TermLens
TermLens is an inline terminology display that shows the source text of the current segment word by word, with termbase translations directly underneath each matched term. It updates automatically when you navigate to a new segment.
How It Works
When you select a segment in the Trados editor, TermLens analyses the source text against all active termbases and displays the result in a visual layout:
Matched words appear with their termbase translation underneath, on a coloured background
Unmatched words are shown in light grey text so you can read the full source sentence in context
This gives you an at-a-glance overview of every term in the segment that has a termbase entry – without hovering or clicking anything.
Colour Coding
TermLens uses five background colours to distinguish term types:
Blue
Regular Supervertaler termbase match
Purple
Abbreviation match (matched via source abbreviation, not the full term)
Pink
Project termbase match (higher priority)
Yellow
Non-translatable term (source = target)
Green
MultiTerm termbase match (.sdltb)
:::note Designate one termbase as the Project termbase in settings to make its terms appear in pink. Project terms take visual priority over regular terms, making it easy to spot client-specific terminology. :::
:::tip MultiTerm termbases attached to your Trados project appear automatically as green chips. They are read-only – to edit MultiTerm terms, use Trados's built-in MultiTerm interface. See MultiTerm Support for details. :::
Chip Indicators
In addition to colour coding, TermLens shows small indicators in the top-right corner of term chips:
≡ (indigo)
The entry has synonyms (source-side, target-side, or both). Hover to see them.
● (amber)
The entry has metadata – a definition, domain, notes, or URL. Hover to see details.
Both indicators can appear simultaneously. Hover over any term chip to see an interactive popup with full details, including source synonyms (prefixed with "Also:"), target synonyms (shown as bullet points), definitions, domain, notes, and clickable URLs. The popup stays open when you move the mouse into it, so you can click on links.
Markdown Rendering
The Notes and Definition fields in the term popup support Markdown formatting. If the content contains Markdown syntax (tables, bold, italic, headings, bullet lists, code blocks), it is rendered with proper formatting instead of plain text. This is especially useful when AI-generated term notes include structured data like translation tables.
Resizable Popup
You can resize the term popup by dragging the grip in the bottom-right corner. The width is remembered for the rest of the session, so subsequent popups open at your preferred size.
Inserting Terms
Click to Insert
Click any translation shown under a source word. The translation is inserted at the cursor position in the target field.
Keyboard Shortcuts (Alt+1 through Alt+9)
Each matched term in TermLens is assigned a numbered badge. Press Alt+1 to insert the first match, Alt+2 for the second, and so on up to Alt+9.
Shortcuts for Terms 10+
For terms numbered 10 and above, TermLens supports two shortcut styles (configurable in Settings):
Sequential (default) – type the term number digit by digit:
Alt+14inserts term 14Repeated digit – press the same digit key multiple times:
Alt+55inserts term 14 (5th term in the second tier: 9+5)
The badge on each term chip shows exactly which key combination to use. See Keyboard Shortcuts for details on both modes.
:::note Terms beyond 45 have no keyboard shortcut. Use the TermLens popup or the Term Picker dialogue to insert them. :::
TermLens popup (Ctrl tap)
Tap Ctrl (press and release without any other key) to open the TermLens popup – a borderless floating version of this panel for the active segment. Alternatively, press Ctrl+Alt+G. Designed for keyboard-only term selection on small screens where keeping the docked panel always-visible costs too much vertical space. Tap Ctrl again to close. Inside, Right / Down / Tab cycle the highlighted match, Enter inserts and closes, Escape dismisses without inserting.
Term Picker (Ctrl+Shift+P)
For segments with many matches and when a sortable list view is preferable, press Ctrl+Shift+P to open the Term Picker dialogue. It shows all matched terms in a searchable list and lets you insert any term with a double-click or Enter.
Right-Click Context Menu
Right-click any term in TermLens to access:
Edit Term
Open the term editor to modify source, target, or metadata
Delete Term
Remove the term from the termbase
Mark as Non-Translatable
Flag the term so it appears in yellow (source = target)
Mark as Translatable
Remove the non-translatable flag (shown when the term is already non-translatable)
Quick-Add Terms
You can add terms without opening a dialogueue:
Alt+Down
Quick-add the selected text to all write termbases
Alt+Up
Quick-add the selected text to the project termbase
Ctrl+Alt+T
Open the Add Term Entry dialogue (full editor: definition, domain, notes, URL, synonyms)
Ctrl+Alt+N
Quick-add the selected text as a non-translatable term
:::tip Quick-add shortcuts use the currently selected source text and the corresponding selected or clipboard target text. The term is added instantly without opening a dialogue. :::
Font Size
Use the A+ and A- buttons in the TermLens panel header to increase or decrease the font size. Changes apply immediately.
Tips
TermLens respects termbase activation –only terms from activated termbases are shown.
If you have many termbases, designate one as the Project termbase (shown in pink) to make its terms stand out.
Hover over a term to see an interactive popup with all translations, synonyms, abbreviation pairs, definitions, URLs, and the termbase name. The popup stays open when you move the mouse into it, allowing you to click on URLs.
A small indigo ≡ indicator appears in the top-right corner of a term chip when the entry has synonyms. An amber dot appears when the entry has metadata (definition, domain, notes, or URL). Both indicators can appear together.
If a term has an abbreviation (e.g., "GC" for "gaschromatografie"), both the full term and the abbreviation are highlighted when they appear in the same segment. The abbreviation chip shows the abbreviated translation; the full-term chip shows the full translation.
See Also
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