# Adding & Editing Terms Supervertaler for Trados provides several ways to add, edit, and manage terminology without leaving the Trados editor. ### Quick-add (Alt+Down) The fastest way to add a term while translating: 1. Select the **source text** you want to add as a term 2. Select the **target text** (the translation) 3. Press **Alt+Down** The term is added instantly to all **write-enabled** termbases. No dialogue, no interruption. :::note Quick-add writes to every termbase that has **Write** enabled in your [TermLens Settings](/help/settings/termlens.md). If you want to target a specific termbase, use the Add Term Entry dialogue (Ctrl+Alt+T) instead. ::: ### Quick-add to project termbase (Alt+Up) Works the same as Alt+Down, but adds the term specifically to the **project termbase** (the termbase marked as "Project" in settings). Use this when you want to keep client-specific terminology separate and prioritised. 1. Select the **source text** 2. Select the **target text** 3. Press **Alt+Up** ### Quick-add non-translatable (Ctrl+Alt+N) For terms that should remain identical in source and target (brand names, product codes, abbreviations): 1. Select the text in the **source** field 2. Press **Ctrl+Alt+N** This creates a term entry where source and target are the same. Non-translatable terms appear with a distinct yellow highlight in [TermLens (Workbench)](https://help.supervertaler.com/workbench/termbases/termlens/). ### Add term entry (Ctrl+Alt+T) For full control over a new term, press **Ctrl+Alt+T** (or right-click in the editor and choose **Add Term...**). This opens the **Add term entry** dialogue, which lets you fill in all fields before saving: | Field | Description | | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Source** | The source-language term | | **Target** | The target-language translation | | **Source Abbreviation** | Optional abbreviated form (e.g. "GC" for "gaschromatografie"). Separate multiple variants with `\|`. | | **Target Abbreviation** | Optional abbreviated form of the target term | | **Source synonyms** | Alternative source-language forms for the same concept | | **Target synonyms** | Alternative target-language translations | | **Definition** | Optional definition or usage note. Supports multiple lines – click the **▼** button to expand the field for longer content. | | **Domain** | Subject area (e.g. "Legal", "Patents", "Medical") | | **Notes** | Any additional notes for translators. Supports multiple lines with an expand button, like Definition. | | **URL** | Optional reference URL (shown as a clickable link in the term popup) | | **Client** | Optional client code (e.g. "ACME", "GLOBEX"). Used to filter the SuperMemory knowledge base context to that client's profile when this term is in scope. | | **Project** | Optional project name (e.g. a job code or client-side project ID). Bookkeeping field for the user's own organisation – not sent to the AI in translation prompts. The Termbase Editor's grid lets you sort and filter by Project. | | **Non-translatable** | Check this to mark the term as non-translatable | The term is added to the **project termbase** if one is configured, or the first write-enabled termbase otherwise. :::caution **Trados conflict:** Trados Studio assigns **Ctrl+Alt+T** to "Insert TM Symbol" by default. If pressing Ctrl+Alt+T does nothing, you need to remove Trados's binding first. Go to **File → Options → Keyboard Shortcuts**, search for "Insert TM Symbol", and delete or reassign its shortcut. Then Ctrl+Alt+T will work as expected in Supervertaler. ::: :::tip **Tip:** Use the project termbase for client-specific terminology that should be prioritised over background termbases. Project termbase terms appear in pink in TermLens. ::: ### Smart selection You don't need to precisely select entire words when adding terms. All quick-add shortcuts (**Alt+Down**, **Alt+Up**, **Ctrl+Alt+N**, **Ctrl+Alt+T**) automatically expand your selection to the nearest word boundaries. For example, to add **standalone version** = **zelfstandige versie** to your termbase, it's enough to select **alone ver** in the source and **andige ver** in the target. Supervertaler expands both selections to the full words automatically. This means you can work fast and loose with your mouse or keyboard selections – no need for the precise click-and-drag that normally slows you down. Just grab roughly the right area and Supervertaler takes care of the rest. #### How it works When you make a selection, Supervertaler scans the full segment text for every occurrence of your selected text and applies these rules, in order: 1. **Exact word match wins** – if the selection matches a complete word somewhere in the segment (i.e. it sits between spaces or punctuation), that word is used as-is. For example, if the segment contains both *hechtingsbevorderaars* and *hechting*, selecting **hechting** returns **hechting** – the exact word – not the longer compound. 