TTX Compatibility Guide for SDL Trados Studio 2009 Users

This guide is designed to advise SDL Trados Studio 2009 users on best practices when working with the legacy TRADOStag XML (TTX) and bilingual RTF format produced by previous SDL Trados versions. We will look at various scenarios and provide extensive information on how to make best use of the many new Studio features while still being able to satisfy your customer requirements in terms of providing backward compatible TTX files and translation memories while your customers are still requiring these legacy formats.In this guide, it is assumed that the reader is familiar with both SDL Trados 2007 and SDL Trados Studio 2009, above all in terms of the bilingual file formats and batch processing concepts used.

www.sdl.com

White Paper

Daniel BrockmannSenior Product ManagerSDL TRADOS Technologies

2

Background Information - SDL Trados 2007 and Its Use of TTX and Bilingual RTF vs. SDL Trados Studio 2009 and Its Use of SDLXLIFF

SDL Trados 2007 featured two main ways of working:

• When pre-translating files in SDL Translator's Workbench or SDL Trados Synergy, or when opening files for translation in SDL Trados TagEditor, the file was converted to a bilingual format for translation. This file format was referred to as TTX (TRADOStag XML).

• When using SDL Trados Translator’s Workbench with Microsoft Word, all files were converted to bilingual Rich Text Format (RTF). If the file was in native Word .doc format, this process happened behind the scenes.

By contrast, in SDL Trados Studio, when you open a document for translation or create a project, files are converted to SDLXLIFF, a new generation of a bilingual format that is more powerful, flexible and standards-based than TTX. SDLXLIFF stands for SDL XML Localization Interchange File Format. It is an XML-based bilingual file format, especially developed for use in localization. For more information on XLIFF files, refer to http://xml.coverpages.org/xliff.html. SDLXLIFF files are compliant with version 1.2 of the XLIFF standard.

This guide provides information on how to plug into the SDL Trados 2007 (and earlier) supply chain by explaining how to provide TTX files and translation memories to users of the legacy SDL Trados product generations wherever required.

Before Starting: Options for TTX Support in SDL Trados Studio 2009

Compatibility Settings for TTX

SDL Trados Studio 2009 can work with TTX using two modes, a smart tag pairing mode and a compatibility mode.

To get to this setting, with no document or project open in SDL Trados Studio, go to Tools - Options - File Types - TRADOStag - Compatibility:

Figure 1: Compatibility Settings for TRADOStag

3

In smart tag pairing mode, SDL Trados Studio 2009 attempts to convert tags in the TTX in such a way that an opening and closing tag in the TTX file becomes a tag pair in SDL Trados Studio, and also attempts to preserve the semi-WYSIWYG formatting from TTX ( ). It can also happen that an opening tag in a TTX file actually does not have a closing tag in the same segment. Because this is no longer supported in SDL Trados Studio, in such cases Studio will insert an extra closing tag to ensure the integrity of all tag pairs.

This smart tag pairing approach will work in most cases, providing for more user friendly translation of TTX files. However, in rare instances, the back conversion of TTX files manipulated in this way may fail. If this is the case, it is recommended to activate the compatibility mode for TTX as depicted above. In this mode all tags from the TTX files become placeholder tags ( - see picture below) during translation in SDL Trados Studio, so each tag in the TTX file will correspond to exactly one tag in Studio, with no extra tags inserted. Moreover, formatting from the source file will not be shown in Studio. This approach ensures the maximum possible tag integrity and maximum legacy support for TTX:

Before you start work on TTX files, it is useful to test TTX compatibility by doing a "dummy" translation of a representative TTX file from your project. To do this, copy all source segments to target in Studio (Alt+Shift+Ins), then use the Save As Target command in Studio to produce both a "translated" version of the TTX file and also a target version of the original file format from the TTX (referred to as "Original File"). This works for all file formats that are supported in SDL Trados 2007, including customisable file formats such as XML or SGML. In the latter case, it is important to ensure that you have access to additional files that are needed for smooth translation, such as tag settings files (.INI).

