Passolo SDLXLIFF Export losing leading spaces

Question

Hi, 
 I have a Passolo 2018 project that I am test migrating to Trados Studio 2021 r2. 
 Some target translations contain leading spaces, e.g. " Datens&auml;tze" 
 I am using the "SDLXLIFF Export/Import" type when exporting. 
 
 Performing the export loses the leading spaces. 
 Generating the same target file from Passolo keeps the leading spaces. 
 
 I would expect the actual translation string in Passolo to be in both of the above files. 
 
 I create a Trados project, using the same source files as in the Passolo project. 
 I use the "Apply Perfect Match" feature in Trados and use the exported SDLXLIFF files to translate, all segments in source files that contain leading spaces do not get a perfect match. This is not good. 
 
 Is this a bug? Is there a setting that controls this behaviour? 
 
 Best Regards 
 Mark

Mark Owens · Answer

Hi Achim, 
 I have done as you suggested. My text editor of choice is Notepad++ 
 The SDLXLIFF file is linearized and NOT pretty printed. 
 I use an Notepad++ XML plugin to "prettify" the file to make it easier to read. 
 If I open the linearized file in Notepad++, you are right, the leading spaces are present. 
 If I then apply the "prettify" using the Notepad++ XML plugin, the leading space is removed - making me think the problem was with Passolo! Looks like a bug in this plugin :-( 
 I can confirm the SDLXLIFF file I used in Trados DOES have the leading space. I will investigate the Trados settings. 
 
 Thanks Achim for a speedy response. 
 Best Regards 
 Mark

Achim Herrmann · Answer

Trados Studio is using the SDLXLIFF files as its persistence layer while Passolo is using SDLXLIFF as an export/import format to transfer data between Passolo and other translation tool. So for Passolo it never was a design goal to create SDLXLIFF files that are 100% compatible with Trados Studio. Passolo needs to ensure that it can properly roundtrip data and status information when Trados Studio is used as a translation tool. 
 This includes any leading or trailing spaces. It would be weird (and a bug) if characters that users can see and edit in Passolo would be lost after transferring them via SDLXLIFF into Studio. If you want to have a Studio like behavior you could potentially activate the function to mask spaces within the XML parsing rule of Passolo.

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Passolo SDLXLIFF Export losing leading spaces