Project home - Settings - Auto-translation rules
An auto-translation rule set is a collection of algorithmic rules that help to transform parts of text into the target language. For example, you can use them to convert dates, currencies, or other units from the source language to the target language. It can even calculate unit conversions. Auto-translation rules use regular expressions to recognize the patterns they have to convert.
If you have an auto-translation rule set in your project: memoQ always checks the current segment for patterns that the auto-translation rules can recognize. If patterns are found, the converted patterns are there on the Translation results list. You can click to copy these to the translation in the translation editor.
How to get here
- From the Dashboard, create or open a project. Or, check out a project from a memoQ TMS.
- Under Project home, click Settings. The Settings pane appears, with the General tab.
- Click the Auto-translation rules icon. It looks like this:
The Auto-translation rules tab appears.
What can you do?
- Under the list of auto-translation rules, click Create/use new.
- The Create new auto-translation rule set window opens.
- Type a name for the auto-translation rule set. You may also type a description.
To learn more: See Help about the Create new auto-translation rule set window.
- Click OK.
The auto-translation rule set appears in the list at the top. Its check mark will be checked - it will be ready to use in the project.
Empty rule set: When you create a new auto-translation rule set, it will be empty. To make it work, you need to add rules to it. To add auto-translation rules, edit the auto-translation rule set.
- In the list of auto-translation rules, select the one you need to copy.
- Under the list of auto-translation rules, click Clone/use new.
- The Clone auto-translation rule set into a new resource window opens. It's the same as the Create new auto-translation rule set window. You can't set the language of the rule set because it's always the same as the source language of the project.
- Type a name for the auto-translation rule set. You may also type a description.
To learn more: See Help about the Create new auto-translation rule set window.
- Click OK.
The auto-translation rule set appears in the list at the top. Its check mark will be checked - it will be ready to use in the project.
To use an auto-translation rule set, you need to add it to the project. You should do this before you send work to translators. A project can have one or more auto-translation rule sets.
To add an auto-translation rule set to the project:
- In the list of auto-translation rule sets, find the rule set you need.
- Click its check box on the left.
The auto-translation rule set moves to the top of the list.
Normally, memoQ will take auto-translation rule sets from your own computer. However, you can use online auto-translation rule sets from memoQ TMSs that you have access to.
To view the auto-translation rule sets from a memoQ TMS or from a memoQ TMS cloud:
- On the Project ribbon, there is a memoQ TMS icon, or a memoQ TMS dropdown. Click the icon or dropdown.
- memoQ will show the auto-translation rule sets from that server.
You must have permission for the auto-translation rule sets: It is not enough to have access to the memoQ TMS. To use an auto-translation rule set, you need at least Use permission over the auto-translation rule set itself. If you are not sure, contact the owner of the memoQ TMS.
- To use an auto-translation rule set from a memoQ TMS, simply check its check box.
Type or choose the address of the memoQ TMS, and click the Select button.
You may need to log in: If you access this server for the first time, the Log in to server window opens. You need a user name and a password to access the server.
If there are too many auto-translation rule sets on the list, you can filter the list. At the top of the Auto-translation rules tab, there is a Name/description box.
Type a word or two in the Name/description box. It will narrow the list immediately to those auto-translation rule sets that have those words in their names or descriptions.
To sort the list by a detail: Click the header of the column you need. For example, to sort the list by name, click the Name header at the top of the list.
You can export an auto-translation rule set into an .mqres file. An .mqres file is an XML file where memoQ saves resources like auto-translation rule sets, QA profiles, TM settings etc. These are called light resources because they don't contain a large amount of linguistic data.
To export an auto-translation rule set:
- In the list, select the auto-translation rule set you need to export.
- Under the list, click Export. A Save As window opens.
Or: Right-click the auto-translation rule set. From the menu, choose Export.
- Find a folder and a name for the file, and click Save. memoQ will export all details from the auto-translation rule set in the file.
You can also import an auto-translation rule set from a .mqres file. When you import an .mqres file, memoQ will always create a new auto-translation rule set.
Because memoQ saves all kinds of resources in .mqres files, you need to make sure that your .mqres file contains an auto-translation rule set.
To import an auto-translation rule set from an .mqres file:
- At the bottom of the auto-translation rules tab, click Import new. An Open window appears.
- Select the .mqres file. Click Open.
- The Import new auto-translation rule set window opens. It's the same as the Create new auto-translation rule set window.
- memoQ will pick up the name of the rule set from the .mqres file. However, you can give it a new name, and type a new description, too.
- Click OK.
To learn more: See Help about the Create new auto-translation rule set window.
- In the list of auto-translation rules, select the one you need to edit.
- Under the list of auto-translation rules, click Edit.
- The Edit auto-translation rule set window opens.
- Change the auto-translation rules as necessary. Caution: You may need knowledge of regular expressions to do it.
To learn more: See Help about the Edit auto-translation rule set window.
Cannot edit the default rule set: You can't edit the Default auto-translation rule set. If you need a resource that you can edit, clone the Default rule set first.
- In the list, select the auto-translation rule set.
- Below the list, click Properties.
- The Resource properties window opens. It's the same as the Create new auto-translation rule set window.
- If necessary, change the name or the description of the resource. Click OK.
To learn more: See Help about the Create new auto-translation rule set window.
When you finish
Your changes are saved automatically.
On the Settings pane, choose another tab.
Or, choose another pane in Project home.
Or, return to your work: Click a document tab at the top of the memoQ window (in the same row as the Project home tab). In most cases, you will return to the translation editor.
Project managers, you can switch windows: You can open several online projects for management. Each online project opens in a separate window. To switch between them and the Dashboard or Project home (if you have a local project open): press and hold down Alt, and press Tab a few times until you get to the window you want. Or: On the Windows taskbar, click the memoQ icon, and then click the window you want to switch to.