency.
  9. Click OK to save your settings and close the Translation Memory Settings or the Language Resource Template Settings window.