We would like to ensure that you're getting the most out of your SDL Trados products.
To help expand on the knowledge and experience you have with our software, we have collected a group of useful resources that are commonly requested by our customers.
There are 250,000 people successfully using SDL Trados Studio worldwide, but how did they get started?
First stop, is the 'Getting started' tab on the 'Welcome' screen in Studio, where there are useful guides and videos in multiple languages, or you could take an official training and certification course.
Below we will walk you through the basic steps you need to take to get up and running, increase your translation productivity and achieve quality from the start. We will also include resources which will help you explore the benefits of individual features.
Watch our 10 minute video to get started with your first document.
Download our 'Studio in 10 Easy Steps' PDF to reference while you work.
Read our QuickStart guide to learn more about how to get started.
When working with clients, you may receive jobs via project packages. The advantage of this is that you get all the files and information you need from the client, to help you complete this project, in one compact package.
Typically, these packages may contain: files for translation, translation memories, termbases and potentially other resources to help with your translation project.
Watch this video to see how to work with SDL project packages.
A client has sent you some files and they are needed quickly. So, you want to get started as soon as possible without having to add the same translation memories, termbases or settings to each individual file. This is where the projects functionality within Studio comes in handy.
Watch this video to learn about setting up projects for multiple files in SDL Trados Studio.
There are multiple ways to create a new translation memory (TM) in Studio and 3 main ways of populating it with content. These include: translating in the editor, using the alignment tool to import any previously translated resources into your TM or upgrading legacy TMS.
A step-by-step guide to creating a new TM ➜
Type less and translate more with SDL AutoSuggest
SDL AutoSuggest monitors what you’re typing and offers you a list of words and phrases in the target language. If one of them matches what you were about to type, you can automatically complete the word or phrase by selecting it from the list. As you continue to type, the list of suggested words is continuously updated.
Watch this short video on using SDL AutoSuggest ➜
UpLIFT Fragment Recall is incredibly useful when you don't have a translation memory match, but you have translated part of the sentence before. It will automatically give you an intelligent fragment match from your TM in both 'fuzzy’ and ‘no match’ scenarios.
The best part is that these fragment matches are offered through AutoSuggest to save you even more time when typing.
For new TMs created in Studio, upLIFT Fragment Recall is automatically enabled but you’ll need at least 1000 translation units. For any older TMs you will need to upgrade them.
How to use upLIFT Fragment Recall ➜
UpLIFT Fuzzy Repair automatically repairs fuzzy matches using the trusted resources you’ve added to your project. These can include your termbase, fragment matches from your TM and even machine translation.
Now changes in terminology, punctuation, deletions, insertions and movement of words can be corrected automatically, saving you time by handling some of the manual tasks for you.
How to use upLIFT Fuzzy Repair ➜
Machine translation (MT) can significantly boost your productivity, allowing your to get more done in less time. With Studio, you have free access to SDL Language Cloud and Adaptive MT.
SDL AdaptiveMT
A new feature in SDL Trados Studio, AdaptiveMT takes machine translation one step further. AdaptiveMT gives you your own, self-learning MT engine that learns from your post-edits.
This enhanced MT output is unique to your style, and can be applied within the same document or even saved from job to job, meaning you don't have to repeatedly fix the same MT errors.
Watch AdaptiveMT explained in detail ➜
See how to set up your own engine ➜
SDL Language Cloud Machine Translation
SDL Language Cloud is our secure machine translation service. Everyone who purchases SDL Trados Studio has access to a baseline engine.
Unlike some MT providers, this engine is 100% secure and confidential, so you can rest assured that your clients’ private documents will not be stored or used by SDL Language Cloud MT in any way.
SDL MultiTerm is a terminology management tool - a central repository, similar to a database, which enables the management of terminology in both source and target languages.
Using a termbase helps avoid this problem by assisting you in producing more accurate and consistent translations. Your clients will all have their own specific terminology and will often provide you with a termbase to use on their projects.
How to create a termbase in MultiTerm ➜
How to use and manage terminology with MultiTerm ➜
Using MultiTerm alongside Studio can help you to seamlessly improve the quality of your translations. Now you know how to create a termbase in MultiTerm , you can make the most of the term recognition window in Studio.
Most clients expect QA checks to be performed before returning a translation. Here's how SDL Trados Studio can help.
AutoCorrect
As you translate, Studio will check your translations for spelling errors. AutoCorrect is optional and, if kept enabled, will automatically correct common errors as well as capitalizing the first letter of sentences and correcting the accidental usage of the CAPS LOCK key.
Real-time preview
It’s always useful to see your translation in context and make sure that it looks correct in its native format. Use the real-time preview to track your progress and fix any formatting errors before generating the final target file. You can find it on the View tab in the Editor.
Verify your translations
Once you’ve completed your translation, you can run the Verify task. This will check for errors such as empty segments, unedited fuzzy matches, missing formatting tags, inconsistent punctuation in source and target and the non-usage of terms from your termbase, for example. You can find it on the Review tab in the Editor.
Studio has some powerful, yet simple-to-use, review features. one of the most important is...
Advanced Display Filter
When working with long texts it helps to be able to review only certain segments at a time. You can do this using the Advanced Display Filter, which you can find on the View tab in the Editor. You can filter by segments that contain specific source or target content, translation status, origin or even by the document structure information. You can save time and avoid scrolling through long texts and focus on what you need to.
Export for bilingual review
If you’re working with a reviewer who doesn’t have Studio, you can export the bilingual SDLXLIFF file into a Microsoft Word document. They can then make any necessary changes and you can import the edited file back into Studio to approve or reject any changes, which will be automatically highlighted using Track Changes.
See how to review a translation with track changes ➜
Retrofit
If a client sends you back an amended target file with some edits, you can now import these using Update from Reviewed Target File (Retrofit).
Any changes will automatically be shown with Track Changes for approval. This means you can update your translation memory with your client’s changes to ensure its quality, consistency and accuracy for future projects.
