Translation Memory: Create, Import, Export, and Manage

Overview

Translation Memory (TM) is a database that stores previously translated segments to help maintain consistency and speed up future translations. This guide covers how to create, import, export, and manage translation memories in Smartcat.

What is Translation Memory?

Translation Memory stores source text segments alongside their approved translations. When you translate new content, Smartcat automatically suggests matches from your TM, helping you:

• Maintain consistency across all translations

• Speed up translation by reusing previous work

• Reduce costs by leveraging existing translations

• Ensure quality through approved translation pairs

Creating a New Translation Memory

From Linguistic Assets

1. Navigate to Intelligence Fabric → Reviewed Translations in your workspace

2. Click Translation memories in the top right corner

   

3. Click Create TM

4. Enter a Name for your TM

5. Select the Source Language and Target Language(s)

6. Choose Access Level:

7. Private: Only you can access

8. Shared: Available to workspace members

9. Public: Available to all workspace users

10. Click Save

During Project Creation

You can also create a TM while setting up a new project:

1. In the left navigation sidebar of the project, click Linguistic Assets

2. Under the Translation Memories heading, click Add → Create new

3. Follow the same steps as above

Importing Translation Memories

Supported Formats

Smartcat supports importing TMs in these formats:

• TMX (Translation Memory eXchange) - recommended

• XLSX (Excel format with source/target columns)

• CSV (Comma-separated values)

Import Process

1. Navigate to Intelligence Fabric → Reviewed Translations in your workspace

2. Click Translation memories in the top right corner

3. Click Create TM

4. Click the TMX, SDLTM or XLSX file field and select the file to import

5. Map the columns (for XLSX/CSV):

6. Source column: Contains original text

7. Target column: Contains translations

8. Review the preview and click Import

Import Best Practices

• Clean your data before importing (remove duplicates, fix formatting)

• Use TMX format when possible for best compatibility

• Check language codes match your TM settings

• Review large imports in smaller batches first

Exporting Translation Memories

Export Options

1. Navigate to your Translation Memory

2. Click Export

3. Choose format:

4. TMX: Industry standard, works with other CAT tools

5. XLSX: Excel format for editing or analysis

6. Select Export Options:

7. All segments: Complete TM export

8. Date range: Segments added within specific dates

9. Minimum match percentage: Only high-quality matches

10. Click Export and download when ready

When to Export

• Backup purposes: Regular exports for data security

• Sharing with vendors: Provide TMs to external translators

• Migration: Moving to another CAT tool

• Analysis: Review translation patterns and quality

Managing Translation Memories

Editing Segments

1. Open your Translation Memory

2. Use the Search function to find specific segments

3. Click on any segment to edit:

4. Source text: Original content

5. Target text: Translation

6. Tags: Add metadata for organization

7. Save changes

Organizing with Tags

Add tags to categorize TM segments:

• Project names: "Website_2024", "Marketing_Campaign"

• Content types: "UI_Text", "Documentation", "Legal"

• Quality levels: "Reviewed", "Draft", "Final"

Access Control

Private TMs: Only the creator can access and modify

Shared TMs: Workspace members can:

• View and use in projects

• Add new segments during translation

• Cannot delete or export (owner only)

Master TMs: Special shared TMs that:

• Automatically update from project translations

• Aggregate content from multiple projects

• Require admin permissions to modify

Maintenance Tasks

Regular Cleanup:

• Remove outdated segments

• Merge duplicate entries

• Update terminology for consistency

Quality Control:

• Review low-confidence matches

• Validate translations with subject matter experts

• Update segments based on client feedback

Integration with Projects

Automatic TM Updates

When translators work on projects:

• New segments are automatically added to assigned TMs