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sdlxliff files, no Trados: what to use instead?
Thread poster: ikb
ikb
ikb
English to Italian
Sep 19, 2012

Hi, first post here, I hope you can help
So far I didn't need to use CAT tools simply because it was not a requirement for my customers.
Now I got sent a batch of sdlxliff files for a new project and I'm wondering what's the best solution to handle them. Of course time and money are an issue, so the easier (learning curve, GUI)/cheaper the better.

I know about OmegaT but I've always found its GUI quite awk
... See more
Hi, first post here, I hope you can help
So far I didn't need to use CAT tools simply because it was not a requirement for my customers.
Now I got sent a batch of sdlxliff files for a new project and I'm wondering what's the best solution to handle them. Of course time and money are an issue, so the easier (learning curve, GUI)/cheaper the better.

I know about OmegaT but I've always found its GUI quite awkward, and I don't know if it handles these files properly (at a first test it seemed to fail, I got shown lots of weird strings and characters).

Any idea?

Thanks for your time, I appreciate that.
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Soonthon LUPKITARO(Ph.D.)
Soonthon LUPKITARO(Ph.D.)  Identity Verified
Thailand
Local time: 18:55
English to Thai
+ ...
Demo software Sep 19, 2012

A number of CATs in demo version can handle sdlxliff files free of charge [e.g. for one month]. Find the one you are competent with. You can search on Internet.
Alternatively, open sdlxliff files with NotePad to translate and send back as sdlxliff files if your client prefers.

Soonthon Lupkitaro


 
ikb
ikb
English to Italian
TOPIC STARTER
Notepad can't help Sep 19, 2012

thanks for your reply.
unfortunately Notepad can't help here, the original files are based on html and/or heavily tagged so it's a mess in Notepad.

If you or other members here have actual suggestion on which software to try (based on personal experiences), that would be welcome.


 
Siegfried Armbruster
Siegfried Armbruster  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 12:55
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam
Trados 2011 Sep 19, 2012

Download the demo version of Trados 2011 (it is fully functional for 30 days). Follow some webinars (or recordings of webinars from SDL) to learn how to use it, and than after having finishe your first project and having earned the money just buy it.

All other solutions will in my opinion be suboptimal. Just go for the real thing.

[Edited at 2012-09-19 07:06 GMT]


Jean Hanyurwabake
Gloriana Cocozza Garro
 
Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member for the following reason: SDLXLIFF filess cannot be cleaned in Wordfast - please stay on point. Thank you
RWS Community
RWS Community
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:55
English
Terrible advice Sep 19, 2012

Soonthon LUPKITARO(Ph.D.) wrote:

Alternatively, open sdlxliff files with NotePad to translate and send back as sdlxliff files if your client prefers.



I'm sorry, but this is really poor advice. If you do this you will almost certainly cause problems for your client, never mind the difficulty you will have in being able to correctly work with the text... never mind the tags.

The best advice has been provided by Siegfried.

Rrgards

Paul


 
Dominique Pivard
Dominique Pivard  Identity Verified
Local time: 13:55
Finnish to French
CafeTran Sep 19, 2012

ikb wrote:
So far I didn't need to use CAT tools simply because it was not a requirement for my customers.
Now I got sent a batch of sdlxliff files for a new project and I'm wondering what's the best solution to handle them. Of course time and money are an issue, so the easier (learning curve, GUI)/cheaper the better.

You may want to give CafeTran a trial.

Here is a success story with a largish SDLXLIFF project:
http://www.proz.com/forum/cafetran_support/232549-just_did_my_first_studio_2011_project_with_cafetran:_no_errors.html

And here is a tutorial:
http://cafetran.wordpress.com/2012/09/07/how-to-translate-sdlppx-files-how-to-translate-sdlxliff-projects-in-cafetran/

CafeTran only costs 80 euros.

You may also want to have a look at memoQ and Déjà Vu, both of which deal quite well with SDLXLIFF. They have fully functional trial versions, 45 days and 30 days, respectively. The street price of memoQ is 350-400 euros, and Déjà Vu 250-300 euros (list prices are 620 and 590 euros, respectively).


 
Dominique Pivard
Dominique Pivard  Identity Verified
Local time: 13:55
Finnish to French
SLDXLIFF in Notepad Sep 19, 2012

Soonthon LUPKITARO(Ph.D.) wrote:
Alternatively, open sdlxliff files with NotePad to translate and send back as sdlxliff files if your client prefers.

Here is what the translatable part of an SDLXLIFF looks like in Notepad:



An ordinary text editor just won't cut it, you need a higher-level editor and a filter specifically designed for SDLXLIFF (or at least generic XLIFF). As I said in another post, memoQ, Déjà Vu and CafeTran come to mind, although they are not the "real thing".


