tags, tags, tags Thread poster: Krzysztof Kożurno
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Hello,
My client requires me to use MemoQ for work, which I cannot often avoid. By "avoid" I mean I cannot do the job using my tool, use the TM to translate and be happy.
The reason is tags, which MemoQ puts everywhere, even where the source file has a blank space. Thanks to this using MemoQ is at times a nightmare (and when your work extends into small hours into a real nightmare). Is this progress in CAT development something I have to put up with as a translator? Is it possible to... See more Hello,
My client requires me to use MemoQ for work, which I cannot often avoid. By "avoid" I mean I cannot do the job using my tool, use the TM to translate and be happy.
The reason is tags, which MemoQ puts everywhere, even where the source file has a blank space. Thanks to this using MemoQ is at times a nightmare (and when your work extends into small hours into a real nightmare). Is this progress in CAT development something I have to put up with as a translator? Is it possible to avoid the feeling of being a peripheral inserting snag or tags?
Actually I tend to believe that this is the trend, as other CATs look very much the same. Yet, the occurrence of tags where there is nothing particular plus an extra need to italicise, underline or use bold is distinctive of MemoQ (I use 3 or 4 CATs).
Krzysztof ▲ Collapse
| | | | | What kind of source file? | Dec 12, 2012 |
Can you tell us what source file is used for the translation? This clearly sounds like too many tags to me, and I suspect that the source file could be some unnatural format, like a Word file created from a PDF document by some OCR tool.
Please tell us what files they are and maybe the colleagues can come up with some good suggestion. I use memoQ all day with many different types of files, and this situation you describe is somewhat odd.
| | | | Tom45 (X)
Local time: 16:12
| Bad preparation? | Dec 12, 2012 |
[I take it that you are referring to Word documents, if not please ignore my posting  ]
Sounds indeed as if the source document hasn't been prepared the right way. mQ's docx filter isn't as good as CafeTran's regarding rogue tags, but what you describe is extreme ...
Ask the client to send the originatig Word document to you and we'll start from there.
| | | | | closer look at the source file | Dec 12, 2012 |
I'm taking a closer at the source file which is docx.
What I've found:
flow rate,
all the four tags stand for
it's actually a long dash but I cannot reproduces using the ascii code.
Still, it's just a dash!
I've just found that there are numerous tags to mark text highlighting, so there may be a good reason for every single tag. Tags are over 10% of the wordcount.
Still, a good reason is not good enough to a tag zombified translator. Some segmen... See more I'm taking a closer at the source file which is docx.
What I've found:
flow rate,
all the four tags stand for
it's actually a long dash but I cannot reproduces using the ascii code.
Still, it's just a dash!
I've just found that there are numerous tags to mark text highlighting, so there may be a good reason for every single tag. Tags are over 10% of the wordcount.
Still, a good reason is not good enough to a tag zombified translator. Some segments are hardly legible because of heavy tagging (upper indices, lower indices, and whatever).
Are we doomed to have four tags for just a single dash?
Some formatting is WISIWIG, some tagged. When superscripts, lower indices, highlighting etc. combine we're bound to step into a nightmare. Plus still italics, bold and underlined fonts need to be represented.
Regards,
Krzysztof ▲ Collapse
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Jaroslaw Michalak 
Poland
Local time: 16:12
Member (2004)
English to Polish
SITE LOCALIZER | Source of the problem | Dec 12, 2012 |
The point is that if the source file has many superfluous format changes, it will most likely result in a tag soup in any CAT. Some might handle them better or make it easier for the translator (if I understand it correctly, Trados Studio allows display of segments without tags?), but the document will still be a mess...
As for MemoQ, is the option "Ignore minor formatting changes for fewer tags" checked? I cannot remember if it is on by default...
Another option might ... See more The point is that if the source file has many superfluous format changes, it will most likely result in a tag soup in any CAT. Some might handle them better or make it easier for the translator (if I understand it correctly, Trados Studio allows display of segments without tags?), but the document will still be a mess...
As for MemoQ, is the option "Ignore minor formatting changes for fewer tags" checked? I cannot remember if it is on by default...
Another option might be to run the CodeZapper macro on the file, although your mileage may vary. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Chunyi Chen
United States
Local time: 07:12
English to Chinese
| try "import with options" | Dec 12, 2012 |
Hi big fish,
It sounds like you are using the docx filter, which usually dislays tags in long hand. You can try using the second option called "import with options", then Change filter and configuration (or the second one, if you have more than one file), then select Import markup as memoQ{tags} under Markup. You would still get tags, but the number can be cut down in half.
You may also send your file to Kilgray support and ask if there is a better way to mininize the... See more Hi big fish,
It sounds like you are using the docx filter, which usually dislays tags in long hand. You can try using the second option called "import with options", then Change filter and configuration (or the second one, if you have more than one file), then select Import markup as memoQ{tags} under Markup. You would still get tags, but the number can be cut down in half.
You may also send your file to Kilgray support and ask if there is a better way to mininize these tags. I hate working with tags and I know exactly how you feel.
And like Jabberwock, I recommend Codezapper for killing unnecessary tags before you import a document to your CAT tool. I also remember Jerzy showed a way to do this (cleaning up the tags) manually without involving one more program. You might be able to find that information on ProZ.
Good luck.
Chun-yi
big_fish wrote:
I'm taking a closer at the source file which is docx.
What I've found:
flow rate,
all the four tags stand for
it's actually a long dash but I cannot reproduces using the ascii code.
Still, it's just a dash!
I've just found that there are numerous tags to mark text highlighting, so there may be a good reason for every single tag. Tags are over 10% of the wordcount.
Still, a good reason is not good enough to a tag zombified translator. Some segments are hardly legible because of heavy tagging (upper indices, lower indices, and whatever).
Are we doomed to have four tags for just a single dash?
Some formatting is WISIWIG, some tagged. When superscripts, lower indices, highlighting etc. combine we're bound to step into a nightmare. Plus still italics, bold and underlined fonts need to be represented.
Regards,
Krzysztof ▲ Collapse
| | | | Jean Chao
United States
Local time: 07:12
English to Chinese
+ ...
| Saving docx as doc in Word 2003 has worked for me | Dec 13, 2012 |
I successfully got around these tags a few times by converting my source file from docx to doc without affecting complex tabular forms and layout in my target file. See if that'll work for you.
| | | | | Thanks everyone! | Dec 13, 2012 |
I started to believe I am doomed to become a tag zombified translator.
Apparently it needn't be so. Now the delicate issue is how to make PMs aware of the issue and convince them that this can be done better. I generally have an impression that it's tough luck, if a PM has no translating experience whatsoever (which is usually the case). I don't prepare file, so I can only ask PMs to do better.
Thanks a lot!
Best regards,
Krzysztof
[Edited at 2012-12-13 12:23 GMT]
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Cedomir Pusica
Serbia
Local time: 16:12
Member (2009)
English to Serbian
+ ...
| CodeZapper might be the solution | Dec 13, 2012 |
In some cases (bad formatting etc.), it might be useful to use the tool called CodeZapper: http://asap-traduction.com/CodeZapper
It should clean all unnecessary formatting and make your life easier after import.
Regards,
| | | | | Thanks again! | Dec 14, 2012 |
I guess this is the solution I have already been suggested.
Thank you anyway!
Regards,
Krzysztof
Cedomir Pusica wrote: In some cases (bad formatting etc.), it might be useful to use the tool called CodeZapper: http://asap-traduction.com/CodeZapper It should clean all unnecessary formatting and make your life easier after import. Regards,
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