A Quick Guide to Google Translator Toolkit

A Quick Guide to Google Translator Toolkit

Overview

Google Translator Toolkit (GTT) is a powerful online computer-aided translation (CAT) platform. It allows you to edit the machine translation generated by Google Translate and export your own translation.

How to start

You can log in Google Translator Toolkit via your Google account.

If you don’t have an account, create a new account following the registration steps.

How to translate using Google Translator Toolkit

GTT provides the basic features of project management, translation memory, and glossary.

Pre-translation

You can upload and manage your source files and your translation projects by following steps:

  1. Click Upload > Choose File to select a file to upload.
  2. Select the source language.
    1. The default language is chosen according to your browser and your Google account configurations. Switch the language if necessary.
  3. Select the target language you want to translate into.
    1. If your target language is not listed, type the code of your target language in the blank.
    2. For example, en for English, zh for Chinese, zh-TW for Traditional Chinese (Taiwan).
  4. Choose the Tools as your preferences.
    1. If you want to share your translation memory with others, select Shared TM.
      1. Attention: DO NOT select Shared TM if you are unsure about the privacy conditions about your project. It may bring you intellectual property issues.
    2. If you have uploaded or created your own TM in GTT, select it.
    3. If you have uploaded your own glossary in GTT and want to use it in this project, select it.
  5. Click Next.
  6. Skip the manual translation service provided by other language service providers.

Now you have added the file as a new translation project to your GTT. You can view the name, word count, target language, last modification time, and project status on your dashboard.

GTT support some commonly used file formats as follows:

  • html
  • doc/docx
  • txt
  • rtf
  • srt
  • sub
  • properties (for Java)
  • json
  • strings (for iOS APPs)
  • Wikipedia webpage

Notes: GTT does not support the PowerPoint and Excel files.

In-translation

You can click a project on your dashboard to open it and start to translate.

GTT displays your translation project in 2 columns:

  1. The left part displays the source files. The segment you currently work on is highlighted.
  2. The right part displays your working area. The toolkit opens automatically by default configurations.
  3. The lower left displays the perfect and fuzzy matches from your TM if there is any.
  4. The lower right displays the machine translation from Google Translate and the matched entries from your glossary (if there is any).

How to use the machine translation of Google Translate

GTT fetches the machine translation from Google Translate and fills in the target automatically by default. The priorities of the auto-filling are as follows:

  1. Perfect/exact/100% match translation from your TM
  2. Machine translation
  3. Source text

If you want to change the settings, follow these steps:

  1. Click Settings (or the Gear Wheel icon) > Editing.
  2. Select Pre-fill with source text instead of machine translation.

How to use translation memory

GTT supports translation memory. You can create or upload a TM by the following steps:

  1. Click Tools > Translation Memory on your dashboard.
  2. Click Upload on the upper left corner of the dashboard.
  3. Select your local TM to upload if there is any.
  4. Type in your TM display name.
  5. Select whether to share your TM or not.
  6. Click Add TM.

Now you have created your own TM in GTT. Select the TM you need when you upload and create the translation projects.

Notes: GTT supports .TMX only. You need to transform your TM if it is in other formats.

How to use glossary

GTT supports termbase. You can upload a termbase by following steps:

  1. Click Tools > Glossary on your dashboard.
  2. Click Upload on the upper left corner of the dashboard.
  3. Select your local termbase to upload.
  4. Type in your termbase display name.
  5. Click Upload TermBase.

Notes:

  1. GTT supports term base while it cannot edit or create glossary entries within the toolkit.
  2. GTT supports .CSV only. You can create and export a CSV term base using Google Docs following these instructions.

How to cooperate with other translators

You can cooperate with other translators to work on a project together by the following steps:

  1. Click the project on your dashboard to enter the Workbench page.
  2. Click File > Invite on the Workbench page of the project.
  3. Enter the Google Email of your co-translator to invite them.
  4. Click Send Invitation to send them email notifications or Skip the Invitation if they do not need notifications.

Post-translation

After you finish the translation, you can complete the project and export the target file by following steps:

  1. Click Complete on the upper right corner on the Workbench page to tag the project as Completed.
  2. Click File > Download to export and download your translation in the same format as your source.

Notes

Never select a shared TM or share your TM if you are uncertain. Consult your Line Manager or IT before you make any configurations.

Localization