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The fascinating TV show about Trados Studio errors continues!

The Error occurred in file ... Attempted to divide by zero error appears when you try to import a WSXZ package. The error is rare: Google knows about it by hearsay, and even if you use the link, you will find the description of termbase issues, but the real reason turned out to be different.

The exact origin this issue is unknown, but it is related to some problems with the XLF file structure. Surprisingly, the problematic XLF file itself gets opened as intended (in our case).

First, you should inform your client about the issue. If the client is unavailable or has no idea about how to solve it, perform the operations below. Their common purpose is to retrieve the XLF file from the package and translate it separately. The order of actions is as follows:

• Rename the package file: replace the WSXZ extension with ZIP or just add the ZIP extension.
• Unzip the resulting ZIP archive.
• Manually create a project in Trados Studio with the name repeating the name of the source package and the same language direction.
• Specify the XLF file from the unzipped archive as a file for translation.
• In the project, create an empty translation memory and import the TMX file from the unzipped archive into it.
• If the unzipped archive contains a TBX file, connect it as a termbase. You need to convert it from TBX to SDLTB first—we will tell you how to do it in one of the future posts because this one is already getting huge :)
• Namely, translate the project as usual.
• Put the translated XLF file instead of the XLF file with the same name into the unzipped archive without changing its structure.
• Make an archive out of the unzipped ZIP archive.
• Change the ZIP extension back to WSXZ. Then, you will probably have to either upload the package to SDL WorldServer (if you have done everything correctly, the server will accept it) or send it to your client, depending on your procedures.
• Profit.

The instruction seems long, but it takes actually longer to write than do what it tells: it is important to understand the purpose of each action though. And if your XLF file is small and the translation memory does not reduce the amount of work, you can translate it by opening in Trados Studio directly, i.e., even without creating a project.

If you know a more humane method, please share.

MultiTerm is unable to create the termbase 

This error sometimes flies out in Trados Studio when you try importing a WSXZ package exported from SDL WorldServer. 

The reason for this error is simple: there is no target language in the structure of the termbase in the package. In other words, this is not the terms in the target language you lack but the language itself. Thus, you can simply delete the termbase—it won’t be at all helpful during translation. No termbase, no problem. 

The method for getting rid of this error is easy:

• Change the extension of the WSXZ package to ZIP.
• Unzip the resulting ZIP archive.
• Delete the terminology_data.tbx file.
• Archive the resulting set of files into a ZIP file.
• Change the extension of the ZIP file into WSXZ. 

If you use Total Commander, you can remove a file from the archive directly, without renaming and unzipping. 

After these operations, the WSXZ package will open without issues in Trados Studio.

There are different methods for cutting a big SDLXLIFF Trados Studio file into several smaller ones. You can use a plugin designed specifically for this, SDLXLIFF Split/Merge.

But be careful. It is terrific at splitting (to be completely honest, not that terrific, often rather whimsical) and terrible at merging.

A painful case of practice: we receive a project in Trados Studio containing one large file, we cut the file with the plugin, we translate the parts, merge them, proofread, and deliver. Everything seems fine. In a week, a displeased client informs us that 600 words of the source (!) text and the corresponding translation have vanished from the file.

The investigation discovers the culprit: it is the plugin. It split the file into pieces and then left some of them aside when merging after the translation. It simply deemed them unworthy.

The merged SDLXLIFF file was generated not properly. However, there were no error messages, and Trados Studio did not notice any manipulations and welcomed the file. We had a hard talk with the client.

We have since used SDLXLIFF Split/Merge for splitting only. And we merge with Trados Studio itself, according to the algorithm:

• create a temporary translation memory
• fill it with all the segments from all the translated pieces
• pre-translate the large source SDLXLIFF file with this memory

Some issues may arise, but they are far not that critical as text loss.

Yet, it was one of the early versions of the plugin—the case happened about three years ago. Modern versions may be rid of this childhood disease already.

Act one is here and also on our Telegram channel.

A case from practice. We have received a project in Trados Studio. The file is only one, but huge, and the deadline is close. We were forced to cut it into pieces and assign them to different translators. It is not nice, but the client refuses to give more time, there is no other way.

We cut the file with SDL Split/Merge. It generates a pack of numbered SDLXLIFF files with horrendous names. But when we try to open them, an error pops up:

SDL knowledge base contains an article about removing this error, but the issue persists. And the deadline is getting closer.

What should we do? We try to open them in another CAT tool. The first one we use, memoQ, opens them easily and apologizes for not being able to provide a preview, but it’s nothing. The translation is then followed by a process of correct back transition to Trados Studio, which we can do.

Strictly speaking, Trados Studio is not to blame here: problematic files were created with a third-party application. However, it was expected to be able to handle its own format. memoQ made the best of it somehow.

