Procedure for Handling Source File Changes

Last update: January 2017

When a source file has been modified the procedure for updating the items in a translation project with the source file changes, then updating the project's translations should be carried out as described below.

Project condition (in this example): RC-WinTrans translation project containing several source files.
The project has two target languages the text data of which are 100% translated.

Event: Resources for a source file are modified- new text items have been added and some existing items have been edited.

1.	Open the translation project.

2.	Check the Projects view for changes indication. A red dot on a project tree item alerts the user to a changed source file. Expand the project tree item to see which source file has changed (also indicated by a red dot on the tree item). See also: "Source File Changes and Database Update."

Update the project data with the current source file data. The translation project's database must be updated to include the changes made to the source file.

a.	Open the Source Files dialog to update the database with the source files' current resource information. >> Use the Preview button to display the Changes Preview dialog box. >> Database update: Update the data in the database using the "Update All" command.

b.	Use the Quick Launch view to access the same update commands ("Changes Preview," "Update...") for the active (selected) source file.

The "Update Database" operation scans all changed source files and updates the project with the current data. Changes made to existing items are taken over, new resources are added and deleted ones are removed.

The translation status for new and changed items are set to "new" and "changed source," respectively. The translation status for each item is indicated in the Project window's main view (Text Table view).

Isolate changed and newly added items in the display. There are two ways to do this:

·	Option 1 – Use the translation staus filter buttons (toolbar or view menu) to show only non-translated/new items and items for which the source text has changed. Enable the "Non-Translated" and "Changed" filters and disable the"Translated" one.
·	Option 2 – Activate the Project Data view and press the Show Non-Translated Items toolbar button.

NOTE: After the update database operation is complete it is a good idea to check for new items that do not need to be translated. Use the Exclude from Translation command to prevent these items from being shown to the translator as needing review or translation.

Translate or export for translation:

a.	use RC-WinTrans to translate/update/edit new and changed items (Translation Edit bar);

and/or

b.	export new and changed (or all) text items to be edited by the external translator (export format options: MS Excel file, text file, TMX file or RC-WinTrans project).

NOTE on changed source texts: when the source text of an item that has already been translated changes the previous source text is shown above the current one in RC-WinTrans' Translation Edit bar. When using Excel for (external) translation, the previous source text can be exported to one of the columns in the Excel file. It is helpful for the translator to see the previous source text when editing the existing translation. Often only a minor change was made to the source text and the existing translation can be updated quickly.

6.	(For external translation in step 5) import translations. Import format options: MS Excel file, text file, TMX file or RC-WinTrans project.

Project review/check functions: check the translations using the check functions available in RC-WinTrans. In particular, check the size/location of dialog box items ("text fit check"), doubled and missing hotkeys in menus ("hotkey check"), and verify that items with the same source text are translated uniformly ("uniform translation check"). Placeholders used in software texts need to be identical in both the source and target texts so it is important that these be checked too ("placeholder check").

8.	Create the translated target files using the "Write Target File" command. The project should be 100% translated- check the Statistics dialog to confirm. See also: "Target Files Dialog Box."

9.	Save a copy of your project (.fsmdb database file). If you are using an RC-WinTrans dictionary or a translation memory (TM), save/update the translations to it.

>> Finished.