Can I merge separate source and target files? Autor wątku: Susan Nicholls
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I'm a complete beginner to CAT tools, so this probably a stupid question (although not as bad as my last one, I've come a long way and now know how to turn Wordfast on!!!!)
If I have a source text in one MSWord file and a target text in another MSWord file, can I somehow merge the two? This would be very helpful. I'm not entirely sure which Wordfast I'm using, but am happy to download whichever one will let me do this.
Thank you in advance.
| | | | Attila Piróth 
Francja
Local time: 11:57
Członek ProZ.com
angielski > węgierski
+ ...
Hi Susan,
What exactly do you mean by "merging"?
Alignment? Please take a look at the Wordfast manual, and search for "Alignment". You need to download Wordfast Classic + PlusTools. It is easy to learn how to align files, and it is a very useful feature of CAT tools. You can feed aligned files into the TM, and reuse the segment pairs directly in your next translation.
Kind regards,
Attila
| | | | Susan Nicholls
Local time: 19:57
francuski > angielski
+ ...
NOWY TEMAT | I'll give it a try! | May 29, 2009 |
This sounds good, I'll give it a try. Thank you very much.
| | | | Odette Grille (X)
Kanada
Local time: 05:57
angielski > francuski
+ ...
Hi.
I just read the alignment procedures, but my docs are .ppt
Would anyone know where and if I can find a way to create a TM from .ppt docs or should I transform the ppt docs into wiord docs (how ?).
Thanks
O
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Attila Piróth
Francja
Local time: 11:57
Członek ProZ.com
angielski > węgierski
+ ...
| Alignment of ppt files | May 29, 2009 |
Hi Odette,
It depends quite a lot on the ppt files, but copying the text into Word is often the way to go. To do that, select "Normal" in the "View" tab, then click on the "Outline" tab on the left. The whole text appears on the lhs. Choose Edit/Select all, and then copy+paste the text into Word.
Hard line breaks in heavily formatted text boxes often make alignment difficult. You may therefore prefer to tinker a bit around with the two Word files unleashing +Align of WF... See more Hi Odette,
It depends quite a lot on the ppt files, but copying the text into Word is often the way to go. To do that, select "Normal" in the "View" tab, then click on the "Outline" tab on the left. The whole text appears on the lhs. Choose Edit/Select all, and then copy+paste the text into Word.
Hard line breaks in heavily formatted text boxes often make alignment difficult. You may therefore prefer to tinker a bit around with the two Word files unleashing +Align of WF PlusTools. During this preparation phase you can remove the hard line breaks (^p) that divide single segments into two or three. This may take a while first, but you will quickly get used to how it works. Of course, you can merge (or divide) source- or target-language segments once the initial alignment has been done -- but it may take a bit shorter to start with that.
There are other possibilities and other programs, some of which can directly work on ppt files -- however, at one stage you will have to work with the hard line break problem, and doing it in Word in the first place may be the easiest choice then.
HTH,
Attila ▲ Collapse
| | | | Odette Grille (X)
Kanada
Local time: 05:57
angielski > francuski
+ ...
Attila Piróth wrote:
Hi Odette,
Hard line breaks doing it in Word in the first place may be the easiest choice then.
HTH,
Attila
Hi Attila,
I forgot to tick the track ... So I thought nobody was interested in my problem.
Here is how I started solving it by making word docs.
I Alt+insert for each segment in each language and then save the word preview.
I now have my four docs in two separate files, source and target, and I am goind to apply the manual procedure.
If this does not work, I'll simply copy and paste the segments I need. Painstaking, but ...
I am not sure what hard line breaks are.
I'll post my result, failure or succes.
Thank you for taking the time.
Best
Ode
| | | | Samuel Murray
Holandia
Local time: 11:57
Członek ProZ.com
od 2006
angielski > afrikaans
+ ...
Odette Grille wrote:
I just read the alignment procedures, but my docs are .ppt.
