sample file ?

hi Kelly,

attached is theQuantity Survey GTC Carrefour 18 Nov 2020.xls one

This is.. a.. Nonsense.

This document is a Nightmare.

You have to merge it, all of the segments at pre-translation stage with your own fingers.

This is what I have checked.

The first rectangel is to merge two segments "Automatically".
It is showed you by the same HighlightColor(color itself doesn't matter).

The second (and all the rest) rectangel is to merge segments "Manually".
It is showed you by the different HighlightColor(color itself doesn't matter).

As I mentioned, you could do it with your own fingers - simply merge it.
I'll try to find "better" automatical method than now (I mean "mine").. but, it looks like quite negative.
-and that should be Paid Service.

For your reference,
you have to check "Allow source editing" when you make your project then you could "Merge" source segments freely.
- do not check with "Disable merging segments...bulah" of course.
and do not forget to chech "Read content ordered by column" at "File Type"(for Excel) for sure.

Good Luck To You

I could reduce "Several mouse clicks into a single click" when you do source merging.
It could "some" help when you have to handle lots of segments.
-actually, it is Two steps (DragClick, DragClick...) instead of Four steps(Trados default procedure - ClickClickClickClick, ClickClickClickClick.... )

you "Drag segments" and "Click" once my tool(or ShortCut), then you have merged one.

hmm.. this screenshot is "for explanation" ONLY.
this screenshot is done at "Taget" but, it should done at "Source" of course.

Bye.

ah.. You have one more difficulty to overcome.

When you finish one segment - combined just like above comment's target, 
you have to re-split it into several ones just like originally splitted source.

- I have made a tool for this specific case, of course..but..

so..

You could do it via

Target merge style

OR

Source merge style

Good Luck To You

Thanks Kelly, I appreciate you advise.

nika

Nikoloz Jashi

This brings back some memories.  A long time ago I was a Civil Engineer and we worked with bills of quantities like this all the time.  We also used Excel exactly as you have shown it here because it is far easier to maintain the format and reuse it.  Today I'd go back and slap my younger self around the head a few times and explain how to do this in a localization friendly manner!

I think two things come to mind... or three:

1. make your client aware there will be a charge to handle the formatting
2. use an approach from Kelly... OR
3. use TransTools to merge the data

I created a very short video to explain:

Asking extra charge is one thing and going through the tedious steps is another thing.
And, I guess, the Client is not gonna move at all, even an inch, in terms of money and text formatting.

So, basicall eternal iteration of "Drag and Click" is the only way ? That's pity..

Finally, I do not like the idea to change Original text.

Regards

In addition to all other valuable tips and workarounds, you can also use a macro. First you have to carefully select multiple cells with Ctrl button. I recommend that you don't attempt to select all cells at once because if you click anywhere by mistake, all your selection will be aborted. So, select 10 to 15 paragraphs, then run (in Excel press Alt+F11, then F7, paste the macro, press F5) the following macro:

Sub ObedenitVertikal()
Dim i As Long
Dim j As Long
Dim k As Long
Dim intext As String
Application.DisplayAlerts = False
For k = 1 To Selection.Areas.Count
For i = 1 To Selection.Areas(k).Columns.Count
intext = Selection.Areas(k).Cells(1, i)
For j = 2 To Selection.Areas(k).Rows.Count
intext = intext & Chr(10) & Selection.Areas(k).Cells(j, i)
Next
Selection.Areas(k).Columns(i).Merge
Selection.Areas(k).Cells(1, i) = intext
Next
Next
Application.DisplayAlerts = True
End Sub

Once you have pressed F5, the selected columns will be merged. Close the macro window and proceed with further selecting. Select 10 to 15 paragraphs again and repeat the above macro procedure. Once you're done with merging, the first two paragraphs may become incorrectly displayed. You can easily correct it by simple merging either with the Excel regular Merge feature or with TransTools functionality.

If you are extremely careful when selecting paragraphs, you can even try to select all of them first (with CTRL). In this case you have to run the macro only one time. 

Next step is to replace line breaks with spaces. To this effect, press Ctrl+H. In the 'Find what' field press Ctrl+J. In the 'Replace with' field type a space character. Replace all.

In addition to all other valuable tips and workarounds, you can also use a macro. First you have to carefully select multiple cells with Ctrl button. I recommend that you don't attempt to select all cells at once because if you click anywhere by mistake, all your selection will be aborted. So, select 10 to 15 paragraphs, then run (in Excel press Alt+F11, then F7, paste the macro, press F5) the following macro:

Sub ObedenitVertikal()
Dim i As Long
Dim j As Long
Dim k As Long
Dim intext As String
Application.DisplayAlerts = False
For k = 1 To Selection.Areas.Count
For i = 1 To Selection.Areas(k).Columns.Count
intext = Selection.Areas(k).Cells(1, i)
For j = 2 To Selection.Areas(k).Rows.Count
intext = intext & Chr(10) & Selection.Areas(k).Cells(j, i)
Next
Selection.Areas(k).Columns(i).Merge
Selection.Areas(k).Cells(1, i) = intext
Next
Next
Application.DisplayAlerts = True
End Sub

Once you have pressed F5, the selected columns will be merged. Close the macro window and proceed with further selecting. Select 10 to 15 paragraphs again and repeat the above macro procedure. Once you're done with merging, the first two paragraphs may become incorrectly displayed. You can easily correct it by simple merging either with the Excel regular Merge feature or with TransTools functionality.

If you are extremely careful when selecting paragraphs, you can even try to select all of them first (with CTRL). In this case you have to run the macro only one time. 

Next step is to replace line breaks with spaces. To this effect, press Ctrl+H. In the 'Find what' field press Ctrl+J. In the 'Replace with' field type a space character. Replace all.

"Macro" is.. quite complex one (I prefer the term "dirty one" though..)

Your'd better improve your code a little bit more, before you use it in real world.

I got this one from your code, it is.. dangerous in some cases.

So, I prefer to stand behind RWS dev team.
Should you handle ".sdlxliff" stuffs, things getting easier than this Macro and the result will be better.

Good Luck To You.

and in RWS project.. Your code is still "formatted awkwardly"

It should have done like this "formatted naturally"

OR like this..

This is a real world "Macro"...

Try it out.
I guess, it will take several days for you to write this kind of low level completness.

That's is why, I recommend you to pay me USD 50.-
That's quite fare Price.

Regards 

Kelly Edward said:

I guess, it will take several days for you to write this kind of low level completness.

That's is why, I recommend you to pay me USD 50.-

Hahaha Nice joke

I did not make any joke with You.

Kelly Edward

Just a question because you said this earlier:

Kelly Edward said:

Finally, I do not like the idea to change Original text.

When you save the target file after running your tool is the content split back into the different rows it was originally written into?  So does this:

Get saved back as this?

exactly

detailed steps

Ah, I just understand what is your point of question.

I have three tools in a single group. Like this.

Tip: shows "Complete sentence projection" suggestion automatically - indicates How many segs you have to merge using HighlightColors.
Merge: after you drag several segs, you click this one then it gives you combined single seg. Now ready to translation.
Split: after you finish translation, click it then it splits active seg into several little ones on the basis of "Locked status(and empty)" underneath it.

So, you are wondering the role of 3rd "Split" tool. Right ?
- it divids a long sentence into several shorter ones and distributes them Evenly & AutomatiKelly.