Updating a multilingual termbase with an Excel glossary

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bilingual termbase (b) they are quite hard for me to grasp as a relatively fresh user of Trados (c) some processes are outdated by now, and without having a good understanding of them, I can't tell which.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?

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    In addition to the answer from   which is the way to go, here's a little more food for thought....

    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:

    Screenshot of Trados Studio Glossary Converter settings showing various input and output formats for conversion.

    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/

    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:

    Screenshot of Trados Studio termbase statistics showing total entries and language coverage with no visible errors.

    My spreadsheet looks like this:

    Screenshot of an Excel glossary with columns for English, French, Italian, German, Romanian, and Japanese terms.

    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:

    Screenshot of Trados Studio Glossary Converter merge settings with options to merge files and languages selected.

    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:

    Screenshot of Trados Studio Glossary Converter interface highlighting the 'merge' feature with other options listed.

    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:

    Screenshot of updated Trados Studio termbase statistics showing increased total entries and language coverage.

    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.

    Paul Filkin | RWS Group

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    [edited by: Trados AI at 2:14 PM (GMT 0) on 5 Mar 2024]
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    Thank you for your ample explication and patience with me. This process may still be quite challenging for someone who is attempting it for the first time without much computer background. I feel like I am slowly getting my head around it but there's still so much I don't know/understand. Do you see a possibility of this process being performed on a more automatic/intuitive/in-app level some time in the future? I understand it would probably involve lots of programming work, but it might just be a worthwhile direction to follow within the evolution of MultiTerm?

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    Do you see a possibility of this process being performed on a more automatic/intuitive/in-app level some time in the future?

    In MultiTerm... I doubt it.  But if you want a feature like this then the place to ask is here -  MultiTerm Ideas 

    That's where user ideas are considered by the product management teams, and also where other users can vote for them too.

    Paul Filkin | RWS Group

    ________________________
    Design your own training!

    You've done the courses and still need to go a little further, or still not clear? 
    Tell us what you need in our Community Solutions Hub

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