Why would you want to have a PPT file with both source and target language in it? Do you want one slide source, one slide target? Or do you want the source and target pieces to follow each other on the same slide?
| | | | Attila Piróth
Francja
Local time: 11:57
Członek ProZ.com
angielski > węgierski
+ ...
Odette Grille wrote:
I Alt+insert for each segment in each language and then save the word preview.
Hi Odette,
I don't really see the point. What kind of files do you have in the beginning? ppt files that contain both the source and target language?
I now have my four docs in two separate files, source and target, and I am goind to apply the manual procedure.
What exactly? Is there any problem with selecting the whole text in the layout view?
If this does not work, I'll simply copy and paste the segments I need. Painstaking, but ...
If you have in mind copy+pasting them one by one, then it is certainly a loss of time – but I am not sure I understand exactly what you mean.
I am not sure what hard line breaks are.
See http://support.mfm.com/support/manuals/flyer2.00/glosslinebreak.htm . Word breaks the text into lines (wraps the text) automatically within a paragraph, but you can also use a "hard break", i.e., insert a line break by pressing Enter. In Powerpoint files this is used very often to make the text fit into a text box.
For alignment purposes, a sentence that contains hard breaks is considered as multiple segments. For example
This sentence
is broken up
into four segments
by three hard breaks.
If you want Word to consider it as a single segment, you have to remove the "hard breaks". You can do that manually, or more quickly by using Word's "Find and Replace" box.
Attila
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NMR (X)
Francja
Local time: 11:57
francuski > niderlandzki
+ ...
Attila did give good advice, but do you really NEED to align the .ppt files? It means lots of work and next time the new files will arrive with other text boxes, other line breaks (most people who create .ppt files don't know how to handle indents).
For me old .ppt files are force majeure, i.e. I do not align, but consult them on the screen or eventually print them out.
| | | | Odette Grille (X)
Kanada
Local time: 05:57
angielski > francuski
+ ...
| To align or not to align | Jun 2, 2009 |
NMR wrote:
Attila did give good advice, but do you really NEED to align the .ppt files? It means lots of work and next time the new files will arrive with other text boxes, other line breaks (most people who create .ppt files don't know how to handle indents).
For me old .ppt files are force majeure, i.e. I do not align, but consult them on the screen or eventually print them out.
Hi NMR,
With a huge text, I need to align because clients don't want synonyms and different phrasings. This is totally contrary to French culture, but necessary in this day and age of uniformity rule !
I need word docs, because wordfast pro does not have the feature to align, only classic and classic works with Word.
I understand why you prefer to consult your text, but it takes time when a text is very large. However, that is what I have to do anyway, because my trick jeopardized my TM somewhat.
I am now going to dowload wdfst classic to try and align the Word docs I created, but don't anybody tell me the CAT tools save time. I find they are also very bad for one's nerves and force me to train in all kinds of skills that have nothing to do with translation. All of that so the client won't pay what we deserve. A very backward and unfair logic in my eyes.
I have been a translator for a long time and enjoying it, but with CAT tools, I enjoy it less and less as I find that I spend more and more time worrying about technical problems and formats and have less and less time for the fun part, brainstroming and trying to find the punchier line and best rythm and most exact semantic equivalent. We are entering the age of mediocrity, but I have to pay my bills, so I give in, much to my dispair which I took the oppportunity to air in this answer.
Best regards and thank you to the three of you for your help.
Ode
| | | | Susan Nicholls
Local time: 19:57
francuski > angielski
+ ...
NOWY TEMAT | Courage, Odette. | Jun 2, 2009 |
I completely sympathize. I would have put italics on the "courage" but I don't have time to check my html codes right now....
Susan
| | | | Odette Grille (X)
Kanada
Local time: 05:57
angielski > francuski
+ ...
| Thank you to all | Jun 4, 2009 |
Thanks for all the help and the good wish of courage, Susan
I am finished and I'll share a bottle of Canada Dry with you all if you stop by in Montreal one of these days ...
I would put a smiley, but I don't even know how to do that ....
Ô
 see.... even the smiley shortcut won't work with me! Humph ... :')
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