Paul, thanks for the quick response. I included this file when I created the project. Then because I couldn't edit I removed it and tried adding it again. I have run various batch tasks on it. The file has always shown as translatable.

However... I have fixed the problem. I ran "copy to target language" from a right click on the file, then switched the dropdown to English and, finally, I can open it. Completely unintuitive for people who aren't intimately familiar with the way Studio works.

Why does it have to be so hard? I know this has been said before, in this thread (five years old!) amongst others but you (SDL) really need to make this sort of thing easier to understand. I have been using computers since the days of the ZX81, I'm a power user, a programmer in several languages and have learned dozens of packages over the years, including some complex vertical applications. If people like myself cannot easily puzzle this sort of thing out, you are doing it wrong.

Adding files is a core function that needs to be simple and intuitive.

I have read a lot of responses from SDL staff and I think I detect a theme, either explicit or implied, is "this is a powerful application and there's only so much you can do to make it simple". I don't buy that. You can be much more active and intelligent in flagging issues before they become a problem.

Take the mismatch I have just raised between what is visible in the language dropdown, depending on the language. This depends on one, hardly noticeable control that is hidden if you have that pane collapsed. It's just too fragile.

So get more proactive: if there's a file that is visible in source but not target, why not pop up a helpful dialog saying "look, we've noticed that you have a blah blah blah situation, maybe you want to select 'copy to target language' from batch tasks so that you can translate this file?". Allow it to be switched off for advanced users, but for goodness' sake try to be nicer to the rest of us.

As it evolves, Studio is not going to get any less complicated under the hood. As a company you need to find ways to reduce the cognitive burden on your users or you will see defections to other software. I haven't trialled MemoQ but things like this make me want to. Please pass on internally.

Dan

Paul, thanks for the quick response. I included this file when I created the project. Then because I couldn't edit I removed it and tried adding it again. I have run various batch tasks on it. The file has always shown as translatable.

However... I have fixed the problem. I ran "copy to target language" from a right click on the file, then switched the dropdown to English and, finally, I can open it. Completely unintuitive for people who aren't intimately familiar with the way Studio works.

Why does it have to be so hard? I know this has been said before, in this thread (five years old!) amongst others but you (SDL) really need to make this sort of thing easier to understand. I have been using computers since the days of the ZX81, I'm a power user, a programmer in several languages and have learned dozens of packages over the years, including some complex vertical applications. If people like myself cannot easily puzzle this sort of thing out, you are doing it wrong.

Adding files is a core function that needs to be simple and intuitive.

I have read a lot of responses from SDL staff and I think I detect a theme, either explicit or implied, is "this is a powerful application and there's only so much you can do to make it simple". I don't buy that. You can be much more active and intelligent in flagging issues before they become a problem.

Take the mismatch I have just raised between what is visible in the language dropdown, depending on the language. This depends on one, hardly noticeable control that is hidden if you have that pane collapsed. It's just too fragile.

So get more proactive: if there's a file that is visible in source but not target, why not pop up a helpful dialog saying "look, we've noticed that you have a blah blah blah situation, maybe you want to select 'copy to target language' from batch tasks so that you can translate this file?". Allow it to be switched off for advanced users, but for goodness' sake try to be nicer to the rest of us.

As it evolves, Studio is not going to get any less complicated under the hood. As a company you need to find ways to reduce the cognitive burden on your users or you will see defections to other software. I haven't trialled MemoQ but things like this make me want to. Please pass on internally.

Dan