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SDL Passolo data exchange

SDL Passolo comes with a selection of import and export filters. Some of these filters are for export only, while others allow the exported data to be re-imported following translation. The data can be exported separately for different modules and languages to enable simultaneous translation.

ASCII text export/import

Translation lists can be exported in ASCII format and then translated using any standard ASCII editor.

CSV export/import

Many programs support CSV file format. Translation lists can be exported in CSV format for processing in Microsoft Access or Microsoft Excel, for example. In this case, the export can be configured so that it is possible to re-import the text resources after external processing.

Glossary export

The glossary export function stores text resources in the format used by SDL Passolo for glossary files. These files can then be edited in any standard ASCII or Unicode editor.

Translation bundle

This format is available only in the Team and Professional Editions. A translation bundle packages all the data required for the external editing or processing of part of a project into a single file. A translation bundle can contain any number of translation lists and target languages. In addition, a translation bundle can store company-specific glossaries, macros for customer-specific test functions or notes for the translator in the form of Word files. The translation bundle also contains the data for menus and dialogs.

With this format, the translator also has to use SDL Passolo. If a translation bundle was created using the Team Edition, the translator can work with the free Translator Edition of SDL Passolo. The use of translation bundles is especially beneficial when the translation work is done by numerous external translators. Only a single file has to be sent to each translator. Using the Team Edition, only one license has to be purchased as the the translator can work with the free Translator Edition.

With translation bundles, the translator can make full use of SDL Passolo’s benefits. The text resources are displayed in context, which will improve the translation quality. With the integrated dialog editor, the dialog layout can be adjusted to fit the new text lengths. The test functions can be used to guarantee error-free localisation. Custom test functions can be added as macros.

Optional Add-Ins for translation memory systems

In a localisation project, the software is generally translated first, and then the online help and user manuals. The software translation generates terminology and expressions in the target language that are important for translating the documentation. Beginning with the Professional Edition, SDL Passolo offers Add-Ins for exchanging data with the translation memory systems and terminology databases from STAR (STAR Transit® and STAR TermStar®) and SDL Trados (Translator’s Workbench®, MultiTerm® and TagEditor®).

Longer text segments, sentences or phrases are exported to the TM system using the relevant TMX export. Thus, messages that have already been translated in the software can be reused in the documentation. This is especially useful for documenting error messages. A filter can be used to limit the export to specified text segments.

When exporting terminology, relevant program-specific details are also included. In addition to the source and target strings, information on access keys or key combinations is also available. The origin of the text is also exported, so that more information on the context is available for translating the documentation. A filter can be used to limit the export to specified text segments.

If the translator is going to work with one of the supported TM systems, instead of SDL Passolo, the best option is to export/import the data in the relevant XML exchange format. The translator can then carry out the translation using the editor for the respective TM. The editor protects any tags containing information that must not be changed during translation, but the translator is still able to view this information.

Contact us for information and pricing on SDL Passolo 2011.