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    • Edit source text in the CAT editor

    The CAT editor supports two file formats, and a workaround is available for others

    Overview

    In most cases, source text cannot be edited directly in the Smartcat CAT editor. Editing is supported for two specific file formats, and a workaround is available for all others.

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    When to use it

    • You need to correct an error in the source text of a document you are working on

    • You are working with subtitle files or software localisation files and want to edit source segments directly

    • You need to update source content in a file format that does not support direct editing

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    How to use it

    Edit source text directly (supported formats only)

    Source text editing is available in the CAT editor for:

    • Subtitle files (.srt,.vtt)

    • Software localization projects. These are special types of projects that use collections instead of documents. You can upload content from localization files like json, locjson, android xml, strings and yaml to them.

    For these formats, click directly on the source segment in the CAT editor to edit it. You then save the segment in the software localization project.

    The source segment is updated and the change is reflected immediately in the editor.

    Update source text in all other formats

    For all other document types, re-upload a corrected version of the source file:

    ⚠️ The new file must have the exact same filename as the existing document in the project. If the filename differs, Smartcat will not offer the Update option.

    1. Prepare the updated source file on your computer, keeping the filename identical to the original

    2. Go to the project in Smartcat

    3. Upload the file to the project

    4. When prompted, select Update

    Smartcat replaces the source file. Unchanged segments retain their existing translations from Translation Memory. New or changed segments appear as unconfirmed and ready for translation.

    ⚠️ The automatic pre-translation that runs after an update consumes Smartwords from your balance, unless it's a file format with identifiers (paragraph IDs). These formats allow you to update only changed segments. Segments that weren't changed stay the same and do not require pre-translation from the TM, so they do not consume Smartwords. Localization formats like these include LocJSON, Serge.IO PO, STRINGS and RESX.

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    FAQs

    I updated the source file but my existing translations are gone. What happened?

    Existing translations are restored automatically from Translation Memory for unchanged segments. If translations are missing, check that your Translation Memory was attached to the project and contains the relevant segments.

    Can I edit source text in a PDF?

    No. PDFs and most other document types do not support direct source text editing. Use the re-upload workaround described above.