Translation Memory Management
What is a Translation Memory?
A Translation Memory is a cloud-based database of all translations that have occurred within your Smartling account, as well as any translations that you may have imported to Smartling. Translation Memories are used to leverage (or read from) previously used translations with new source content - allowing for cost savings, time savings, and translation consistency. As translations are saved, they write to a designated Translation Memory.
Already have Translations? Import them to Smartling!
If you already have a database of translations, perhaps a Translation Memory from another TMS, you can import pre-existing Translation Memories in a TMX file, which is an industry standard file format. You can also import a resource file of translations. See Importing Translated Resource Files for more information.
How translations enter the Translation Memory
Once a translation is saved, it is stored on the Translation Memory as a Translation Unit. A Translation Unit is the source string and translation entry in the Translation Memory. The Translation Unit is shared across all projects writing to the same Translation Memory.
Translation Memory Management
Smartling's Translation Memory Management (TMM) is a powerful feature, allowing you to manage your database of translations, from the Smartling dashboard. TMM give you the ability to move content between TM's, delete content, export content, as well as insight into the history of a string within a TM.
Smartling's TMM also supports advance search, meaning you can now perform a basic term search, exact match search, and regex search.
This article includes:
- Accessing Translation Memories
- Create a Translation Memory
- Import a TMX File
- Export TM
- View TM Details
- Rename a TM
- Delete a TM
- Enter a Translation Memory
- Search & Filters
- Actions
- Find and Replace
- Editing
- View History of a String
- Translation Unity Activity
- Machine Translation in the Translation Memory
Access Translation Memories
Account Owners and Project Managers have access to all Translation Memories for all projects in the Smartling account. To access the Translation Memory list:
- Go to your Account Settings > Linguistic Assets
- Click Translation Memories on the left panel
Here, you will find all Translation Memories in the account listed, together with its source language, and total string count.
From this list, you can:
- Search for a TM, by entering the TM name
- Change the view from list to grid
- Sort the list by name or string count
- Create a new TM
- Enter any TM, by clicking the TM name
Click the ellipses under Actions to find the following options:
Create a Translation Memory
Within Smartling, you can create an entirely new Translation Memory or import a TMX file into an existing Translation Memory.
To apply a TM to a leverage configuration, see Configure Translation Memory Leverage.
Import a TMX File
A Translation Memory Exchange (TMX) file is a format used for exchanging Translation Memory data created by a CAT Tool. TMX files are useful when you're migrating from another tool or process, to Smartling.
TMX files contain XML-formatted text that describes a map. As long as TMX follows the right TMX standards, it can be directly imported. It is important to remember that language codes (locale codes) are case-sensitive, so ensure that the languages in your TMX file contains locale codes as seen in our Supported Languages document.
To import a TMX into a Translation Memory, under Actions, click the three dots and select Import TMX File. For more information on TMX files, see Upload a Translation Memory.
For subsequent imports of the same TMX file, with the same naming convention, the previous TMX import will be overwritten.
Export TM
You can export a TMX file of an existing TM.
Choose for the TMX to include the following TM entry metadata:
- segment-id
- string-variant
- tm-uid
- project-uid
- authorizer (UID)
- authorized-date
- translator (UID)
- translated-date
- key
- hashcode
- file
- url
The metadata can be pulled from when the TM entry was first translated or when it was last translated.
First Translated project strings: describes the first time that a translation had been written to this TM from a project. This is useful if you’re looking for older translations that were written to a TM.Last Translated project strings: describes when the last time a translation had been written to this TM from a project. This is useful if you’re looking for any translations in a TM that had been recently used or updated.
A download link for this export will be sent to your user email address. Larger TM's may take some time to deliver and download.
View TM Details
To view the details of your translation, click the more icon and select Details. You'll be able to view details about the following:
- Created By
- Created On
- Last Modified By
- Last Modified On
- Active Package (with a direct link to it)
- Leverage Configuration (with a direct link to it)
- Target Language (and the number of strings/words associated with it)
- Strings
- Words
Rename a TM
To rename a Translation Memory, click the more icon and select Rename. Enter a new name and click Confirm.
Delete a TM
Deleting an entire TM is permanent and will affect all projects leveraging the TM. Ensure to export the TM before you delete it.
If you think you may want to recover this content in the future, as a workaround, you could create a TM, name it something like "Deleted Content", and then move the unwanted content to this TM.
Click the ellipses beside the TM that you wish to delete, and select Delete TM.
The Delete Translation Memory dialog will appear. In this example, the TM is still being used by a linguistic package.
If the TM is not being used by a linguistic package, you'll be prompted to confirm the deletion.
