Feedback - 1st experience

Hello Paul

So I have completed my first small job with the tool. As I expected from the demo, it was perhaps the most efficient way of doing the job there is, IMO, so overall positive and very welcome, as I said to you. Now issues:

1. A SRT import flaw? – in my customer-supplied SRT, line breaks were not recognized by Trados, not displayed in preview (or perhaps as spaces), but then re-appear after export (so most 2-line subs became 3line subs); corrected manually after export

What follows are improvement ideas within the current intention. (What would go beyond it, ie require building waveform to tweak sub times etc, I will not discuss here.)

2. Visual focus - is the big one. What I am really interested in when translating a sub is CPS and characters on current line. So what I need to see clearly and quickly are those two numbers (or three numbers, chars for each line of current sub, plus CPS), perhaps huuuuge! A slight rethink of the layout needed, maybe. There are other possibilities such as countdown (chars remaining on line, chars remaining for the whole sub.)

3. Option to remove columns completely (words, WPS not needed)

4. Character count for both lines of a sub – this is a must. Number of chars for the two lines combined of very limited use

5. Need to see chars on each line and warning of exceeding them before confirming segment, not only after; with CPS, again, ideally see warning of exceeding it before confirming segment (not a tiny little number in the other corner of screen in a column of dozens of numbers of the same size).

6. Ideally the possibility to set one max CPS level for warning (ie 17), another for error (ie 21)

7. A play/pause keyboard shortcut! (Alt-space?)

8. Perhaps help with line breaking, but his is optional. Ideal behaviour would be: always add one (and make sure only one) space after last word before line break, but do not count it into CPS or chars. (The reason is we often try out different ways of breaking a sub into lines to make it look best.)

9. Windows layout - somehow I expect this to be a sore point. The Subtitling app only highlights the need for the whole Trados to have a simple way of switching different windows layouts for different type of tasks.

Sorry for writing in a sort of shorthand, I will explain better if needed.

Overall, I love the simplicity, and perhaps would take it even further.

Pavel

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  • Thanks

    This is really good feedback.

    So I have completed my first small job with the tool. As I expected from the demo, it was perhaps the most efficient way of doing the job there is, IMO, so overall positive and very welcome, as I said to you.

    Also very good to hear.  I think you're the first person I'm aware of who's used this in a real project!

    1. A SRT import flaw? – in my customer-supplied SRT, line breaks were not recognized by Trados, not displayed in preview (or perhaps as spaces), but then re-appear after export (so most 2-line subs became 3line subs); corrected manually after export

    This might be correctable in the SRT filetype options.  Line breaks are certainly recognised by the default in Studio is also the wrong way around so you always have to change it.  Try changing the option for processing line breaks and prepare the file for translation again.  Might help.

    2. Visual focus - is the big one. What I am really interested in when translating a sub is CPS and characters on current line. So what I need to see clearly and quickly are those two numbers (or three numbers, chars for each line of current sub, plus CPS), perhaps huuuuge! A slight rethink of the layout needed, maybe. There are other possibilities such as countdown (chars remaining on line, chars remaining for the whole sub.)

    You have the count for the segment in Studio already.  But not the count per line of the subtitles in a multiline segment.  I think this is probably better being resolved by the core Studio team as it's something that should probably be in the Editor when working with files like this; otherwise the screen is going to get too crowded very quickly.  Noted.

    3. Option to remove columns completely (words, WPS not needed)

    Yep.  We're already working on this one.  Got sidetracked or it would have been in the initial release.

    4. Character count for both lines of a sub – this is a must. Number of chars for the two lines combined of very limited use

    Related to #2.  Noted.

    5. Need to see chars on each line and warning of exceeding them before confirming segment, not only after; with CPS, again, ideally see warning of exceeding it before confirming segment (not a tiny little number in the other corner of screen in a column of dozens of numbers of the same size).

    Again... related to #2, #4.  But note your emphasis on interactive control.  Will need some thought to handle this sensibly in the Studio environment.

    6. Ideally the possibility to set one max CPS level for warning (ie 17), another for error (ie 21)

    Good idea.  Noted.  Are there specific requirements requested for these sort of controls?

    7. A play/pause keyboard shortcut! (Alt-space?)

    Noted.  Should have this.

    8. Perhaps help with line breaking, but his is optional. Ideal behaviour would be: always add one (and make sure only one) space after last word before line break, but do not count it into CPS or chars. (The reason is we often try out different ways of breaking a sub into lines to make it look best.)

    Sounds like it should be an optional setting in the filetype settings to prepare the file this way.  Don't know how easy it would be, but noted.

    9. Windows layout - somehow I expect this to be a sore point. The Subtitling app only highlights the need for the whole Trados to have a simple way of switching different windows layouts for different type of tasks.

    I agree.  You can do it through user profiles but this is laboroius.  Requires a change in the core Studio product.

    Overall, I love the simplicity, and perhaps would take it even further.

    Thank you... really good feedback.

    Paul Filkin | RWS Group

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  • Try changing the option for processing line breaks and prepare the file for translation again.

    I tried that, found that option already, and don’t think it did the trick. Will try to play with it more on my next project.

  • Hello

    We have just released some updated plugins and included a lot of new features that address many of the things you pointed out.

    https://appstore.sdl.com/list/?search=subtitling

    Would be good if you can create a new thread with any feedback you have on them so it doesn't get lost in this already rather lengthy one.  Thank you for the first lot... it was really helpful and I think we have managed to do many, if not all, of the things you asked for.

    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

  • Hi Paul

    Thanks! I really look forward to checking it out, but am tied up in other work, so it will be a couple of days before I’ll have time to take a look. Will open a new thread, or comment somewhere relevant (hopefully :) ).

    Pavel

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