MetaTexis workflow - modified

This is a modified workflow than the one suggested by the developer including information on disabling other CAT tools to avoid conflicts, shortcut optimization and export of files, TMs and terminology databases.


1. Launch Word. If you have Trados or Wordfast disable them. Go to Tools | Templates and Add-ins and uncheck Trados6.dot, MultitermIX.dot, Wordfast.dot. (if they exist). If you have a different Trados or Multiterm version their names will differ accordingly. This means that they will be disabled for the current Word session.

2. Open file with Word. For html files use Alt+O. For Excel and PowerPoint use MetaTexis | Microsoft Office | Import Excel file or Import PowerPoint file.

3. Launch start assistant either by pressing Alt+Shift+S or Alt+Down.

4. At step 2 choose source and target language.

5. At step 3 create or select a translation memory (TM – extension .mxa).

6. At step 4 create or select a terminology database (TDB – extension .mxt). TMs and TDBs are saved by default in these folders, but I advise you to save your dbs in the same folder (or subfolder) as each translation project (for easy transfer of dbs and files to other machines).

7. At step 5 enter personal data of the translator.

8. At step 6 you decide which action you want executed. Click Finished.

At this point you may select to pretranslate the document if you already have a TM with similar material.

9. Press Alt+Down to open a TU and translate. If you have a fuzzy match, place the cursor in the TU, edit it, press Alt+Shift+Enter to set it or click on the toolbar, and then press Alt+Down to move to next unit.
To ease the workflow do this: assign to Alt+Down the function Select translation and open next TU. To do this: Go to the General options, select the Shortcuts tab, click button Default, then click OK. The command Select translation and open next TU should now have a shortcut. To change the shortcut, just double click the item in the shortcut list. In order to simply move to the next unit without closing you could assign the shortcut Open next TU to Alt+Ctrl+Shift+Down; in effect this is a reversal of the two shortcuts and their respective functions.

10. If you want to move to the previous unit press Alt+Up.

11. Each time an un-translated segment is opened, the TM and the TDB will be searched automatically (by default).

12. If you want to search the TM: select source term and click Alt+Ctrl+T,or select target term and click Alt+Ctrl+Shift+T.

13. If you want to search the TDB: select source term and click Alt+Ctrl+G,or select target term and click Alt+Ctrl+Shift+G.

14. If you want to add a term to the TDB press Alt+Shift+N or select source word, press Alt+Shift+J, then select target word, press Alt+Ctrl+Shift+J, a dialog appears with these words, click Enter and they are saved.

15. If you have made manual edits to the document (without opening TUs) click Alt+Ctrl+Shift+F to save all TUs in main database or when you clean up check the Update Memory box (normally checked by default).

16. When you are finished click Alt+Ctrl+Shift+F to clean the document. (If you want to create a Trados version click on the Trados checkbox.) A clean document is created with the string “[Final Version]” added to the filename.

17. Rename the file to something more appropriate (i.e. “…_el.doc”) and deliver it to the client. If the they want Trados files deliver those as well. If they want the TM, go to MetaTexis, Import/Export, Import/Export TMs, select TMX, select TMX version 1.4 and export. This TM can be easily imported to any CAT tool.