What are tags?
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.