Figure 2: Tag pairs in TTX after opening a file in Studio using Smart Tag Pairing Mode

Figure 3: Compatibility mode for TTX files using placeholder tags and no formatting

4

If saving both output file formats (TRADOStag document and Original File) is possible, you can use smart tag pairing mode. If not, use the compatibility mode.

Tip 2: Tag Verification Settings

You can fine tune the way tags should be checked in a TTX file by going to Tools - Options - File Types - TRADOStag - Tag Verification and changing the default settings to your liking.

Scenario 1: Client Sends TTX Files and Would Like TTX Files Back

This scenario is the most straightforward one. SDL Trados Studio 2009 provides full support for TTX files as input and output, so you can easily return TTX files sent to you after doing the translation in Studio. You can use both single-file translation (using the Open Document command) as well as standard projects (using the New Project command) if you are to working with multiple TTX files in a bigger project, as itallows you to batch analyze and pre-translate as you see fit before working on the files in Studio.

Figure 4: Options for saving TTX as target

Figure 5: Tag Verification Settings for TRADOStag Files

Receive a TTX file

•

Open TTX in

•

Translate the file in Studio

Save your work

•

Finalize

•

The basic workflow is as follows:1. Receive TTX files from customer.2. Decide if you wish to use smart tag pairing or full compatibility mode for TTX files and

define the tag verification settings for TTX (see "Before Starting: Options for TTX Support in Studio" above).

3. In Studio:a. Use Open Document for translating single TTX files in Studio, orb. Use New Project if you would like to use the project preparation options available in

Studio if you are dealing with several TTX files and would like to benefit from the rich project automation features in Studio, such as doing an analysis prior to translation etc. All relevant project automation features are supported not only for source files, but also bilingual input files in TTX format.

4. Translate the file(s) as usual in Editor view.5. After translation is finished, use one of the following:

a. the Save Target As command from the File menu if you would like to save single files astarget. You can save target files in both TTX or native format or both. (Please note that be able to save the target in native format you will need SDL Trados 2007 Suite installed on your pc; V.2007 Suite is included in V.2009)

b. the Finalize batch task if you are in the project context. The Finalize task will produce TTXfiles as target files and put them into the target language folder of your project.

6. Deliver the translated TTX files back to your customer.

Scenario 2: Client Sends New Source Files and Would Like Translated Files and TTX Files Back

In this scenario, you can use SDL Trados 2007 Suite to batch convert files to the TTX format, then SDL Trados Studio 2009 as per scenario 1 above.The workflow is as follows:

5

Figure 6: Options for saving TTX files as target in Studio

4

1. Receive new source files from customer.2. Batch convert the files to TTX in SDL Trados 2007 Suite. To do this, you typically follow these steps:

a. Start SDL Trados Translator's Workbench.b. If you are translating Word documents, select Options - Translation Memory Options

- Tools and check the TRADOStag XML workflow for Word documents box. This will ensure that Word documents (just like any other file type) will be converted to TTX during the batch conversion. For more information on file type support in SDL Trados 2007, refer to the File Formats Reference Guide shipped with SDL Trados 2007 Suite.

c. In Translator's Workbench, create a new translation memory with a source and targetlanguage that match the language direction you want to work with. (You can also re-use an existing translation memory with a matching language pair; in this case the TTX file will be partially translated after the batch conversion.)

d. In Translator's Workbench, select Tools -> Translate. Translation will do two things: it willconvert the files to TTX, and it will set the correct source and target language for later translation in Studio. If you leave Segment unknown sentences unchecked and use a new translation memory, you will get a "clean" TTX document with just the source document converted to TTX.(If you want to keep the segmentation fully consistent with SDL Trados 2007 Suite, it may make sense to activate the Segment unknown sentences option. However in this case the target side in Studio will be populated with copied source segments. To clear these, you can use the Clear all draft translations command in Studio.)

This completes the batch conversion steps in Translator's Workbench. You can now move over to Studio as in scenario 1.

