Proofreading Text Translated Using Trados (1)

(This article is based on my experience with SDL Trados 2007.)

Generally, Trados and similar CAT tools make the work of a translator easier. The same applies for the work of a proofreader. If not for anything else, it is quite convenient to open the text segments one after another and see the source text in one box and the target text in another one. There are, however, some special issues, which require special attention and maybe also certain know-how.

Some customers provide their own translation memories (TM) and require that the 100% matches should not be altered (quite often they are not paid as well). In such a case, the translator’s work is easy – if a 100% match is encountered, he/she just presses the necessary combination of keys and continues with the following segment. What can do a proofreader, however, working on such a job? How does he/she recognize the 100% matches provided by the client from the other parts of the text? Can he/she check whether the translator observed the customer's requirement not to alter the 100% matches?

First of all, if you obtain a TM from the customer, keep one untouched copy aside. Check whether the translation units in the TM contain user ID’s of their creators which can be clearly recognized. Export the TM as TMX. If necessary, open the file in Notepad or similar application and change the values of the parameter "creationid" to something like "original_TM" or so. Then import this modified TM in a newly created translation memory. (Even if the "Created by" parameter does not need to be modified, we will use the exported TMX file later.)

Make sure your translator is properly using the ID parameter (Menu Settings >> User ID in Translator's Workbench). You can change this parameter only when no TM is opened. The same applies to you – every person touching the translation should have his/her own User ID, even if they work on the same machine with the same Trados application.

Now you can go through the text and do your work. If you see a segment where the parameter "Created by" shows the customer's ID, you can skip it (unless the parameter "Changed by" shows anything but empty value – that would mean that somebody has been doing something with it).

When you finish, it's time to check once more that your translator did not change the 100% matches with the TM provided by the customer. Import the original memory (saved as TMX at the beginning) into the current memory containing all the new translations. In the Import menu in the section "Existing translation units" check the option "Overwrite".

Go to the beginning of the text, open the first segment and press Alt-*. Trados will go through the document, stopping in the segments, where the TM differs from the text in the actual file. Typically, this would indicate a 100% match changed by the translator. However, this does not have to be always the case, so be careful and check each individual instance thoroughly.

Now you have completed your task.

You may ask: "OK, and what about 99% matches differing by formatting only etc.?" Yes... you are right. This topic has not yet been explored completely. See you next week.