There are several different tools belonging to the Wordfast "family":
- Wordfast Pro (this FAQ, the latest version is Wordfast Pro 4 and can be downloaded here: http://www.wordfast.com/products/products_wordfast_pro_4)
- Wordfast Classic (also known as Wordfast 5.5)
A set of Word macros which you can use to translate .doc files in Word using a Wordfast TM. It creates unclean files compatible with unclean files from Trados translation in Word, and TMs can be swapped via .txt exports. Wordfast Classic does not support .tmx TM exports or handle .ttx files.
- Wordfast TM Anywhere
An online translation environment that allows you to load translation files and TM content online for multiple translators to share and translate simultaneously. Free tool.
File formats
- .txml translation file
- .txt TM export
- .jtx TM file
- .tbx glossary
Demo vs full version
Wordfast Pro Demo version can be used for simple translation tasks but functionality is limited compared to the full version. TMs with over 500 TUs cannot be loaded in the Demo version, and Word preview does not always work correctly in the Demo version.
Translating different file formats in Wordfast Pro
In Wordfast Pro the native file format is .txml. Files from different applications (.doc, .ptt, .xml, .html) are saved as .txml before they can be translated in Wordfast Pro. You can save files as .txml by dragging and dropping the source file to Wordfast Pro and saving.
Translating .ttx files in Wordfast
You can process .ttx files intended for TagEditor in Wordfast Pro, they just need to be presegmented before saving as .txml. Presegment the .ttx files in Trados Workbench in the Tools > Translate dialog, and then save as .txml.
The only problem with translating .ttx files in Wordfast Pro seems to be that if there are any Xtranslated segments that would have been locked and not for revision in TagEditor, this information gets lost in Wordfast Pro, so using WF is not suitable for jobs where source .TTX files have any XUs.
Opening a .txml file
Open a .txml file for translation either by double-clicking the file or launching Wordfast Pro and going to File > Open. By default, Wordfast Pro will remember the latest project when it's launched, and it's not possible to close a project without closing the entire application. So when you try to open a new .txml file, Wordfast Pro might tell you that the project and the file languages do not match. Select Create new project.
The Open Project wizard launches. Click New to create a new project. Make sure you select your target language as the project language.
Name the project STPxxxxx (xxxxx = project number) and click OK and OK again. If you have no TM content and the project is small enough to translate without a TM, you can start translating.
Add any other files for the same project by dragging and dropping them into Wordfast Pro or by going to File > Open.
Creating or loading a TM
Go to Translation Memory > New/Select TM to create a new TM or load an existing TM. Click New to create a new TM or Open to open a TM.
Browse to the folder the TM is saved in, select (or give name if it's a new TM) and click Open. If the TM is in .tmx format, select Translation Memory eXchange File instead of LocalTM File. Click OK to exit the dialog. The TM will now load. Click OK through the dialogs to return to the translation file.
If there are several TMs loaded into Wordfast Pro, you can move them up and down in priority using the arrow keys in the Preferences dialog.
STP in-house translators note: Occasionally Wordfast Pro doesn’t like it if the translation files and TM are on the network (STP project folders), so they are best copied to the local C drive before translating, otherwise saving to the TM might fail. Shorter jobs in Wordfast Pro can be translated without a TM if none has been supplied by the client.
If you have been given Remote TM login details, select Remote as the Translation Memory type in the left-hand field in the Preferences dialog (instead of Local) and click Open to enter the remote TM credentials.
Loading a glossary
Go to Terminology > New/Select Terminology to load an existing glossary. Click Import and navigate to the folder where the glossary file is saved. The glossary can either be a TBX standard compliant .xml file or tab delimited (for example, .csv or .txt).
Select the glossary and click Open. Tick Create new glossary and click OK.
Name the glossary and click OK. OK out again from the Terminology dialog.
If a term from the glossary exists in the source segment, it will appear in red. Use the keyboard shortcuts or commands from the Terminology drop-down list to copy terms and move between them.
Translation interface
Translation commands can be seen in the Translation Memory drop-down list (with keyboard shortcuts) and at the top of the translation screen.
You can move to any segment in an open file using the segment list under Outline, or hide it to make more room for translation.
There are two translation views to choose from in Wordfast Pro, Text and Table. The recommended view is the Table view.
TM matches and Concordance searches are displayed at the bottom of the screen. Concordance in Wordfast Pro is called TM Lookup.