3. Decide if you wish to use smart tag pairing or compatibilty mode for TTX files and definethe tag verification settings for TTX (see "Before Starting: Options for TTX Support in Studio" above).

4. In Studioa. Use Open Document for translating single TTX files in Studio, orb. Use New Project if you would like to use the project preparation options available in

Studio if you are dealing with several TTX files and would like to benefit from the rich project automation features in Studio, such as doing an analysis prior to translation etc. All relevant project automation features are supported not only for source files, but also bilingual input files in TTX format.

5. Translate the TTX file(s) as usual in Editor view.

6. After translation is finished, use one of the following:a. the Save Target As command from the File menu if you would like to save single files as

target. You can save target files in both TTX or native format, or both. This applies to all file formats supported by SDL Trados 2007.

b. the Finalize batch task if you are in the project context. The Finalize task will only produceTTX files as bilingual files and put them into the target language folder of your project. 5

Figure 7: TTX Document in SDL Trados Studio

Figure 8: Options for saving TTX files as target in Studio

4

c. If you wish to batch create native target documents from the TTX files, you can now runa batch cleanup in Translator's Workbench in SDL Trados 2007 Suite, as shown below. If you select Update TM, then any new translations you did in Studio will also be imported into your legacy SDL Trados translation memories, effectively keeping both your new Studio and old SDL Trados TMs up to date.

7. You are now ready to deliver the translated TTX files and target documents back to yourcustomer.

Scenario 2 can also be used when a client sends source files and would like to have extra reassurance that the translation can be done successfully even if a translator can't complete the job and it has to be passed over to another translator to finish. In such a scenario, TTX can be a used as a document format to work with as the translator who finishes the job may not yet have SDL Trados Studio 2009 and so can then work on the TTX file in SDL Trados 2007 Suite.

Scenario 3: Client Wants Bilingual TTX files for Review Purposes

This scenario is similar to scenarios 1 and 2 in so far as you can deliver TTX files for reviewing purposes at step 6 or 7 respectively. However, it should be noted that SDL Trados Studio 2009 features new reviewing capabilities that were not available in legacy SDL Trados versions and that offer new possibilities. These are covered below and work with TTX files just as well as with new source files that go via the SDLXLIFF route. So it can be of interest to follow a Studio based process for reviewing TTX files just as for any other type of project. The process is as follows:

1. Work through the process in scenario 1 until step 4 (fully translated TTX files).2. In SDL Trados Studio, go to the Projects view and select your project. Create a project

package using the Review task and send it to the review user.

3. The review user can open the project package in Studio and do the review using the manynew reviewing features.

4. When the review is finished, they can create a return package and send it back to you.5. You can now continue the scenario 1 process at step 6 and 7.

Note: in SDL Trados Studio 2009, it is possible to work with project and return packages, as described in steps 3 and 4 above. This is the recommended way of working as it ensures that all relevant settings and project resources (such as documents, translation memories, termbases AutoSuggest dicionaries etc.) can all be packaged up into one single file, making it easy and safe to pass project work on to the next project participant. However, similar to what was possible with TTX and ITD, it is also still possible to send SDLXLIFF files without creating project packages first. These SDLXLIFF are self-sufficient and can be opened in Studio in the same way as any other document. However, in this case, the project participant needs to manually open other resources belonging to the project, such as the translation memory or termbase.

Tip: Use HTML-Based Bilingual Preview for Review Purposes

Even without using the package process described above, there are useful new review features in Studio which can be used to optimize the review process. For instance, if you wish to review a translated document on paper, you can use the Print Preview feature in Studio to print the currently open document using your browser. A wide range of options is available to fine-tune what will be printed and how. For more information on this, refer to the online help in Studio.

5

Figure 9: Creating a review project package with TTX files

4

Scenario 4: Client Would Like Bilingual TTX Files to Update Their TM

This scenario is an extension to scenario 2. Refer to "Scenario 2: Client sends new source files and would like translated files and TTX files back" and "Tip: Keeping both Studio (.sdltm) and legacy SDL Trados (.tmw) translation memories up to date" below for more information on how to ensure that both Studio and legacy SDL Trados TMs can be kept up to date.