Enter a Translation Memory
Click the name of any TM to enter, view, and action its content, or translation units.
Translation units are displayed in a list containing the source string with translations, the target language, the last translated timestamp, and a link to view the translation unit's activity.
Search
Search is based on keyword search, or term-based search and not fuzzy matching, as Smartling uses a different algorithm for that. Search is not case-sensitive.
Term-based search means that if your search includes more than one source keyword, the results returned will include all strings with any of the source keywords and not strings with just the keywords searched for together. For example, when searching for source keyword available topics, the results will return all strings with available and topics as well as available topics.
You can perform a character-based search by simply adding "double quotations" to your source keyword. For example, when searching for the source keyword "available", the results will return all strings with available characters. This will include strings such as unavailable and available topics. To search for strings with a double apostrophe or double quotations, ensure to place double quotations outside the characters, i.e. """ will return any string with"".
Coming Soon - Advance Search
Upcoming enhancements to the TMM search framework will increase search results and reduce timeouts on larger TM's. You will have three search options:
- Basic: a standard search as described above
- REGEX: search for TM entry using regex
- Exact: search for a TM entry with exact match
The enhancements also includes a progress indicator to highlight the progress of the search return. If you change a searched character or filter value mid-search, you will be asked if you would like to stop the existing search and start a new one.
If you open a new tab and attempt a new search in parallel, this will stop the initial search.
Filters
There are several ways you can search or filter for a string:
- Keywords: Source or target keyword
- Languages: Target language
- Project: Project name
- Translation Activity: Authorizer, Date Authorized, Translator, First Translated by, Date Translated
- String Metadata: Variant, Key, Hashcode
- Content Sources: File, URL, TMX File
Example search: Want to find content translated by a certain user in a specific date-range? Use the Translator and date translated filters. Refine the search further by filtering by target language and project name.
Filters (Classic)
- Keywords: Source or target keyword
- Languages: Target language
- Linguist Action: Name of the user who last saved or authorized the string
- Dates: Date last authorized or date that the translation was saved
- Project: Project name
- String Metadata: Variant, Key
- Content Sources: File, URL
Search Multiple TM's At Once
You can search multiple translation memories at once. When you select a TM, you'll see on the left-hand side of the page that there's a Translation Memories dropdown menu where you can select all TM's or just certain ones from which to search.
If there are TM's containing different source languages that are being searched, the Move and Export actions will not work. For example, if you're attempting to move or export strings from an English (USA) TM to an English (UK) TM. Of course, if all TM's have the same source language, then Move and Export are possible.
Actions
You can move content to another TM, export content from a TM, and delete content within a TM. If the same string is stored in multiple TM's, you will need to move, delete, or edit in multiple TM's.
Move Content to Another TM
Search or filter for strings that you want to move to another TM with the same source language, then select the strings and click Actions > Move. You'll be prompted to select the appropriate Translation Memory.
Export Content From a TM
Search for strings that you want to export from the TM, then select them and click Actions > Export. You can export an entire Translation Memory or only export a portion of a TM based on specific search criteria. For example, you might search for only content that was translated in the last six months, and export that as a TMX file.
To export an entire Translation Memory, without having to click on each individual string, go to your full list of TM's. Click the more icon and select Export TM. All strings within that TM will be exported. An email will be sent to your email address with a link to download the generated TMX file.
Delete Content Within a TM
Occasionally, you may want to pare down your Translation Memory to ensure that only the most appropriate content is in it. Search or filter for strings that you wish to delete from the TM, and click Actions > Delete. You'll be prompted to confirm the action.
Deleting individual strings is permanent, and will affect all projects leveraging the TM. (If you think you may want to recover this content in the future, as a workaround, you could create a TM, name it something like "Deleted Content", and then move the unwanted content to this TM.) In the future, if the same translation appears again, and is saved, it will be added back to the TM.
Find and Replace
Find and Replace is a powerful feature allowing you to change large numbers of Translation Memory strings at once. This function applies to actives strings only, inactive strings will not be changed.
To use Find and Replace:
- Search for the word you’d like to replace by first searching for a Target Keyword.
- Select the strings you’d like to replace.
- Click on the Actions button and choose Find and Replace.
- In the resulting modal that pops up, fill in the replacement wording in the Replacement Text field.
- You may optionally choose to update project strings.
- Click Replace.
If multiple strings are selected, it may take some time to calculate the number of strings that will be replaced. This is because Find and Replace is more precise in choosing text than the standard Target Keyword search, and does its search through all selected strings to ensure only the exact characters are replaced.
