Updating a multilingual termbase with an Excel glossary

Question

I've tried to wade through numerous manuals on the topic, but (a) they mostly refer to a bilingual termbase (b) they are quite hard for me to grasp as a relatively fresh user of Trados (c) some processes are outdated by now, and without having a good understanding of them, I can't tell which.

So I have 2 questions:

1) I have a XLSX glossary that I want to update my termbase with. How is that done, in very simple terms? (I've tried dabbling in the Glossary Converter, but the only output format available is XLSX, and I apparently need XDI?)

2) Let's suppose the termbase is comprised of entries in 4 languages. Can I feed an Excel glossary with incomplete entries (meaning no 100% coverage of all languages for all entries?), or do I need to complete all of them?

Paul · Accepted Answer

Marta Kiezik 
 In addition to the answer from Lydia Simplicio which is the way to go, here's a little more food for thought.... 
 
 Marta Kiezik said: 1) I have a XLSX glossary that I want to update my termbase with. How is that done, in very simple terms? (I've tried dabbling in the Glossary Converter, but the only output format available is XLSX, and I apparently need XDI?) 
 The Glossary Converter offers a lot more than XLSX. Just click on the Settings in the UI and look at the formats: 
 
 The second one in the list would get you the Multiterm xdt + xml you would need to be able to import into your termbase. You don't need the xdt for the import, you only need the xml, but as Lydia pointed out you must make sure that the definition (xdt) of your termbase matches the definition you would get from your Excel. Just for interest this article may help if you're not sure of these concepts: 
 https://multifarious.filkin.com/2016/10/17/square-pegs-in-round-holes/ 
 
 Marta Kiezik said: 2) Let's suppose the termbase is comprised of entries in 4 languages. Can I feed an Excel glossary with incomplete entries (meaning no 100% coverage of all languages for all entries?), or do I need to complete all of them? 
 Yes, no problem. The method from Lydia is the most useful because you'll have better control over duplicate entries etc. but if you have a pretty simple termbase and excel spreadsheet then you could also use the Glossary Converter to merge them for you. So for example. I have two files: 
 original.sdltb - this is my termbase 
 update.xlsx - this is my updated spreadsheet 
 My original termbase contains these entries: 
 
 My spreadsheet looks like this: 
 
 It contains some completely new entries and some that are already there in English but I have added terms for other languages. 
 Now this is a simple structure and my actual termbase follows exactly the same definition, so this is a simple example. But I can use the "merge" feature of the Glossary Converter like this: 
 
 I will merge on the English (my choice... you can do whatever you need), and I selected my original.sdltb as the master termbase. I also check the box to merge languages. Then all I do is drag the spreadsheet onto the Glossary Converter as normal, but I have these buttons lit up because of my settings: 
 
 This will create a new termbase for me, so I won't mess up my original at all (but I always back them up first anyway!), called original.output_merged.sdltb . This now contains these: 
 
 You can see I now have 9 new entries and the separate languages have increased varying numbers based on what was in my spreadsheet. 
 Hope that helps and gives you a little to think about.

Lydia Simplicio · Answer

Hi Marta Kiezik 
 I am going from memory but if you have an existing termbase, what you need to do is export the termbase definition (xTD) and ensure its referenced within the app. 
 Ensure your XLSX columns / structure match your termbase definition otherwise your import wont align. It would create a second TB which I know you dont want. But you can then export the new entries into a *XML 
 Once you have the XML you can import them into your main TB, including any that are deemed incomplete. That said, I am aware Glossary Convert has improved significantly over the years and Im pretty sure it supports other workflows. But my suggestion of working against a XTD and then converting the Excel term entries to XML is "old school logic" that seldom fails me and if there are issues I am more likely to identify and correct. 
 I hope this helps a bit 
 Let me know how you get on. 
 Lyds

Trados Studio > 3. MultiTerm

Updating a multilingual termbase with an Excel glossary

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