This topic is for memoQ 8.7. Have an older version? Click here.

Slice document

In an online project, you usually assign one document to one user. However, some documents can be large to be handled by one translator alone. In an online project, you can divide (or slice) these documents, and assign the parts to translators. To divide a document in an online project, a project manager has two choices:

  • Either they assign the document to several users, and then divide it, or
  • first, they divide the document, and then then assign a user to each part.

    No matter what you do, memoQ server will always start by dividing the document, and then it will assign the parts. If you divide a document that is already assigned to users, memoQ server will assign each part to one of the existing users. If there are more users than parts, you need to choose the final list of users.

    Requires memoQ project manager: You need the project manager edition of memoQ to manage online projects.

You need to be a project manager or an administrator: You may manage online projects only if you are a member of the Project managers or Administrators group on the memoQ server – or if you have the Project manager role in the project.

No subvendor assignment for sliced documents: If a project contains sliced documents, the document slices cannot be assigned to subvendors.

Cannot slice if project allows packages: If the Allow package creation option was turned on when the project was created, you cannot slice documents.

How to get here

  1. Create an online project.
  2. In the memoQ online project window, choose Translations.
  3. You may assign users to the document you plan to slice. You may need to add the users on the People pane first.
  4. On the Translations pane, right-click the document you need to slice. From the menu, choose Slice.

    The Slice document window opens.

What can you do?

Choose a unit of measurement. Normally, memoQ counts the words when it slices the document into equal parts, or ranges. Under Unit of measurement, you can choose Segments or Characters instead, if necessary.

To divide the document quickly into equal parts, type a number in the Number of equal parts box, and click Calculate ranges. memoQ will list the ranges in the Document ranges table at the bottom.

The Document ranges table shows the following details:

  • Document range: The number of the first and the last segment in the range.
  • Segment #: The number of segments in the range.
  • Character #: The number of characters in the range.
  • Word #: The number of words in the range.
  • Content %: Shows, in percent, how much of the document is in the range.

    If a simple split is not good enough, you can take a range, and slice that up even more. For example, first you slice the document into two ranges:

Then you click the second range. Under the list, you click Split into equal parts. The Split into equal parts window opens:

In the Number of equal parts box, type a number. Click OK.

The Slice document window returns. However, what used to be the second range is now sliced into three more ranges:

If this is still not good enough: You can take a range and shrink or grow it.

  • You can add segments to a range - and then memoQ will take those segments away from the next one (or from the previous one if this happens at the beginning of the range);
  • or you can take segments from a range - and then memoQ will add those segments to the next one (or to the previous one if this happens at the end of the range).

    To do this:

  1. Select a range. Under the list, click Shrink/grow. The Shrink/grow range window opens:

  2. To change the boundaries of the range, simply change the numbers in the Start and End boxes. These numbers are the numbers of the first and the last segment in the range.

    When you change these numbers, memoQ will automatically adjust the end of the previous range and the beginning of the next range.

To join two or more ranges: You may realize you "oversliced" the document. Then you can rejoin ranges in the Document ranges table. Select the ranges you want to join. Under the list, click Merge.

When you finish

To slice the document, and return to the Translations pane of the memoQ online project window: Click OK.

Cannot change slicing: Once you click OK, you cannot change the slices. To have different slices, you need to reconsolidate the document, and slice it again.

To return to the Translations pane of the memoQ online project window without slicing the document: Click Cancel.

After you slice a document, the Translations pane will look like this:

Assign every slice to someone: Make sure every slice is assigned to someone. If a document is sliced, you cannot assign the main document to anyone.

One user to each slice: You must assign exactly one user to each slice.

If you no longer need the slices: In the Translations pane, right-click the root document. From the menu, choose Reconsolidate. memoQ will drop the slices, and treat the document as one single unit of assignment again.