Sometimes, Trados Studio gives a mysterious message while importing a package:

Given that, it doesn’t import the package, the project doesn’t appear in the list, and it is impossible to work. At the same time, the System Volume Information folder is in the drive indeed, but it is hidden, and who knows how it is connected with Trados Studio projects.

It is not entirely clear what causes this error; however, it’s quite easy to fix:

• Close Trados Studio.
• Delete the UserSettings.xml file in the Trados Studio folder. It is usually located in the c:\Users\[USER NAME]\AppData\Roaming\SDL\SDL Trados Studio\[Trados Studio version] folder.
• Start Trados Studio.
• Re-import the package.

This method works in Trados Studio 2015 and 2017, but it has to work in other versions too.

Trados Studio is a source of numerous errors, which sometimes turn out to be quite exotic. Troubleshooting methods are [or should be] described in the help section of the SDL portal. Many of them are gathered by hashtag #tradosstudio on our website.

If you encounter a mysterious error, try checking the main trouble spots before diving into help sections and forums. The general method for removing puzzling errors in Trados Studio elaborated in the process of suffering lots of bumps and bruises looks like as follows:

• Check that the general length of the path to the SDLXLIFF files of the project is not too big. The total length should not exceed 255 symbols.
• Check that the names of the folders and files do not contain symbols that are not inherent to the languages you usually work with (hieroglyphs, letters of RTL languages, all kinds of letters with superciliary and suprailiac dashes, circles, etc.). Studio is suspicious of them. For example, the The specified project name is invalid. The name should not contain any invalid characters such as: \ / : * ? " < > | error is caused by the presence of Cyrillic symbols with wrong character encoding in the project name.
• Check that the project files, particularly SDLXLIFF and SDLTM, are not flying in the air, i.e., are not in the standard folders of Dropbox, Google Drive, etc. When you work directly from the cloud, any change of the file will make Trados Studio and the local cloud application fight to be the first to process it, and the translation process will suffer.
• Check the state of the working translation memory (TM) in the imported package:
• it must be present—sometimes users simply forget to add it;
• it must be active—the corresponding checkbox in the project settings must be checked;
• the language direction of the TM must match that of the current SDLXLIFF file;
• the translation memory file (SDLTM) must not have the Read Only attribute, and in the case of the online memory, a connection to the server must be established.
• Repeat this for the termbase.

* * *

If it doesn’t help, try looking for the cause of the error with the help of an exact search through the text of the error message.

The error message looks like this:

The message The requested data file could not be located appears when one is trying to start Trados Studio. It is extremely laconic: what file exactly she lacks, where it must be located, why she needs it—who knows.

This problem can occur in any version of Trados Studio, even 2021, usually after the upgrade installation. SDL states that they have already fixed this in Trados Studio 2021 SR1.

To get rid of this error:

1. Close Trados Studio (if you have miraculously managed to start it).

2. Search the hard drive for the following folder:

— if you have Trados Studio 2017:
C:Users\%UserName%AppDataLocalSDLSDL Trados Studio14.0.0.0

— if you have Trados Studio 2019:
C:Users\%UserName%AppDataLocalSDLSDL Trados Studio15.0.0.0

— if you have Trados Studio 2021:
C:Users\%UserName%AppDataLocalSDLSDL Trados StudioStudio16

3. In that folder, find the file TranslationMemoryRepository.xml. That is the file Trados Studio was lacking and was too shy to provide its name. You can simply delete it, but you will want to save it just to be safe. The easiest way is to rename it by adding another extension to its name: TranslationMemoryRepository.xml.old.

4. Start Trados Studio. When starting, it must create another file with this name and work normally.

* * *

The process is described in details here.

Recently, we already discussed how to extract .xlf file from memoQ XLIFF File (.mqxlz). Users of Trados Studio often encounter the similar challenge: how to extract .sdlxliff bilingual file from Trados Studio package. The procedure is described below; it is even more simple.

1. Like .mqxlz, an .sdlxliff file is actually the renamed .zip archive. Add the .zip extension to it.

For incoming package:

my_Trados_Studio_return_package.sdlppx-> my_Trados_Studio_return_package.sdlppx.zip

For return package:

my_Trados_Studio_return_package.sdlrpx -> my_Trados_Studio_return_package.sdlrpx.zip

2. Extract everything from this .zip file.

Inside, there are several folders. Two of them (if your package is bilingual) correspond to the source and target languages and are named according to the language codes. For example, if you translate from English into Ukrainian, your folders are named en-US and uk-UA. The .sdlxliff files you need are in the folder of your target language.

Note: This procedure is the same both for incoming and return Trados Studio packages. The only difference is in the fact that there is no translated text in the incoming package.