Bulk Replace
To do a bulk replace, select all strings on the page, then click “Select all strings matching current filter”.
Editing
When hovering over a TM string, you’ll see a link to “Edit Translation”. Clicking this link allows you to edit one string at at time.
This feature allows you to edit one string at a time.
There are no quality checks that are performed here, like there are when editing in the CAT tool.
You can:
- Save: This updates the translation of the string within the Translation Memory only. Fuzzy matches and SmartMatches in the future will use this new translation.
- Save & Update Projects: This updates the translation of your string within the Translation Memory and will propagate to strings within your project that have used the same translation.
- Cancel: To cancel any changes that may have been made, and exit editing.
Save & Update Projects
Modifying the full string with ‘save and update projects’ updates the full string and any changed segments in the TM as well as the project.
Modifying a segment with ‘save and update projects’ modifies the segment in TM and project and adds a new full string to the TM reflecting the updated segment. The original full string stays in the TM as well, however it is now unassociated with the project string.
The propagate function can cause updates to your published or pre-published translations, which can trigger downstream behaviors like notifications, Translation Cache refresh, or file download, depending on your integration setup.
This option may not be available, due to the translation is not currently active in any projects. This can be because it was imported from a TMX; or because a change was already made and saved, but not propagated.
Update Project Strings
Update project strings is an important feature that's available in both single string edit, and Find and Replace. Choosing this option will update the translation of your string within the Translation Memory, and will update strings within projects that have used the same translation. The project strings will be updated in whatever step they're currently in, whether that's a translation step or a published step.
To illustrate how this works, imagine a string in a project called "Business Docs" is translated and saved to the TM. Later, the same source string appears in a different project, "Email Marketing". This repetition gets SmartMatched from the translation that was already in the TM. If the TM translation is updated and Update Project Strings is selected, the strings in both "Business Docs" and "Email Marketing" projects will be automatically updated.
View History of a String (Classic)
To view the history of a string (such as the Translator's name, completion date, project name, and the person who authorized the content), click the clock icon within the History column.
For project-specific string history, use the History feature by going to Content > Translations (also referred to as the "List View").
The History of a String in the New UI is found under the Translation Unit Activity
Translation Unit Activity (New Experience only)
A Translation Unit is the source string and translation entry in the Translation Memory. The Translation Unit is shared across all projects writing to the same Translation Memory. The Translation Unit Activity tracks each instance the Translation Unit writes to the Translation Memory. If the Translation Unit is leveraged in a project, including a SmartMatch, this will not display in the activity.
The activity is captured from when the Translation Unit was saved. For TMX entries, the activity is captured when the Translation Unit is uploaded to the platform. For Project entries, the activity is captured when the Translation Unit is saved in the CAT Tool.
You can view the historic activity of the Translation Unit by clicking the Activity icon in the Translation Memory. The activity captured is;
Type: TMX or Project. This indicated how this Translation Unit entered the TM. TMX upload or saved from a translation made within the Project.
Source: The Project name that is writing to the Translation Memory as the source of the activity entry.
Last Updated: The date and time in which the Translation Unit was last used.
Author: The initial translator (i.e. saved & submitted from a Translation step). The author is N/A for TMX uploads and Smartling API for SmartMatches.
File/URL: the name of the source file/source URL
Key: The key identifier for the translation unit (if any)
Variant: The variant for the translation unit (if any)
Authorizer: The user who authorized the job. It displays jobs-service-jobs-service because of job automation rules. if a user had manually authorized, it would be the user’s name.
Machine Translation in the Translation Memory
Machine Translations (MT) that are processed through an initial MT workflow step are not saved to the Translation Memory (TM). Saves to the TM could happen if there are additional human steps after the initial MT step or if there are any edits made to the MT.
If Machine Translation proceeds to an Edit or Review step type, this will lead to Machine Translation saving to the Translation Memory. This is because any content submitted or saved in an Edit or Review step type is considered "human" translated content. So, even if Machine Translated content was unchanged in any of those step types, it will be saved to the Translation Memory.
If you want Machine Translations to be processed through an edit step after the initial MT step, ensure your workflow includes a Post-Machine Revision step type as the "edit" step. This will avoid having any unedited Machine Translated content save to your TM. However, any edits to an MT on this step will result in saves to the TM.
If a Machine Translation was edited and saved by a user in the CAT Tool (outside a Machine Translation Post-Edit step type), in the TMM itself, or in the Strings View, the edited Machine Translation will save to the Translation Memory.
If you want all Machine Translations (edited and unedited) to be saved to the Translation Memory, consult your Customer Success Manager.
