Using Excel or Word Glossaries

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WFC and WFP3 use a tab-delimited text file format for glossaries. WFP5 and above uses a SOLR database format for its glossaries; however, it can import glossaries that are in a tab-delimited text file format.

In other words, if you have a glossary in a Word document table or a glossary in an Excel file, you need to start by converting it to a tab-delimited text file. The first column should contain source word(s), the second column the target word(s), and the third column can optionally contain a description or other meta-data related to the terms.


Converting Glossaries for use in Wordfast

Excel Glossaries

  1. Make sure that your Excel file only includes 2 columns: one for the source terms and the other for the target terms.
  2. Make sure that each field includes only the term (in the form expected to appear in original texts); omit any notes or unnecessary additions.
  3. From the Excel File menu > Save as, choose "Tab-delimited" as your file type. Note: If your language pair includes special characters that are spoilt after converting into a txt file, you can select "Unicode Text", instead.
  4. Click OK if a message prompts: "The selected file type does not support multiple workbooks that contain multiple sheets. To save only the active sheet, click OK."
  5. Click Yes if a message prompts: "(The file) may contain features that are not compatible with Text (Tab-delimited). Do you want to keep the workbook in this format."
  6. Now, you can close Excel without saving (as you have already saved the glossary).[1]

Excel test1.png


Word Table Glossaries

  1. Make sure that your table includes only 2 columns, one for the source terms and the other for the target terms.
  2. Make sure that each field includes only the term (in the form expected to appear in original texts); omit any notes or unnecessary additions.
  3. Word 2000, XP or 2003: From the Table menu, select: Convert Table to Text, and Separate text with: Tabs. Word 2007, 2010 or 2011: Go to Layout pane and click Convert Table to Text.
  4. Click the File menu (or the MS logo of Word 2007), click Save as and from "Save As Type", and select "Plain Text" (or "Text Only"). (Note: Use "Other encoding" -> "Unicode" if your language requires that).

Word test1.png Word test2.png


Loading/Importing a tab-delimited text file glossary

Wordfast Classic

  1. Go to the Terminology tab and any glossary sub-tab.
  2. Click Select, and select the (.txt) file you obtained from the conversion process above.


Wordfast Pro 3

  1. In your project, click Project Terminology > Import.[2]


Wordfast Pro 5 or above

  1. Open a project.
  2. Click on the Project Terminology tab.
  3. Click on the Import Glossary icon.
  4. Select "Tab delimited" as the File Type.
  5. Click on Browse… to navigate to and select the tab-delimited text file glossary.
  6. Chose to create a new glossary or import it into an existing one.


References

  1. ↑ This video (by Yasmin Moslem) illustrates how to convert an Excel glossary to Wordfast glossary.
  2. ↑ This video (by Yasmin Moslem) illustrates how to import tab-delimited glossaries into Wordfast Pro 3.



--Yasmin Moslem, 29 December 2011

Updated by Byron, 10 January 2019

Version: Wordfast Pro 5.7
Operating System: macOS

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