Trados & Alchemy Catalyst Localisation Support Services

1. File Preparation for Trados & Catalyst

We prepare your files so they open correctly in Trados or Catalyst without breaking the layout or technical structure. This means your text, tables, images, and software strings appear exactly as they should inside the translation tool — without missing content, formatting damage, or code errors.

We handle:

• Word, Excel, PowerPoint files
• InDesign files
• XML, HTML, JSON, YAML
• Software UI files
• Help files and manuals
• Website content
• Text files and software property files

File preparation includes:

• Cleaning broken formatting
  (fixing spacing, line breaks, fonts, numbering, tables, and hidden layout errors)
• Protecting codes and tags
  (hidden technical markers that control formatting and software behaviour and must not be edited)
• Making files fully translation-ready
  (so text is extracted correctly into the CAT tool)
• Preventing text overlap and page layout damage in the final output
  (so translated text does not spill outside boxes, tables, buttons, or labels after import)

This ensures translators work on clean, stable files with zero technical risk.

2. Project Creation in SDL Trados / Alchemy Catalyst

We create complete translation projects inside Trados or Alchemy Catalyst.

This includes:

• Language pair setup
  (e.g., English → German, French → Arabic, English → Japanese)
• Translator and reviewer workflow setup
  (who translates first, who edits next, and who does final review)
• Termbase linking
  (connecting approved word lists so translators use only correct terminology)
• Translation Memory (TM) linking
  (connecting the project to past translations so content is reused automatically)
• File assignment per language and per resource
  (assigning the right files to the right translator for each language)

Translation agencies can outsource full project setup to us. Translators receive ready-to-work packages without any technical handling.

This ensures:

• Controlled workflow (translate → review → final)
• No file loss (no missing documents, no overwritten files)
• Proper version tracking (every change recorded and traceable)

3. Trados Packages & Return Packages

We handle the complete Trados package workflow.

Trados Packages (sent to translators):

• Creating secure Trados project packages
• Assigning languages and user permissions
• Sending the correct files to each translator

Return Packages (received after translation):

• Importing completed translations into the master project
• Error checking for:
  • Missing translations
  • Broken tags
    Tags are hidden technical markers inside files that tell the software where formatting, links, or code belong. If these tags are damaged or removed, files may not compile correctly, layouts may break, and software strings may crash. We detect and fix such tag errors during quality checks.
  • Formatting and layout issues
    For example: text shifting out of tables, missing bullets, wrong fonts, broken software strings.
• Final project rebuilding
  Reassembling all translated files into the original format such as Word, InDesign, XML, or software files for delivery.

This avoids:

• Missing translations
• Broken layouts
  Text moving outside tables or boxes, headings shifting, images changing position, buttons overlapping, or bullet points misaligning. We detect and correct these issues before final delivery.
• Technical errors in the final delivery
  Problems such as files not opening, text not loading properly, links breaking, fonts not displaying, or translated software strings causing application errors. We identify and fix these before final delivery.

4. Multilingual Project Handling

We manage one source file being translated into many languages at the same time, such as:

• English → 20+ European languages
• English → multiple Indian languages
• English → Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean

We ensure:

• Same layout across all languages
• Same structure and file format
  (headings, tables, sections, numbering, and document order remain identical)
• Correct language encoding
  (proper character display for Arabic, Chinese, Indian scripts, etc.)
• Clean, publish-ready output
  (final files that can be printed, uploaded, or compiled without further fixing)

5. TTKs (Translation Tool Kits)

TTK is a complete translation preparation package provided to translators, containing clean source files, Translation Memories, termbases, style guides, and reference material.

For Alchemy Catalyst projects, translators can work using the free Catalyst Lite version, while all project creation, file preparation, and technical engineering are handled by our team.

We create full TTKs, which include:

• Clean prepared source files
  Source documents that have been checked, corrected, and technically cleaned — free from formatting errors, hidden code issues, or broken structures — so translators can work smoothly without technical disruptions.
• Translation Memories (TM)
• Termbases (approved terminology lists)
• Style guides (rules on tone, formatting, terminology)
• Reference PDFs

This helps:

• Improve translation quality
• Maintain consistency
• Reduce rework
• Speed up delivery

6. TM Management, TMX Conversion & Glossary Conversion

We also provide advanced Translation Memory and terminology management services.

TM Merging & Field Assignment

• We can combine multiple TMs into one master TM
• We can assign proper fields such as:
  • Client name
  • Subject domain (legal, medical, IT, etc.)
  • Language pairs
  • Project reference (e.g., “Siemens Safety Manual – German 2026”)

This keeps your TMs organised, reusable, and clean.

TMX Conversion

TMX = Translation Memory eXchange format (universal TM format).

• Convert Trados TMs into TMX
• Convert TMX into Trados-ready TMs
• Migrate TMs across different CAT tools

This allows agencies to move translation data safely across tools and vendors.

Glossary to MultiTerm Conversion

• Convert old Excel or Word glossaries into SDL MultiTerm
• Assign proper fields such as:
  Term: Pressure valve
  Definition: Device that regulates fluid pressure
  Context: Used in hydraulic systems
  Part of speech: Noun
  Client / domain: Oil & Gas / Mechanical Engineering

This allows translators to use approved terminology directly inside Trados.

7. WinAlign (Translation Memory Alignment)

WinAlign (Alignment) means converting old bilingual documents (Source + Translation) into a reusable Translation Memory (TM).

Example:

• You have old English manuals
• You also have their German translations
• But they were never saved as a TM

Using WinAlign:

• Each English sentence is matched with its German sentence
• A new reusable TM is created from old files

8. How We Do WinAlign Using SDL Trados

We perform full professional alignment using SDL Trados WinAlign tools.

Step-by-step process:

• Clean both source and translated files
• Load both files into the Trados alignment tool
• Match content sentence by sentence
• Manually correct mismatches
• Validate aligned sentence pairs
• Export a high-quality Translation Memory (TM)
  The final TM contains only correctly matched sentence pairs, verified terminology, and clean segment alignment — free from mismatches, duplicates, or corrupted entries — so it can be safely reused for future translation projects.

This allows you to:

• Reuse past translations
• Save future translation cost
• Maintain consistent terminology
• Speed up future projects

Why Our Trados & Catalyst Support Matters

• Correct technical setup = fewer translation mistakes
• Clean packages & return packages = no missing files
• Proper TM usage & TMX conversion = lower cost & faster projects
• Termbase conversion into MultiTerm = consistent approved terminology
• Multilingual project control = same design, structure, and format across all languages
  Every language version keeps the same page layout, headings, tables, numbering, fonts, and file structure as the original — so all translations look uniform and professional, regardless of the language.
• Professional WinAlign = your old translations can be recycled into reusable Translation Memories