Jean Hanyurwabake
 
A. Ciuffreda
A. Ciuffreda  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 12:55
English to Italian
+ ...
OmegaT Sep 19, 2012

Hello

you can open sdlxiff files with OmegaT which is an open source CAT tool.

You can download at http://sourceforge.net/projects/omegat/files/latest/download

Hope it will help

Alessia


Gloriana Cocozza Garro
 
Meta Arkadia
Meta Arkadia
Local time: 18:55
English to Indonesian
+ ...
and in CafeTran Sep 19, 2012

Dominique Pivard wrote:
Here is what the translatable part of an SDLXLIFF looks like in Notepad

In CafeTran, you simply open the SDLXLIFF file as a project (which it is):



And you will see this:


HansL's "method" seems a bit overcomplicated to me…

Cheers,

Hans


Gloriana Cocozza Garro
 
Hans Lenting
Hans Lenting
Netherlands
Member (2006)
German to Dutch
The real thing Sep 19, 2012

Siegfried Armbruster wrote:

All other solutions will in my opinion be suboptimal. Just go for the real thing.

[Edited at 2012-09-19 07:06 GMT]


I think that depends on what you expect from a CAT tool: smooth project handling for Project Managers or real productivity for translators.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86_W5ovNP7k


 
Hans Lenting
Hans Lenting
Netherlands
Member (2006)
German to Dutch
Price is not the most important thing ... Sep 19, 2012

Dominique Pivard wrote:

CafeTran only costs 80 euros.


True. But to be honest: I don't think that's the most important 'feature'. IMO the best features of any CAT tool support you in translating more text in less time.


 
Hans Lenting
Hans Lenting
Netherlands
Member (2006)
German to Dutch
I don't like overcomplicated things either Sep 19, 2012

Meta Arkadia wrote:

HansL's "method" seems a bit overcomplicated to me…


That is because you are talking (writing, dreaming) of SDLXLIFF. I am talking about SDL project packages. Please note the subtile difference .

Hans2


 
Meta Arkadia
Meta Arkadia
Local time: 18:55
English to Indonesian
+ ...
Better Sep 19, 2012

Hans Lenting wrote:
IMO the best features of any CAT tool support you in translating more text in less time.

IMO, the best feature of any given CAT tool is to help you to deliver a more consistent and superior text (text, rather than "translation" at that).

Cheers,

Hans


 
Adam Warren
Adam Warren  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 12:55
Member (2005)
French to English
Quick 'n' dirty editing of a XML-like file, such as XLIFF Sep 20, 2012

Soonthon LUPKITARO(Ph.D.) wrote:
Alternatively, open sdlxliff files with NotePad to translate and send back as sdlxliff files if your client prefers.


Here is what the translatable part of an SDLXLIFF looks like in Notepad:



An ordinary text editor just won't cut it, you need a higher-level editor and a filter specifically designed for SDLXLIFF (or at least generic XLIFF). As I said in another post, memoQ, Déjà Vu and CafeTran come to mind, although they are not the "real thing". [/quote]

This is a low-grade method of processing translatable text in an XML, XLIFF or similar file.

If you take the file saved in Notepad and then edit it in Word, you can use the wildcard search & replace to take out and placemark the < material between angle brackets >. Save the word file, store it and work on a copy of it, as a colleague has suggested.

1) In the search & replace dialogue box, click "More"; click the "Use wildcards" option box

2) "Search for" string (anything ('*') between angle brackets, for both of which the '\' escape character must be used):

(\)

3) "Replace" string (leave a recognisable placemark, say '#@#', in the place of the formatting codes):

#@#

leaving spaces round the replace string, so as not to fuse words.

After this, you can translate the translatable text remaining. Then check it carefully, and punctiliously restore the information between the angle brackets. For this, you can work from the stored copy of the file.

This is to be used if you are really stuck and can't do anything else with an obstinately "watertight" TTX or XLIFF file. It's happened to me a few times, characteristically when I was really pushed for deadlines. At least your translation work is retrieved.

I hope this may help, with the proviso that the extra work of restoring the formatting codes is rather like taking a steamroller to crack a nut. And as SDL advises, it's unwise to process "transplanted" files with the < formatting information > included.

Also, if you have any difficulty with a file, the least you can do is to keep your client informed. And besides, you need to inform the client in order to cover yourself for liability. In my experience, a good agency will help you sort out difficulties with files.

With kind regards, and good hunting!

Adam Warren (IanDhu - 41189)


 
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sdlxliff files, no Trados: what to use instead?







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