How to use existing translations (translation alignment)

Reusing existing translations can significantly speed up your workflow and ensure consistency across documents. If you have a partially translated document that you’d like to use as a starting point in Redokun, you don’t need to start over or rely solely on machine translation. Instead, you can align your existing translations and seamlessly integrate them into Redokun. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Prepare Your Translations for Import

To import your existing translations into Redokun, you’ll need to create a Translation Memory (TM) in TMX format. This step involves aligning your source text with its corresponding translations.

Tools for Alignment

You can use specialized alignment tools to create the TMX file:

1. Matecat Aligner: A free and straightforward tool for aligning translations.
2. Stingray Document Aligner: A more advanced option for professional alignment needs.

These tools allow you to map each translated segment to its source, creating a structured database of your translations in TMX format.

Step 2: Import the Translation Memory (TM) into Redokun

Once your TMX file is ready, you can upload it to Redokun:

1. Navigate to the Translation Memories section in your Redokun account.
2. Select Import TM and upload the TMX file.
3. Redokun will integrate your translations into its system, making them available for future projects.

Step 3: Apply Pre-Translation to Your Document

With your TM imported, you can use Redokun’s Pre-Translate feature to populate your document with existing translations:

1. Open the document you want to translate.
2. Click on the Pre-Translate option.
3. Redokun will automatically fill in segments using the imported TM, saving time and reducing duplication.

Things to Keep in Mind

• Tags in Documents: If your document contains a lot of formatting tags, the alignment and pre-translation process might be slightly less effective. However, for documents with minimal tags, the results should be highly accurate.
• Quality of the Alignment: The quality of your TMX file depends on how well the alignment is done. Take your time during the alignment process to ensure the best results.