How to create a translation memory in SDL Trados 2007

SDL Trados 2007 is a suite of translation software tools that work together to provide a complete solution to the challenge of creating, managing and completing translation projects. Trados is indeed the leading translating CAT software on the market and is certainly pretty good for translator freelances. It uses the so-called translation memories to help you translate between language efficiently and effortlessly.

A translation memory is a must to improve the translation efficiency. You will automatically set up a translation memory from scratch while you are using Trados. Here you will know about how to create a new file-based translation memory:

Step 1: Launch Translator's Workbench from your Start menu.
Step 2: From the File menu, select New. The Create Translation Memory dialog box opens.


Step 3: From the Source languages list, select a source language, for example, English (United Kingdom). From the Target languages list, select a target language for example, German (Germany).
Step 4: Under System fields, check that the Creation date, Creation user, Change date and Change user options are selected. These are the default system fields for a new translation memory in Translator's Workbench.
Step 5: Under Multiple translations, accept the default setting and leave the Allow multiple translations for identical source segments check box clear.
Step 6: In the Name box, enter a name for your new translation memory, for example, My Translation Memory. This name is saved in your translation memory and is not the file name itself.Creating a Translation Memory
Step 7: In the Copyright notice box, enter a copyright notice, for example, ? My Own Software Company. You can change the copyright notice at any time using the Setup command on the File menu.
Step 8: In the Description box, enter a description of the contents of your translation memory, for example, This TM contains all my software product documentation in English and German. You can change the description at any time using the Setup command on the File menu.
Step 9: Click Create to confirm the settings. Assign a file name to your translation memory and save it in a folder of your choice. Translator's Workbench automatically adds the .tmw extension and stores the new translation memory and its associated neural network files on your hard disk.  When creating a new translation memory, Translator's Workbench creates five new files: a database file in which the translation units are stored and four neural network files required for fuzzy searches.

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The Leading Translation Memory Software: SDL Trados

"A good CAT is a must for a translator. Yes, Trados is indeed the leading CAT tool on the market, and is certainly pretty good on that account. If you are a translator, even beginner, you will have noticed a lot of translation agencies around the world request Trados." -- Galibert

Introducing SDL Trados Translation Memory Software

Trados uses your previous work for the most - in the term of Translation Memory. The program builds a linguistic database that stores all translated sentences or segments with their source language equivalents. These segment pairs are referred to as translation units. At the same time, Trados Translator's Workbench builds an artificial neural network that is based on the content of the linguistic database. The neural network is designed to facilitate fast and efficient searching using fuzzy matching techniques. The linguistic database and its associated neural network are together referred to as a translation memory. Trados allows you to manipulate the translation memory in various different ways.

Building Translation Memory from Scratch

Each new translation memory is empty. You can build translation memory interactively. Trados Translator's Workbench (TWB) automatically updates the translation memory that is open in the background. Each time you translate a segment of text, the corresponding translation unit is added to the translation memory. If you encounter the same or similar text in your source document twice, Translator's Workbench proposes your previous translation(s). You can accept, reject or edit these suggestions – both new and updated translations are added to the translation memory. In this way, the translation memory grows dynamically during the translation process.

Building Translation Memory from Translated Material

You can also populate new or existing translation memories by importing aligned sentence pairs. The import feature enables you to transfer data from one translation memory to another, or to load translation memory data from WinAlign alignment projects. In this way, you can take advantage of existing translations when starting a new project.

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