Tags are placeholders or code elements embedded within a translation segment. They represent non-translatable content, such as formatting, HTML/XML code or other document-specific features that should remain unchanged in the source and target files. By preserving these elements during translation, tags help ensure that the final output retains its original structure, style and functionality.

Types of tags and their purpose

1. Formatting tags represent formatting elements such as bold, italics, font size or colour. These tags ensure that the visual style of the source content is mirrored in the target document. In the example below, <b> tag in the tooltip stands for bold:

2. Structural tags indicate elements like paragraph breaks, bullet points, tables, or sections of code e.g., HTML (<p>…</p>, <h2>…</h2>, <t>…</t>). These are crucial for preserving the layout and structural integrity of the target file. Structural tags are not shown in Smart Editor, as the content is extracted and prepared in such a way that you do not need to deal with structural tags. However, you will still work with inline tags, which are found within sentences. In the example below, <span> tag in the tooltip marks up a part of html content, e.g. to add colouring information:

3. Placeholder tags represent placeholders for dynamic content such as dates, times or variable text (e.g., in software localisation). These placeholders should not be altered during translation. Placeholder tags are often represented by specific codes (e.g., {0}, {name}). The placeholder tag must be positioned correctly in the translated segment to maintain context.

4. External content tags represent links to external content or media such as hyperlinks, embedded videos or images. These must be handled carefully to ensure that links or references remain functional. In the example below, <a…> tag in the tooltip represents a hyperlink:

Note on line/paragraph break

Currently, line and paragraph breaks are not supported, therefore you cannot insert them in Smart Editor.

However, for certain file formats, they are sometimes represented as a tag. You can hover the mouse cursor over a tag to check whether it represents a line break. If this is the case, the indication “NewLn” will appear, as shown in the example below.

Tag Handling

Inserting tags

To insert tags, you can click the insert tag button or use the [F8] shortcut.

A list of all the tags in the segment will be displayed and you can select the tag you wish to insert.

You can select the tag you wish to insert by clicking on it or by typing its number and pressing enter.

Removing tags

You can remove all tags in a segment via the contextual menu (click “Remove tags”).

Dragging and dropping tags

You can handle tags with drag and drop. To easily move a tag to another place in the same segment:

1) First, place the mouse cursor over the tag you would like to move.

2) When the mouse cursor becomes a hand, click on the tag and drag it.

3) Drag the tag icon to the position you would like to place it and release the mouse button it to drop the tag at its new position.

Please note that you can also drag a tag directly from the source to the target:

Tag order expectations

The order of tags can be modified for several file formats such as .docx, .pptx, .html, .xml. However, for .indd and .idml, it is mandatory to maintain the same tag order as in the source. Otherwise, if the tag order in the target does not match that in the source, the “Mismatched tag order” QA error will be triggered and will prevent you from saving segments.

The correct order of the tags or tag pairs can differ between the target segment and source segment, as grammar, word order and syntax may differ between the two languages. You must ensure that the tags in the target segment are placed correctly in relation to the corresponding translation. The same applies to tag pairs (opening and closing tags), which must be placed around the corresponding words in the target segment. Additionally, the opening tag must always be placed before the closing tag.

In the example below, the tag pair number “1” should be placed around the number “13730” in the target segment, but it is incorrectly placed around the number “0”. The tags in the target segment incorrectly mirror the tag order in the source segment.

The importance of correct tag handling for generating target files

Setting tags correctly during translation is vital for producing high-quality, error-free target files. Failure to manage tags properly can result in:

• Formatting errors: incorrect placement of formatting tags can lead to incorrect styling in the target document.
• Structural issues: misplaced structural tags can cause disordered paragraphs, broken layouts or missing content.
• Broken functionality: for software localisation, mishandling placeholder or external content tags can lead to errors in the final product, such as broken links or dynamic content not displaying correctly.
• Corrupted files: in cases where tags represent more complex code (e.g., in XML or HTML), failing to handle tags properly can lead to corrupted files that will not render or function as expected.

Symbols

Inserting symbols

The Symbols tab can be found in the Info section. You can find a wide range of symbols in this tab under Extended Latin, Signs and Currencies and click on any symbol to quickly insert it.

Custom symbols and most clicked symbols

You can activate the custom symbols and most clicked symbols under “View”>”Symbols”.

The list of custom symbols can be adjusted by dragging and dropping any symbol from the list to the 8 dedicated slots. Custom symbols remain the same for all jobs.

The list of most clicked symbols is based on the most frequently inserted symbols in the current job and is reset for each job.

Search and Replace

Accessing search and replace

To quickly search for words in the source or in the target text, you can type your search entry directly in the search fields located above the list of segments.

A list of segments containing the search entry will be displayed, and the search entry will be highlighted in purple.

Please note that the search results are split over pages:

You can also access more advanced functionalities by clicking on the “Search and replace” button located above the list of segments.

Using the advanced search and replace

The advanced functionalities allow you to replace specific occurrences of words, based on whole words and case sensitivity.

Before performing a replace action, a window pops up to indicate the total number of affected segments.

Please note that although the maximum number of search result segments displayed is 100, you can perform a replace action for more than 100 segments at once.

Export

Exporting the source or target documents

You can export the source and target documents by going to “File” > “Document export”.

Please note that the format of the target document depends on the original source file(s) for the current job.

Also note that this functionality is not always enabled, as it depends on the project settings.

Downloading and uploading an SDL package or XLIFF file

You can download an SDL package by going to “File” > “SDL Package”. You can also export an XLIFF file by going to “File” > “XLIFF”.

In most cases, it is recommended that you export an SDL package rather than an XLIFF file so that you can take advantage of the Translation Memories and Term Bases.

Once an SDL package or an XLIFF file has been generated and downloaded, you cannot work on the job in Smart Editor. The following message appears, and you cannot work in Smart Editor until you have uploaded the return package or return XLIFF file.

When you are ready to reimport the package/file, click “Upload”.

Please note that if you download an SDL package or an XLIFF file and then click “Cancel”, it will no longer be possible to upload the return package or XLIFF file to Smart Editor.

Please note that the download functionality for SDL packages and XLIFF files is not always enabled, as it depends on the project settings.