How to assign keyboard shortcuts to special characters in SDL Trados?

Dear all,

 

I have a question on how to assign keyboard shortcuts to special characters in SDL Trados.

 

When I translate in Hungarian I keep using an Azerty keyboard and type special characters (e.g. á, í, ó, ő, ú, ű, …) using combinations of keys (e.g. Alt a => á; Alt I => í; Alt k => ő ….). While it’s quite easy to assign these shortcuts to the desired characters in Word, it was a hell of a job to make them work in SDL Trados Editor. I managed to do so by using “QuickInsert” and “Keyboard Shortcuts”, but it cost me hours (or even days) to get it right.

 

I currently use SDL Trados Freelance 2015 and consider an upgrade to 2019.

Does anyone have any experience on how these shortcuts work in SDL Trados Freelance 2019? Is there any improvement?

 

Thank you!

 

Kindest regards,

Zsuzsa

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  • Hi

    You can add different language keyboard settings in Windows so that you can type as if your keyboard is Hungarian, so typing Hungarian characters without having to use codes.

    I work with French, German and English and have taught myself to touch-type in those 3 languages. I started by using a printed map of each language layout to accustomise myself to where the keys were positioned but now I switch between languages without even thinking about it and I change between layouts using a shortcut (in my case I use Shift+Alt). Very useful if I'm writing a document in two or three languages. For example, a bilingual vocabulary sheet where I have to be constantly changing between languages.

    Here's what the usual Hungarian keyboard looks like apparently:

    Image of a Hungarian keyboard layout with keys for special characters like accented vowels and currency symbols.

    You can download and print out a better image online.

    In Windows 10, you add additional languages to use on your computer via Settings > Time and Language > Language > Add language:

    Screenshot of Windows 10 language settings showing options to add and manage languages, with English, French, and German listed.

    Once you've added your language, you can adjust order of appearance with the arrows and clicking on Options gives you further settings such as downloading the language pack, adjusting how you want spell checking to be performed:

    Close-up view of language preferences in Windows 10 settings, highlighting the 'Options' button for French language.

    Options is also where is where you add the keyboard:

    Language options menu for French in Windows 10 settings, showing options to download language pack and add a keyboard.

    Once you have done all that you should be able to type Hungarian in Word and in Studio and any other software you use, as if you had a Hungarian keyboard.

    I hope this helps!

    All the best,

    Alison

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    [edited by: Trados AI at 2:17 PM (GMT 0) on 28 Feb 2024]
  • Dear Alison,

    Thanks a lot for your detailed answer. I know this possibility exists and also use it in applications where the combination of keys (e.g. Alt a => á) doesn’t work. The only problem is that I type much slower when I use a Hungarian keyboard. That’s why I kept on searching for a solution with the shortcuts.
    Using AutoHotkey, as suggested by Paul, seems to be the perfect solution for me.

    Thanks a lot and all the best,

    Zsuzsa
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