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Common Issues

Solutions to frequently encountered problems.

Startup Issues

Application won’t start

Symptoms: Double-click does nothing, or window briefly appears then closes.

Solutions:

  1. Run from command line to see error messages:

    Terminal window
    python Supervertaler.py

  2. Reset UI preferences (corrupted window state):

    • Delete user_data/ui_preferences.json
    • Restart the application

  3. Check dependencies:

    Terminal window
    pip install -r requirements.txt

  4. Verify Python version (needs 3.10+):

    Terminal window
    python --version

“Module not found” error

Install the missing module:

Terminal window
pip install <module-name>

Or reinstall all dependencies:

Terminal window
pip install -r requirements.txt --force-reinstall

Import Problems

”Cannot read file” error

  • Close the file in other programs (Word, Excel, etc.)
  • Check if the file is read-only
  • Try copying the file to a different location

memoQ bilingual shows no segments

  • Ensure you exported as Bilingual DOCX (table format)
  • Check the file in Word to verify it has a source/target table

Trados package fails to extract

  • The SDLPPX might be corrupted
  • Re-export from Trados Studio
  • Check if the package includes all required files

Encoding errors (garbled text)

  • Open the source file in Notepad++ to check the detected encoding; if it shows ANSI/Windows-1252 with mojibake, use Encoding → Convert to UTF-8 and re-save.
  • For more stubborn cases, run ftfy on the file from the command line.
  • Re-export from the source tool with UTF-8 encoding when possible.

Translation Issues

AI translation returns empty

  1. Check your API key is valid
  2. Verify you have credits with the provider
  3. Check internet connection
  4. Try a different model

”Rate limit exceeded” error

  • Wait 1-2 minutes and try again
  • Reduce batch size
  • Upgrade your API plan

Wrong translation language

  • Check your prompt specifies the correct language pair
  • Verify source/target languages are set correctly in project settings

Tags are removed or moved

Add explicit instructions to your prompt:

Keep all formatting tags like {1}, <b>, </b> in exactly
the same positions in the translation.

Reimporting Issues

Segments don’t match on reimport

Cause: Segment structure changed.

Solution:

  • Don’t merge or split segments in Supervertaler.
  • Export the matching format for your CAT tool/workflow.
  • If you’re working from a bilingual table, don’t modify the table structure in Word.

Formatting lost on reimport

Cause: Tags/placeholders weren’t preserved.

Solution:

  • Verify tags in Tag view before exporting.
  • Ensure tags are balanced and not renumbered.
  • Run CAT tool QA after import to catch tag issues early.

TM matches not appearing

Cause: TM not loaded, disabled, or language mismatch.

Solution:

  • Open Project resources → Translation Memories.
  • Ensure the TM is added and Read is enabled.
  • Verify source/target language pair matches your project.

Export Problems

Exported DOCX has no translations

  • Make sure you translated the segments (target column isn’t empty)
  • Check you’re exporting the correct format
  • Verify the segments are confirmed

Trados SDLRPX shows “Draft” status

Update to v1.9.32 or later - this bug was fixed.

”Source file not found” on export

The original imported file was moved or deleted.

  • Use File → Relocate Source Folder to point to the new location
  • Or re-import the source file

Formatting lost after round-trip

  • Keep all inline tags in your translations
  • Don’t modify the structure of bilingual tables
  • Check CAT tool import settings

Performance Issues

Application is slow

  1. Reduce segments per page in pagination settings (try 50)
  2. Disable spellcheck if not needed (Settings → View)
  3. Close other heavy applications

Fixed in v1.9.66:

  • Termbase cache now works correctly
  • Verbose logging removed

Update to the latest version.

Large files take forever to import

  • Very large files (10,000+ segments) may take time
  • Consider splitting into smaller files
  • Use multi-file import for better organization

Spellcheck Issues

Spellcheck not working

  1. Check spellcheck is enabled: Settings → View Settings → Spellcheck
  2. Verify the correct language is selected
  3. For Hunspell, ensure dictionaries are installed

Wrong language being checked

Go to Settings → View Settings → Spellcheck and select the correct target language.

Red underlines appear everywhere

The spellcheck language might not match your target language. Or you might need to add technical terms to your dictionary.

UI Issues

Dark mode colors look wrong

Some widgets apply styles when becoming visible. Try:

  • Switch themes back and forth
  • Restart the application

Window opens off-screen

Delete user_data/ui_preferences.json to reset window position.

Fonts look different/wrong

Go to Settings → View Settings and select your preferred font family.

Still Having Issues?

  1. Check the GitHub Issues for known bugs
  2. Open a new issue with:
    • Your OS and Python version
    • Steps to reproduce the problem
    • Error messages (if any)
    • Screenshots (if helpful)