Concordance search in memoQ editor

The Concordance window helps you quickly look up terms, expressions, or similar translations in your project’s resources. It searches across your project’s translation memories (TMs) and LiveDocs corpora, showing relevant matches to support consistency in your translations.

memoQ Concordance window with the search bar at the top, the language detection dropdown, and the Search button. Below, four result cards are shown from the target language. Each card displays the matched source and target segment side by side, with the matched term highlighted. Metadata is collapsible and includes TM name, document name, and modification date. At the bottom of the window are buttons to Insert selected text and Insert result.

How to get here

  1. Open a project. Open a document in the memoQ editor.

  2. In the source or target segment, select the text you need to look for.

    From here you can open the window in several ways:

    • Click the Concordance  icon in the memoQ editor's side panel.

    • From the top menu, choose Tools, and then, in the dropdown, click Concordance.

    • Press Ctrl+K.

If text is selected: memoQ editor automatically runs a concordance search on the selected text.

If no text is selected:

  • The first time in a session, the Concordance window opens with a default layout.

  • Later in the session, it reopens with your last search and its results.

Closing the Concordance window won't affect the translation document.

How to use the Concordance window

Empty Concordance panel in memoQ editor showing a search input field labeled Search for words or expressions at the top, an Auto-detect language dropdown below it on the left, and inactive Search and Settings buttons on the right.

The Concordance window includes:

  • Search input – Here, you can type words or expressions to search.

    Some characters such as * (asterisk) or " (quotation marks) aren't allowed in searches. If used, the input field turns red and the Search button won't be active.

  • Language selection dropdown - Choose where you want to look for the words or expression.

    • Auto-detect (default):

      • If you selected text, memoQ editor detects whether it’s from the source or target segment.

      • If you manually enter text, memoQ editor searches in the source language or the translation depending on where your cursor is.

    • Search in source tells memoQ editor to always search in the source language.

    • Search in target tells memoQ editor to always search in the translation (target language).

  • Settings button: Click to customize how memoQ editor finds and presents results.

  • Search button: Click to start the search. You can also press Enter.

    memoQ editor remembers your preferences and reuses the same settings in your next session.

Concordance settings

Click Settings to adjust search behavior and result display preferences.

Concordance settings window in memoQ contains search refinement checkboxes (e.g., Match exact word order, Case sensitive), the dropdown for tag format, and a project resources list showing selected TMs and LiveDocs corpora. Sorting options include Sort by and Sorting priority (TM, LiveDocs, Off). At the bottom are buttons to apply, reset, or cancel changes.

Here you can customize:

  • Search behavior options:

    • Match exact word order - memoQ editor searches for the exact same expression or words. This options is similar to searching with quotation marks.

    • Allow variations in word endings

    • Case sensitive

    • Find with any number - Use this check box if you want to find Chapter 6 and Chapter 18, too, when searching for Chapter 5. This option is very helpful for numeric references.

  • Tag formatting: Choose how memoQ editor displays inline tags: Short (default), Medium, or Long.

  • Search in project resources: Select which TMs and LiveDocs corpora you want to include in the search.

    Remember that resources are grouped by type and selected resources appear as labels. If none are selected, the Apply button isn't active.

  • Sorting options:

    • Sort by: Latest changes first (default), oldest changes first, user name (A–Z or Z–A).

    • Sorting priority: Choose whether to prioritize results from translation memories, LiveDocs corpora, or treat both equally (choose Off).

  • Metadata to pin on result card: You can select what metadata appears on result cards. You can choose from: resource name (selected by default), modified date and user who modified it, document and project name, client, domain, and subject. You can remove all metadata if you prefer a cleaner view.

To save your settings, click Apply. To discard your changes, click Cancel. To go back to the default settings, click Reset to default.

Understanding search results

Search results are shown as cards, displaying matches from the selected resources. If memoQ editor finds matches for your search, it highlights them in the source or translation (target text).

If many results are found, memoQ editor displays a scrollable list of cards.

Collapsed Concordance result view in memoQ showing a single match. The matched phrase is highlighted within the source text, and its translation is shown next to it. Metadata is hidden by default. TM source is listed below the card.

By default, memoQ editor shows only metadata (such as TM name, modification date, or source) you decided to pin. Click Show metadata to expand and view all metadata fields.

"Collapsed Concordance result view in memoQ showing a single match. The matched phrase is highlighted within the source text, and its translation is shown next to it. Metadata is hidden by default. TM source is listed below the card.

To insert content into the active target segment, click one of the buttons in the bottom-right corner of the window:

  • Insert selected text - Inserts the highlighted part into your active target segment.

  • Insert result - Inserts the entire translation from the selected result.

You can select only one result card at a time. The first result is selected by default.

Updating or filtering results

When working with Concordance search, it's good to know that:

  • Changing settings refreshes the results automatically.

  • Performing a new search refreshes the Concordance window.

  • Use the Filter field to narrow down your results. To start, type at least one character and press Enter. You’ll see only source matches with that text in the translation, or translation matches where it appears in the source.

    To see all the results, clear the filter and press Enter again.