Proofread Translations

This article is for Reviewers.

When proofreading translations, your role as a Reviewer is to make sure that all content is brand aligned before it gets published. In a typical workflow, review comes after translation and editing, and is the last step before content is published. As a Reviewer, while viewing translations in the CAT tool, you can take the following actions:

  • Confirm to accept a translation.
  • Edit to modify a translation.
  • Reject to send a translation back to a previous step, typically to editing, in the workflow. This usually means you are sending the translation back to the translation agency for another look.

Save Translations

There are three different ways to save strings:

  1. Save translations for individual strings.
  2. Save all strings but don't submit them yet.
  3. Save all of the strings in the current list during the submit step (see Submit Translations, below)

Saving individual strings is a good way to keep track of the strings that you have reviewed. Saved strings can be changed (rejected or edited) during the current session, before you submit the strings to the next workflow step.

Save an Individual String

  1. Click a translated string.
  2. Click the check mark at the top of the list. (A check mark will be placed next to the translated string.)


Save a String with Multiple Segments

When two or more segments make up a string, it is indicated by a green bar to the left of the string. You should ensure that all segments of that string are accurate before confirming. 

Click the checkmark to confirm. (A checkmark will be placed across all segments.)

Save Certain Strings at Once

Use shift + click to select a batch of strings above or below the active string. The active string automatically gets selected. Click Save to save only the strings that you've selected. (Your "Save All" button will have changed from "Save All" to "Save" when using this feature.)

Edit Translations

Click in the translated column of a string and make any necessary modifications. If you need to make more than very minor changes to translations during the review step, consider rejecting the translations instead. 

If you modify a confirmed string, the check mark will disappear.

If your customer has set you up to proofread and make edits from within the website, it's possible that the CSS of the page prevents access to Smartling's pencil icon (for editing). However, there are other ways to open a string for translation: CTRL + right click on any string highlighted yellow, or hold down the ALT key while a string is highlighted to lock the pencil menu in its visible state until the key is released or another string is highlighted.

Reject Translations

Rejecting translations sends the strings back to a previous step in the workflow, which is typically to the translation agency's edit step, along with your comments. You can reject the translation for an individual string, or reject all of the strings in the current list. A lock icon is displayed beside rejected strings as these are no longer available for you to work on.

Reject a Single String

  1. Click the translated string you want to reject.
  2. Click the X to reject the translation.
  3. In the dialog box, select a reason from the Reason drop down menu, add an explanation in the Short Description box, and then click Reject.

Reject a Group of Strings

This procedure will reject all of the strings in the current list.

  1. Click Reject Translations at the top of the page.
  2. In the dialog box, select a reason from the Reason drop down menu, and add an explanation in the Short description box, and then click Reject.

Submit Translations

Once you have reviewed and confirmed or edited translations, you are ready to submit the strings to the next step in the workflow, publishing. Strings that you rejected have been moved to a previous workflow step and will not be submitted.

  1. Click Submit Translations at the top of the CAT Tool window.
  2. Choose one of the following options, and then click Submit:
  • Confirmed Translated Strings to submit only strings that you have confirmed (the ones that are marked with a check mark).
  • All Translated Strings to submit all of the strings in the current list.

If at some point you need to update published translations, see Update Published Translations.

Want to learn more about the CAT tool? See CAT Tool Overview.

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