Exchanging TMs with Non-Wordfast Users

TMX (Translation Memory eXchange) is an open XML standard for the exchange of translation memory (TM) data created by computer-aided translation and localization tools. (Wikipedia)

Receiving a TM from a client using SDL Trados

To use an SDL Trados TM in Wordfast, you first need to convert it into a TMX file. The easiest way to convert it is to ask your client to send you the TM as a TMX file.

Once you have the TMX file, make sure you create a Project in Wordfast Pro with the same language codes as those of the TMX TM. To open the TM:

1. In your project, click on the Project TM tab.
2. Select Import TM.
3. Choose TMX as your file type.
4. Click Browse to locate your TMX file.
5. Check "Create New TM".
6. Make sure that your Source and Target locales selected are the same as the TMX and Click OK.

Note: This will import the translation memory into the newly created WFP SOLR TM format. So, if you need to send back the TM to your client, you need to export the TM back into TMX later.

Sending a TM to a client using SDL Trados

To export a TM from Wordfast Pro into the TMX format:

1. Make sure that all your translated segments in the TXLF file are committed to the TM by clicking Commit All; now all the segments should appear violet in color.
2. Close the TXLF file, click on the Project TM tab, choose the TM you’d like to export, and click on the Export TM icon.
3. From the dropdown menu *Export Type*, select *Translation Memory eXchange Format*.
4. Browse to select the preferred location and name.

Your client can now import this TMX TM into a Trados TM as long as both TMs have the the same language variants. Therefore, make sure which language variants are used in the SDL Trados TM. If they are different from the one in your WFP TM, create a new WF TM with the correct language locales and clean up your TXLF file(s) against it (before exporting it into the TMX format).