If you do not have or do not like or do not work in Wordfast, you can translate its files in Trados Studio.

Trados Studio knows well how to process different file types (Word, Excel, HTML and many, many others). To teach your Trados Studio to work with TXLF Wordfast files means to explain it what those files actually are.

A TXLF file is actually a standard XLIFF file with changed extension. So it is enough to add a file mask to the other existing XLIFF files in Trados Studio settings.

To do this, select File > Options:

Options dialog window opens:

Select File Types:

Scroll to the XLIFF item and click it:

On the right pane, all possible XLIFF files extensions are listed. What you need to do is to add a mask for TXLF—;*.txlf:

Then, click OK. That's it: now your Trados Studio is able to work with TXLF Wordfast files.

To receive the translated TXLF files after translation, just perform a regular clean procedure.

After Word, memoQ, and Wordfast, we get to Trados Studio. Here is how to enable and configure spelling check in SDL Trados Studio.

In Trados Studio, please select File > Options. Options dialog window appears:

(The screenshot is made in Trados Studio 2014, but the process in the higher versions is similar.)

Select Editor on the left pane > click Spelling in the list of items that appears.

In the pop-up list Active Spell Checker on the right, please choose MS Word Spell Checker.

We advise to set the check box Check spelling as you type, so Trados Studio will underline spelling errors with red immediately after typing a word. Lower, you can specify whether spelling errors in locked segments, 100% matches and CM/PM matches are to be ignored.

Back in the day, Trados 2007 was the leader in the market of CAT-tools. It consisted of a whole set of powerful programs: TagEditor was used for working with texts, Translator’s Workbench—for working with translation memories, MultiTerm—with terminology, there was a separate module in the form of a Word template and several additional programs. As times go by, Trados 2007 is antique though it is still being used here and there.

In 2009, SDL company launched the first version of a “cat” of the new level—Trados Studio 2009 which broke the neck of Trados 2007. 

It is remarkable that Trados 2007 still remains a proprietary program. SDL neither releases it nor shifts it to the category of open software—probably, that is because it is perfectly functional and able to compete with the major SDL product—Trados Studio.

However, many translators of classic vintage still keep some translation memories in Trados 2007 text format, and sometimes there arises a need to convert them to TMX (translation memory exchange) format for importing into any other “cat” or CAT-system. But how to do it if you got rid of Trados 2007 long ago?

Very easy:

• Start Xbench. Every technical translator is familiar with this tool. What is more, its free version is perfectly enough for the convertation (you can download the installer from here).
• Create a new project in Xbench and upload the Trados 2007 text translation memory:

• Choose Tools > Export Items (or just press CTRL + R):

An Export Items window appears:

• Here fill out all the necessary fields—specify TMX format, languages of the source and target texts, the name and path to the TMX file—and press ОК.

You get a TMX file containing all segments of the old Trados 2007 text translation memory. As long as TMX is a generally accepted international format, this file can be imported into any “cat”.

There are two notes:

1. To perform this kind of transformation, the old translation memory is to be a text one—i.e. of TXT format. Unfortunately, Xbench appears back-strapped when facing a 5-file memory.
2. If you need to apply an old translation memory in Trados Studio, all these operations won’t be necessary. An heir of Trados 2007, Trados Studio supports this format directly. To do this, enter Trados Studio project settings: Project Settings > on the left panel Language Pairs > All Language Pairs > then in the right part of the dialog box press the Add key > File-based Translation Memory...:

A window appears in the bottom right corner; choose the type of Legacy Trados Translation Memory (*.tmw):

State the path to the Trados 2007 5-file translation memory TMW file. Then press Quick Upgrade, wait for all segments to transform, agree to delete temporary files and press OK.

As a result, the old Trados 2007 5-file translation memory is transformed into Trados Studio format. Another file with SDLTM extension will appear in the same folder where files of the translation memory have been stored—this is the very old TM in the new format.

In some occasions, Trados Studio shows a frightful message “general massive catastrophic system failure.” This can happen in different versions of Trados Studio.

The message is really horrible: you may seem that planet Nibiru will crash into the Earth soon and it is a right time to panic. Ironically, despite of a “catastrophe,” Trados Studio  continues to work smoothly after that. The only problem is term recognition: it stops.

But the panic is premature. There are at least two ways to resolve this.

The first one: Detach all termbases attached to the Trados Studio project, restart Trados Studio and attach the termbases again.

But sometimes that is not enough, and the message returns. Then, the second way should help.

With a 99% probability, the operating system on your PC is “pure” Windows 7, without service packs installed. Install them :) In particular, install the Service Pack 1.

In general, it is recommended to install updates on OSes :)