2. **Shortest word wins** – if the selection is embedded inside multiple words, the shortest enclosing word is preferred. For example, if the segment contains *hechtingsbevorderaars* and *hechting*, selecting **echt** returns **hechting** (8 characters) rather than *hechtingsbevorderaars* (21 characters), because the user most likely intended the simpler word. 3. **Single match expands** – if the selection appears inside only one word, it expands to that word's boundaries. #### Tips for reliable results * **Select at least 3–4 characters** – very short selections (1–2 characters) may match common short words elsewhere in the segment (e.g., selecting **he** could match the word *the*) * **Select the whole word when in doubt** – if a segment contains similar-looking words and you want a specific one, a complete-word selection is always matched correctly * **Use Ctrl+Alt+T for tricky cases** – the Add Term Entry dialogue lets you review and edit the expanded term before saving, so you can catch any unexpected expansion :::note Press **F2** to manually expand your current selection to word boundaries without adding a term. This lets you preview exactly what Supervertaler would capture before pressing a quick-add shortcut. ::: ### Merge prompt When you add a term and the **source** or **target** already exists in the termbase (but with a different translation), Supervertaler shows a prompt asking what you want to do: * **Add as Synonym** – merges the new translation into the existing entry as a synonym, keeping your termbase tidy * **Add & Edit…** – adds the synonym and opens the Term Entry Editor so you can review the metadata before saving * **Keep Both** – creates a separate entry alongside the existing one * **Cancel** – aborts the operation The merge prompt always displays terms in your **project's language direction**, regardless of how the termbase stores them internally. For example, in a Dutch → English project using an English → Dutch termbase, the dialogue shows the Dutch source term first and the English target term second. **Example:** Your termbase already has **adhesion → hechting**. You select **adhesion → aanhechting** and press Alt+Down. The merge prompt appears because the source term “adhesion” already exists. Clicking “Add as Synonym” adds *aanhechting* as a target synonym of the existing entry, so both translations are grouped together. :::note The merge prompt only appears when the source or target matches exactly (case-insensitive). It does **not** apply to non-translatable quick-add (**Ctrl+Alt+N**). ::: ### Editing existing terms To edit a term that already exists in your termbase: 1. Right-click the term in the **TermLens** panel 2. Select **Edit Term...** 3. The **Term Entry Editor** opens, where you can: * Modify the source or target text * Add or remove **synonyms** (multiple translations for one source term) * Update the definition * Toggle the non-translatable flag Click **Save** when done. ### Abbreviations Term entries can have optional **source and target abbreviation** fields. When a source abbreviation appears in a segment, TermLens highlights it and shows the target abbreviation underneath – just like a regular term match. #### Adding abbreviations 1. Open the **Term Entry Editor** (right-click a term → Edit Term) 2. Fill in the **Source Abbreviation** and **Target Abbreviation** fields 3. Click **Save** #### Multiple abbreviation variants You can specify multiple variants of the same abbreviation by separating them with a **pipe character** (`|`): ``` GC|G.C.|gc|g.c. ``` Each variant is indexed and matched independently, so all common forms of the abbreviation are recognised in the source text. The **first variant** is used as the display text and for insertion. #### How abbreviation matching works When both the full term and its abbreviation appear in the same segment (e.g., "gaschromatografie (GC)"), TermLens shows **both** as highlighted chips: * The **full term** chip shows the full target translation (e.g., "gas chromatography") – displayed in the regular **blue** colour * The **abbreviation** chip shows the target abbreviation (e.g., "GC") – displayed in **lavender** so it is instantly distinguishable from a full-term match Clicking or Alt+digit-inserting an abbreviation chip inserts the **target abbreviation** (first variant), not the full target term. :::note Abbreviations are also included in AI translation prompts, so the AI knows both the full term and its abbreviated form. ::: ### Deleting terms 1. Right-click the term in the **TermLens** panel 2. Select **Delete Term** 3. Confirm the deletion in the dialogue :::caution Deletion is permanent. The term is removed from the termbase database file. ::: ### Bulk Add Non-Translatable For adding many non-translatable terms at once (e.g., a list of brand names or product codes): 1. Open **Settings** (gear icon in the TermLens panel) 2. Find the **Bulk Add Non-Translatable** option 3. Paste your terms, **one per line** 4. Click **Add** to save them all at once *** ### See Also * [TermPicker](/help/features/termpicker.md) * [Termbase Management](/help/terminology/termbase-management.md) * [TermLens Settings](/help/settings/termlens.md) --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://supervertaler.gitbook.io/help/features/termlens/adding-terms.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. 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