TermLens
TermLens is an inline terminology display that shows the source text of the current segment word by word, with glossary translations directly underneath each matched term. It updates automatically when you navigate to a new segment.
How It Works
When you select a segment in the Trados editor, TermLens analyses the source text against all active termbases and displays the result in a visual layout:
- Matched words appear with their glossary translation underneath, on a coloured background
- Unmatched words are shown in light grey text so you can read the full source sentence in context
This gives you an at-a-glance overview of every term in the segment that has a termbase entry – without hovering or clicking anything.
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Colour Coding
TermLens uses five background colours to distinguish term types:
| Colour | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Blue | Regular Supervertaler termbase match |
| Purple | Abbreviation match (matched via source abbreviation, not the full term) |
| Pink | Project termbase match (higher priority) |
| Yellow | Non-translatable term (source = target) |
| Green | MultiTerm termbase match (.sdltb) |
Chip Indicators
In addition to colour coding, TermLens shows small indicators in the top-right corner of term chips:
| Indicator | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ≡ (indigo) | The entry has synonyms (source-side, target-side, or both). Hover to see them. |
| ● (amber) | The entry has metadata – a definition, domain, notes, or URL. Hover to see details. |
Both indicators can appear simultaneously. Hover over any term chip to see an interactive popup with full details, including source synonyms (prefixed with “Also:”), target synonyms (shown as bullet points), definitions, domain, notes, and clickable URLs. The popup stays open when you move the mouse into it, so you can click on links.
Markdown Rendering
The Notes and Definition fields in the term popup support Markdown formatting. If the content contains Markdown syntax (tables, bold, italic, headings, bullet lists, code blocks), it is rendered with proper formatting instead of plain text. This is especially useful when AI-generated term notes include structured data like translation tables.
Markdown formatting rendered in TermLens term popup
Resizable Popup
You can resize the term popup by dragging the grip in the bottom-right corner. The width is remembered for the rest of the session, so subsequent popups open at your preferred size.
Inserting Terms
Click to Insert
Click any translation shown under a source word. The translation is inserted at the cursor position in the target field.
Keyboard Shortcuts (Alt+1 through Alt+9)
Each matched term in TermLens is assigned a numbered badge. Press Alt+1 to insert the first match, Alt+2 for the second, and so on up to Alt+9.
Shortcuts for Terms 10+
For terms numbered 10 and above, TermLens supports two shortcut styles (configurable in Settings):
- Sequential (default) – type the term number digit by digit:
Alt+14inserts term 14 - Repeated digit – press the same digit key multiple times:
Alt+55inserts term 14 (5th term in the second tier: 9+5)
The badge on each term chip shows exactly which key combination to use. See Keyboard Shortcuts for details on both modes.
TermLens popup (Ctrl tap)
Tap Ctrl (press and release without any other key) to open the TermLens popup – a borderless floating version of this panel for the active segment. Alternatively, press Ctrl+Alt+G. Designed for keyboard-only term selection on small screens where keeping the docked panel always-visible costs too much vertical space. Tap Ctrl again to close. Inside, Right / Down / Tab cycle the highlighted match, Enter inserts and closes, Escape dismisses without inserting.
Term Picker (Ctrl+Shift+P)
For segments with many matches and when a sortable list view is preferable, press Ctrl+Shift+P to open the Term Picker dialogue. It shows all matched terms in a searchable list and lets you insert any term with a double-click or Enter.
Right-Click Context Menu
Right-click any term in TermLens to access:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Edit Term | Open the term editor to modify source, target, or metadata |
| Delete Term | Remove the term from the termbase |
| Mark as Non-Translatable | Flag the term so it appears in yellow (source = target) |
| Mark as Translatable | Remove the non-translatable flag (shown when the term is already non-translatable) |
Quick-Add Terms
You can add terms without opening a dialogueue:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Alt+Down | Quick-add the selected text to all write termbases |
| Alt+Up | Quick-add the selected text to the project termbase |
| Ctrl+Alt+T | Open the Add Term Entry dialogue (full editor: definition, domain, notes, URL, synonyms) |
| Ctrl+Alt+N | Quick-add the selected text as a non-translatable term |
Font Size
Use the A+ and A- buttons in the TermLens panel header to increase or decrease the font size. Changes apply immediately.
Tips
- TermLens respects termbase activation –only terms from activated termbases are shown.
- If you have many termbases, designate one as the Project termbase (shown in pink) to make its terms stand out.
- Hover over a term to see an interactive popup with all translations, synonyms, abbreviation pairs, definitions, URLs, and the termbase name. The popup stays open when you move the mouse into it, allowing you to click on URLs.
- A small indigo ≡ indicator appears in the top-right corner of a term chip when the entry has synonyms. An amber dot appears when the entry has metadata (definition, domain, notes, or URL). Both indicators can appear together.
- If a term has an abbreviation (e.g., “GC” for “gaschromatografie”), both the full term and the abbreviation are highlighted when they appear in the same segment. The abbreviation chip shows the abbreviated translation; the full-term chip shows the full translation.