Your First Translation Project
Let’s walk through creating a complete translation project from start to finish.
Creating a New Project
Option 1: Import a Document
- Go to File → Import → DOCX…
- Select your Word document
- Choose the source language (e.g., “English”)
- Choose the target language (e.g., “Dutch”)
- Click Import
Your document is now segmented and ready for translation.
Option 2: Import a Text File
- Go to File → Import → Text File…
- Select your
.txtfile - Each line becomes a separate segment
Option 3: Multi-File Project
- Go to File → Import → Folder (Multiple Files)…
- Select a folder containing DOCX or TXT files
- Choose which files to include
- All files are imported as one project
Understanding the Interface
After import, you’ll see:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│ 📝 Project editor │ 🗂️ Project resources │ 🛠️ Tools │├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤│ # │ Status │ Source │ Target │├────┼────────┼───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│ 1 │ ⬜ │ Hello, world! │ ││ 2 │ ⬜ │ This is a test. │ ││ 3 │ ⬜ │ Translate me! │ │└────┴────────┴───────────────────────┴───────────────────────┘Status Icons
| Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ⬜ | Not started |
| 📝 | Draft (edited but not confirmed) |
| ✅ | Confirmed |
| 🔒 | Locked |
Translating Your First Segment
- Click on segment 1’s Target cell
- Type your translation
- Press
Ctrl+Enterto confirm - The status changes to ✅
Using AI Translation
- Click on segment 2
- Press
Ctrl+T(or use Translation → Translate Current Segment) - The AI translation appears in the Target cell
- Review, edit if needed, and confirm with
Ctrl+Enter
Setting Up Resources
Add a Translation Memory
- Go to Project resources tab
- Click Translation Memories
- Click + Create TM or Import TMX
- Your TM will automatically provide matches
Add a Glossary
- Go to Project resources tab
- Click Glossaries
- Click + Create Glossary
- Add terms manually or import from TSV
Saving Your Project
- Press
Ctrl+S - Choose a name and location
- Your project is saved as
.svproj
Exporting the Translation
When you’re finished:
-
Go to File → Export
-
Choose your format:
- DOCX - Standard Word document with translations
- Bilingual Table - Source and target side by side
- Text File - Plain text output
-
Select destination and click Export
Project Workflow Summary
Import Document ↓Set Up TMs & Glossaries (optional) ↓Translate Segments (manual or AI) ↓Review & Confirm (Ctrl+Enter) ↓Save Project (.svproj) ↓Export TranslationWhat’s Next?
Now that you’ve completed your first project:
- Learn keyboard shortcuts for faster work
- Set up batch translation for larger documents
- Explore CAT tool workflows if you use professional tools