Scenario 5: Client Sends Source Documents in Word Format (.doc) and Would Like Bilingual .doc and Target .doc Files Back

There are two ways to work in this scenario: Firstly, since SDL Trados 2007 Suite is shipped with SDL Trados Studio 2009 at no extra cost, it is perfectly possible to use the legacy Microsoft Word workflow for this type of task. For more information on this way of working, refer to the documentation shipped with SDL Trados 2007 Suite. This way of working should also be used if clients send you bilingual Word documents as per the legacy SDL Trados 2007 Suite workflow when using Word. In this case, Microsoft Word must be used as it is the only application that supports bilingual Word documents in .doc format.

Secondly, if you do wish to use SDL Trados Studio for this scenario, you would follow these additional steps:1. As per scenario 2, batch convert the files to TTX in SDL Trados 2007 Suite, translate the files in SDL Trados Studio, convert the files to target .doc.2. Clean up the translated TTX files into legacy SDL Trados 2007 Suite TMs, as per "Tip: Keepingboth Studio (.sdltm) and legacy SDL Trados (.tmw) translation memories up to date" below. This adds the translations to your legacy TMs for use in SDL Trados 2007.3. As per the above first suggested workflow, open the source document(s) in Microsoft

Word. Re-translate them using the legacy SDL Trados 2007 Suite translation memory just updated in step 2. It is recommended to use Translate to Fuzzy to ensure that you only

Figure 10: Bilingual TTX document open in browser using Print Preview feature in Studio

touch the segments that don't have a 100% match in your legacy TM. Such differences can be introduced due to the segmentation and tagging differences between SDL Trados Studio 2009 and legacy Translator's Workbench when using the Microsoft Word environment.

Tip: Keeping Both Studio (.sdltm) and Legacy SDL Trados (.tmw) Translation Memories Up to Date

The best approach to keeping both Studio and legacy SDL Trados translation memories up to date is as follows:

• SDL Trados Studio TM (.sdltm): Translate the TTX documents in Studio and run the Finalize batch task at the end of translation. This will ensure that the Studio TM will be kept up to date at all times. (Note: if you work with the master TM throughout the project lifecycle - this is the case if you don't use project TMs or work with single document translation only using the Open Document rather than the New Project command - then it is not necessary to run the Finalize task, as the TM is already up to date based on your work in the Editor.)

• SDL Trados Workbench TM (.tmw): After finalizing the files in SDL Trados Studio, Studio will place the final version of the TTX files in the target language folder of your project location in Studio. In Translator's Workbench, open the legacy translation memory you want to update. Then add the final TTX files to the Cleanup dialog box in Translator's Workbench as described above under "Scenario 2: Client sends new source files and would like translated files and TTX files back". Ensure that Update TM is selected, then click Clean Up. Translator's Workbench will now update the TM based on the latest version of the TTX file as well as produce the final target language version.

5

Figure 11: Updating a legacy SDL Trados TM with trans-lations of TTX files done in Studio

SDL is the leader in Global Information Management (GIM) solutions that empower organizations to accelerate the delivery of high-quality multilingual content to

global markets. Its enterprise software and services integrate with existingbusiness systems to manage the delivery of global information from authoring

to publication and throughout the distributed translation supply chain.

Global industry leaders rely on SDL to provide enterprise software or hosted services for their GIM processes, including ABN-Amro, Best Western, Bosch,

Canon, Chrysler, CNH, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Philips, SAP, Sony, Sun Microsystems and Virgin Atlantic.

SDL has implemented more than 500 enterprise GIM solutions, has deployedover 170,000 software licenses across the GIM ecosystem and provides access

to on-demand translation portals for 10 million customers per month. Over 1,000 service professionals deliver consulting, implementation

and language services through its global infrastructure of morethan 50 offices in 32 countries. For more information, visit

www.sdl.com