Proofreading Text Translated Using Trados (2)

(This article is based on my experience with SDL Trados 2007 and MS Word 2003.)

Last week, we learned some basic methods that can be utilized by proofreaders working with a text translated using Trados. We focused particularly on the case when the client provides translation memory (TM) and requests that the 100% matches should be left unchanged.

Now, let us have a look at some more sophisticated methods. The first one is very easy. It is, however, necessary to prepare the job for the translator before he/she starts to work on the job.

Analyse the files to be translated (Translator’s Workbench: Tools >> Analyse). In the Analyse window, use the button labelled “Export Unknown Segments”. The button is greyed out unless you have just completed the analysis. When you click on it, you will be prompted to enter the name of the file (use any name you like) and to select the file type – use Word (*.rtf). Before clicking the button, you can even decide what segments should be exported, based on the matching criteria. Be careful: the expression “100% or lower match value” means “lower than 100%”.

In this way, you can create RTF file containing all the segments differing from the current TM. The translator should be now given the exported RTF file (to be translated by him/her) as well as the original file for reference purposes. Remember that this is quite inconvenient for him/her.

What is convenient? It’s convenient to have the reference segments (the 100% matches and repetitions) right in the translated file. For this purpose, use the Translate function (Translator’s Workbench: Tools >> Translate). Leave all the values and checkboxes in the default setting and you can get a pre-translated file with all the 100% matches pre-translated.

You can either hand over the pre-translated file to the translator or – if necessary – you can even “lock” the pre-translated segments. What is meant by “if necessary”? If you have a large document where almost all segments are already in the TM, it may take some time to just go through it. If the client does not want to pay for the 100% matches (and there are such clients), it is better to do more “automated” preparations, so that the translator spends less time with the files.

First, create a character style (not paragraph style, this is important) and name it e.g. “skipthis”. Change the style of all the pre-translated text into “skipthis”. For this purpose, use the Find/Replace function. “Use wildcards” option must be checked. Find: “\{0\>*\<0\}” Replace by: “^&” (type everything that is between the quotation marks in the respective fields, but not the quotation marks) formatting on replace: style=skipthis. (The segments changed in the skipthis style may lose some formatting, but it is not a problem – you can create the final version of the translated file from a clean source document, if all the segments are translated in the TM.) For better clarity, you can set that the skipthis style is in grey colour.

The final step: tell Trados to skip any text in the skipthis style. Translator’s Workbench: File>>Setup>>Non-Translatable Text. Type skipthis in the line on the left side, click External and push the Add button. Now the translator should be able to see everything what he/she should see, while Trados opens only those segments, which have not been pre-translated.