Trados Studio Workflow

Note

Using Supervertaler for Trados (plugin)? For documentation on the Trados Studio plugin (TermLens, AI Assistant, Batch Translate), see Supervertaler for Trados. This page covers the SDLPPX round-trip workflow using Supervertaler as a standalone application.

This guide covers working with Trados Studio packages in Supervertaler.

Tip

Just want to consult a Trados TM? If you don’t need to round-trip a project – you only want to query a Trados .sdltm file from Supervertaler while it stays in use in Trados – you don’t need an SDLPPX package at all. See Attaching a Trados TM (.sdltm).

Recommended: SDLPPX Packages

The best way to work with Trados Studio is using project packages (SDLPPX files).

Export from Trados

1. In Trados Studio, open your project
2. Go to Project → Package → Create Project Package
3. Configure package options (include all files)
4. Save as .sdlppx file

Import to Supervertaler

1. Go to Project → Import → Trados Studio → Package (SDLPPX)…
2. Select your .sdlppx file
3. Supervertaler extracts and loads all segments

Tip

Tip: Package paths are saved in your .svproj file, so you can re-export to the same package later.

Translate in Supervertaler

1. Navigate through segments
2. Use AI translation (Ctrl+T) or translate manually
3. Confirm each segment (Ctrl+Enter)
4. Tags appear as <1>, </1> – keep them in your translation

Trados Tag Format

Trados uses numbered XML-style tags:

Tag	Purpose
<1>	Opening tag
</1>	Closing tag
<2/>	Standalone/empty tag

These are highlighted in the grid for visibility.

Export as Return Package

1. Go to Project → Export → Trados Studio → Return Package (SDLRPX)…
2. The return package is created with your translations
3. Segment status is updated to “Translated”

Note

The SDLRPX is created from your original SDLPPX with translations inserted.

Import Back to Trados

1. In Trados Studio, go to Project → Open Package
2. Select the .sdlrpx file from Supervertaler
3. Trados imports the return package
4. Your translations appear in the target segments

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Alternative: Bilingual Review DOCX

⚠️ Use SDLPPX instead if possible. The Bilingual Review format has limitations.

The Problem

Trados Bilingual Review DOCX is designed for review only, not translation:

• Empty target segments are not exported
• You cannot translate from scratch using this format

Workaround (if you must use it)

1. In Trados: Copy all source to target first
   • Edit → Task → Copy source to target (batch task)
2. Export: Project → Export → Trados Studio → Bilingual Review - Translated (DOCX)
3. In Word: Delete all target text (cells remain, but empty)
4. Import to Supervertaler: Project → Import → Trados Studio → Bilingual Review (DOCX), and confirm the language pair (see below)
5. Translate and export
6. Re-import to Trados: Merge into project

Caution

This workaround is tedious. Use SDLPPX packages whenever your client provides them.

The language pair

A bilingual review DOCX has no language header, but Word stores a language on the source text and on the target text. Since v1.10.372, the Select Languages dialog opens pre-filled from those, with a note such as “Auto-detected from file: German → French. Confirm or change below.” Check it before you click OK: TM matches are looked up for this pair. If only one side can be read, that side is filled in and you pick the other. If both columns carry the same language (usually a file with one proofing language throughout), Supervertaler doesn’t guess: the dialog says it couldn’t detect the pair, and you pick it.

SDLPPX packages and SDLXLIFF files declare their languages, so there is nothing to choose there.

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Complete SDLPPX Workflow

Trados: Create Project Package (.sdlppx)
         ↓
Supervertaler: Import Trados Package
         ↓
Supervertaler: Translate (AI + manual)
         ↓
Supervertaler: Export Return Package (.sdlrpx)
         ↓
Trados: Open Return Package
         ↓
Trados: QA + Delivery

Troubleshooting

”Cannot find SDLXLIFF files”

The SDLPPX might be corrupted or use an unsupported format.

• Try re-exporting from Trados Studio
• Ensure all files are included in the package

Status shows “Draft” instead of “Translated”

Fixed in v1.10.259. Earlier versions exported every segment as Draft regardless of its status in the grid, so even a fully-confirmed project arrived unconfirmed in Trados. Now a confirmed project exports with each segment marked Translated (Approved/Proofread map to ApprovedTranslation). Update to v1.10.259 or later and re-export the return package.

Tags not matching

Ensure you keep all <1>, </1> tags in exactly the same positions.

Source files not found on re-export

If you moved your project, use Project → Export → 🔗 Relocate Source Folder to point to the new location of the SDLPPX.

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See Also

• CAT Tool Overview
• Import/Export Formats