Batch Translate
Batch Translate lets you translate multiple segments at once using AI. It is located in the Supervertaler Assistant panel, on the Batch Operations tab.
:::note The Batch Operations tab also supports Proofread mode for AI-powered quality checking. See AI Proofreader for details. :::
Starting a Batch Translation
Open the Supervertaler Assistant panel (View > Supervertaler Assistant)
Switch to the Batch Translate tab
Choose a scope from the dropdown
Choose a prompt from the prompt selector
Click Translate
Scope
The scope dropdown controls which segments are translated:
Empty Segments Only
Translates segments that have no target text
All Segments
Translates every segment in the file
Filtered Segments
Translates only the segments currently visible after applying a filter
Filtered Empty Only
Translates empty segments within the current filter
Prompt Selection
Choose a prompt to guide the AI translation style and domain. The prompt selector shows:
Default Translation Prompt – a general-purpose prompt that works well for most content types. Use it as-is or duplicate it in the Prompt Manager and customise it for your domain.
Custom prompts – your own prompts created in the Prompt Manager
The active prompt for the current project is marked with a checkmark in the dropdown. When you open a project that has an active prompt set, it is automatically selected. See Memory banks – Active Prompt for how to set the active prompt.
:::tip Tip: If you save a prompt with the same name as your Trados project, the dropdown will auto-select it whenever you open that project. For example, a prompt called "HAYNESPRO" will be auto-selected when working in a project called HAYNESPRO. :::
:::note For specialised fields (medical, legal, patent, etc.), create a custom prompt with domain-specific terminology rules and instructions. A tailored prompt is the single most effective way to improve translation quality. :::
Provider and Model
The current AI provider and model are displayed below the prompt selector. Click the provider/model label to open a flyout menu where you can switch models instantly – the same menu available in the Chat tab. Alternatively, open the settings dialogue (gear icon in the TermLens header) and go to the AI Settings tab.
Progress and Logging
During translation:
A progress bar shows overall completion
A real-time log displays the status of each segment as it is translated
The Stop button aborts the batch at any time – segments already translated are kept
Translate Active Segment (Ctrl+T)
Press Ctrl+T to translate the active segment instantly. This uses the same provider, model, and prompt as Batch Translate, so you can switch prompts or providers and immediately use them for single segments with Ctrl+T.
Ctrl+T is also available via right-click in the editor ("Translate active segment").
How it works
The active segment's source text is sent to the AI provider configured in AI Settings
The selected prompt (from the Batch Translate tab) is applied, along with termbase terms
The translation is written directly into the target cell
Inline tags (bold, italic, field codes, etc.) are preserved in the translation
AI Context in Batch Translate
Batch Translate uses several context sources from your AI Settings to improve translation quality:
Document content – when enabled, all source segments are included in the system prompt so the AI can determine the document type (legal, medical, technical, etc.) and adapt its style accordingly. This is shared across all batches.
Termbase terms – terminology from enabled termbases is injected into the prompt, including term definitions and domains when that option is enabled.
Custom prompts – the selected prompt provides domain-specific translation instructions.
TM matches and surrounding segments are not included in Batch Translate – these are Chat & QuickLauncher features only. See the AI Settings page for a full comparison table.
Backup TMX
The Auto-backup translations to TMX checkbox is ticked by default. When enabled, Supervertaler writes every translated segment to a TMX file as it arrives from the AI. If Trados crashes mid-run, you can recover the completed translations without re-running the batch.
The TMX files are also useful outside of crash recovery – you can import them into any TM in Trados, memoQ, Wordfast, or any other CAT tool that accepts standard TMX.
Click Open folder… next to the checkbox to open the backup folder directly in Windows Explorer.
To disable backups for a particular run, simply untick the checkbox before clicking Translate.
How it works
A new
.tmxfile is created at the start of each batch run.Every 10 translated segments, the file is rewritten in full – so at most 10 segments are lost in a crash.
The file is written atomically (via a temp file + rename) so it is always a valid, complete TMX – never a partial or corrupt file.
At the end of a completed or cancelled run, the file is flushed one final time.
Where the files are saved
Files are named by timestamp and project name, for example:
The exact path is also printed to the Batch Translate log at the start of each run.
Recovering after a crash
Reopen Trados Studio and your project.
Open your TM in Trados Translation Memories (or via the project's TM settings).
Use Import → browse to the backup
.tmxfile → import.Run Pre-translate on your project to apply the recovered translations from the TM.
:::note Backup files are not deleted automatically. Tidy up the batch_backups folder occasionally if disk space is a concern, or keep them as a translation archive. :::
Clipboard Mode
If you prefer to use a web-based AI (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.) instead of an API, tick the Clipboard Mode checkbox. This replaces the Provider and Translate button with Copy to Clipboard and Paste from Clipboard buttons. Supervertaler builds a complete, ready-to-use prompt – including your selected prompt, terminology, document context, and numbered bilingual segments – and copies it to your clipboard. See Clipboard Mode for full details.
Tips
Translate Empty Segments First
Start by translating only the empty segments (scope: Empty Segments Only). Review the results, then fix any issues. This avoids overwriting segments you have already edited.
Generate a Domain-Specific Prompt Automatically
Click AutoPrompt… next to the prompt dropdown. Supervertaler analyses your entire document, detects the domain, and uses AI to generate a comprehensive translation prompt with terminology rules, style guidelines, and anti-truncation controls – all tailored to your specific project. See AutoPrompt for details.
Create Domain-Specific Prompts Manually
For specialised content, you can also duplicate the Default Translation Prompt in the Prompt Manager and add domain-specific instructions (terminology rules, style preferences, formatting requirements). A tailored prompt is the single most effective way to improve translation quality.
Combine with TM
If your project has a translation memory, TM matches are shown alongside AI translations. You can pre-translate with TM first (using Trados's built-in batch tasks), then use Batch Translate to fill in the remaining empty segments with AI.
Review After Batch
AI translation is a first draft. After a batch run:
Review each translated segment
Fix any terminology or style issues
Confirm segments with Ctrl+Enter (Trados default)
See Also
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