"Update from bilingual review" not working (and driving me crazy)!

Question

Hi guys, 
 OK, so this is driving me crazy. I am working on an app ( https://supervertaler.com/ + https://github.com/michaelbeijer/Supervertaler ) that imports bilingual files exported from various CAT tools, translates them, and export the bilingual file again so it can be re-imported into the person's CAT tool project. 
 CafeTran and memoQ bilingual files work flawlessly, but I am having serious trouble getting the Trados ones to be reimported back into my project (using: Update from bilingual review ). 
 I know that these files are fragile, but is it still really this bad? 
 So far, there is no way I can get Supervertaler to generate a valid file that can be reimported. What's worse, even if I generate one of them, and then manually paste in the translations into the 4th column ("Target segment"), they still do not get reimported back into the project! A while ago, when I was struggling with the same problem, I remember a gotcha, but I can't seem to remember what it was. 
 A few questions: 
 
 Does track changes need to be switched on in these files? 
 Do the tags need to be formatted exactly the same? My program does this. 
 
 Anyway, any tips or suggestions would be most welcome!

Caterina Lazzarini · Accepted Answer

Michael Beijer The bilingual DOCX format is not meant for translation, but for review ONLY. The target segments should not be empty. They should always contain translated text that a reviewer can change if needed. The change will be tracked via tracked changes. 
 If the target segments are empty and you enter a translation in the bilingual Word document, that translation will not be imported. This is per design since this is a format for review purposes only.

RWS Community AI · Answer

Probability score: 0.6 
 Question improvement suggestion: Provide specific details about the error messages encountered during the import process and the exact version of Trados Studio you are using. 
 In the meantime, based on the information you have provided, here is a suggested answer to your question: 
 Hello! 
 It sounds like you're facing a challenging issue with the "Update from Bilingual Review" functionality in Trados Studio. Here are some steps and considerations that might help you resolve the problem: 
 **Step 1:** **Check Track Changes** 
 Ensure that the Track Changes feature is turned off in both the original and the bilingual review files. This can sometimes interfere with the import process. 
 **Step 2:** **Verify Tag Formatting** 
 Make sure that the tags in your bilingual file are formatted correctly and match the original file. Any discrepancies can lead to import issues. 
 **Step 3:** **Test with a Simple File** 
 Try creating a simple bilingual file with minimal content and see if it can be imported successfully. This can help determine if the issue is with the specific file you are working with. 
 **Step 4:** **Use Workarounds** 
 If the direct import continues to fail, consider using the workarounds mentioned in the context: 
 - **Recreate the Review File:** Export a new review file, copy the target segments from the problematic file, and then attempt the import again. 
 - **Use the SDLXLIFF Converter:** If you have access to the SDLXLIFF Converter for Microsoft Office, try using it to import the bilingual file. 
 **Step 5:** **Check for Corruption** 
 To check if your bilingual file is corrupt, follow these steps: 
 1. Open the SDLXLIFF file in the Editor view. 
 2. Go to File > Advanced Save > Save Source As and see if it saves successfully. If it does, the file is likely not corrupt. 
 **Step 6:** **Consult Documentation** 
 Refer to the Trados Studio documentation or knowledge base for any specific error messages you encounter during the import process. This can provide insights into what might be going wrong. 
 If you continue to experience issues, please provide more details about any error messages you receive and the version of Trados Studio you are using. This information will help in diagnosing the problem more effectively. 
 I hope this answer addressed your question. If not, please reject the answer, add the question improvement suggestion information, and click the RWS Community AI checkbox on the right to try again. 
 RWS Community AI

Paul · Answer

Michael Beijer 
 Michael Beijer said: I know that these files are fragile, but is it still really this bad? 
 I don't think it's bad - but it is fragile in that you need to maintain the structure. I can recall being at a conference with the developer well over a decade ago where one of the memoQ founders discussed what we were doing and thought we were "very brave" to introduce the features we were making available for this because of the reality that users rarely do what we think they will!! 
 The segment ID is the place people often go wrong and lose this or break it when they work in other tools. If you increase the size of the font you'll see it: 
 
 Maybe that's your problem? 
 Presumably you've tried comparing the before and after files to see where the differences lie? Also compare the underlying xml.

Dariusz Adamczak · Answer

Michael Beijer Paul Caterina Lazzarini Jesús Prieto Daniel Hug
In my experience, this feature works very well and reliably.
You don't need to make changes using Track Changes. Changes made without Track Changes are also imported. I haven't used this feature in a long time, but I checked it today (Trados Studio SR1 CU3) and can confirm that this is the case.

Important: the file you use for the update must be the same file that was generated by Trados. Copying text/content from the original DOCX file to the new one does not work. This can be seen in the examples below. The original DOCX exported from Trados Studio has an additional CustomXml folder with an XML file that contains the identifiers and hashes of the source and target segments.

And now everyone knows what problems can arise:
- The SDLXLIFF file was changed in Trados Studio after the Bilingual Review file was generated (the hashes have changed, the update will fail)
- The SDLXLIFF file has already been updated using the Bilingual Review file (the hashes have changed, the update can only be performed once)
- etc.

I have used Bilingual Update in a very unusual way many times. For example, I created the original bilingual review file in Trados, and then pasted the comparison of changes obtained from two different documents into the 4th column, and the function always worked. It is important to remember that:
- You cannot make changes to the Trados Studio project in the meantime,
- You must have the same DOCX file generated in Trados Studio with a list of segment IDs and hashes
- The update can only be done once (because the hashes will change)

Screenshot of Total Commander showing two panels comparing directories. The left panel displays a 'good' folder with subfolders '_rels', 'customXml', 'docProps', and 'word'.

Screenshot of an XML file named 'item1.xml' displaying a list of segments with attributes such as 'id', 'sourcehash', and 'targethash'.

Dariusz Adamczak (Post-edit a CAT)

Trados Studio > 1. Trados Studio

"Update from bilingual review" not working (and driving me crazy)!

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