Your First Translation Project

Let’s walk through creating a complete translation project from start to finish.

Tip

Want to look around first? Help → 🎓 Open Sample Project opens a small ready-made project with its own TM and glossary – see Try the sample project.

Creating a New Project

Option 1: Import a Document

1. Go to Project → Import → Import Document… (Ctrl+O)
2. Select your Word document
3. Choose the source language (e.g., “English”)
4. Choose the target language (e.g., “Dutch”)
5. Click Import

Your document is now segmented and ready for translation.

Option 2: Import a Text File

1. Go to Project → Import → Text / Markdown File (TXT, MD)…
2. Select your .txt file
3. Each line becomes a separate segment. Tick Split lines into sentences to split long lines into sentences as well; where they are split is set in Settings → 📏 Segmentation Rules.

Option 3: Multi-File Project

1. Go to Project → Import → Folder (Multiple Files)…
2. Select a folder containing DOCX or TXT files
3. Choose which files to include
4. All files are imported as one project

Understanding the Interface

After import, you’ll see the main window. Along the top are the workspace tabs (Editor, TMs, Termbases, AI, SuperLookup, Clipboard Manager, Voice, Settings). The Editor tab holds the translation grid:

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Editor │ TMs │ Termbases │ AI │ SuperLookup │ Clipboard │ Voice │ ⚙   │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  # │ Type │ Source                │ Target                │ Status    │
├────┼──────┼───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼───────────┤
│  1 │  ¶   │ Hello, world!         │                       │  ❌       │
│  2 │  ¶   │ This is a test.       │                       │  ❌       │
│  3 │  ¶   │ Translate me!         │                       │  ❌       │
└────┴──────┴───────────────────────┴───────────────────────┴───────────┘

TMs and Termbases are their own top tabs for managing translation memories and terminology.

Status Icons

Icon	Meaning
❌	Not started
⚡	Pre-translated
✏️	Draft (edited but not confirmed)
✔	Confirmed
🔒	Locked

See Segment Statuses for the full list.

Translating Your First Segment

1. Click on segment 1’s Target cell
2. Type your translation
3. Press Ctrl+Enter to confirm
4. The status changes to ✅

Using AI Translation

1. Click on segment 2
2. Press Ctrl+T to translate it with AI
3. The AI translation appears in the Target cell
4. Review, edit if needed, and confirm with Ctrl+Enter

Setting Up Resources

Add a Translation Memory

1. Go to the TMs tab
2. Click + Create New TM or 📥 Import TMX
3. Make sure Read is ticked for the TM so the project uses it for matches, and Write if new translations should be saved into it

Note

Importing a document switches every TM and termbase off for the new project, so that a new job doesn’t inherit the last one’s resources. If the match panel stays empty, check the Read box first – and see TM Matches Not Appearing if that isn’t it.

Add a Termbase

1. Go to the Termbases tab
2. Click + Create New
3. Add terms manually or import from TSV
4. Make sure Read is ticked so the project uses it

Saving Your Project

1. Press Ctrl+S
2. Choose a name and location
3. Your project is saved as a folder containing the .svproj file, a source/ folder (your original document), and – once you export – a target/ folder. See The Project Folder.

Tip

Tip: Supervertaler auto-saves your work periodically, but it’s good practice to save manually before closing. To move a project, move the whole folder, not just the .svproj.

Exporting the Translation

When you’re finished:

1. Go to Project → Export

2. Choose your format:

   • DOCX - Standard Word document with translations
   • Bilingual Table - Source and target side by side
   • Text File - Plain text output

3. Select destination and click Export

Project Workflow Summary

Import Document
      ↓
Set Up TMs & Termbases (optional)
      ↓
Translate Segments (manual or AI)
      ↓
Review & Confirm (Ctrl+Enter)
      ↓
Save Project (.svproj)
      ↓
Export Translation

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What’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