Overview

Please consider adding a segment-range selection option to the existing Update Main Translation Memories and Update Project Translation Memories batch tasks.

Trados Studio already allows users to control which segments are written to a translation memory according to their confirmation status, such as Translated, Translation Approved or Signed Off. However, it does not allow users to specify an exact range—for example:

Update the selected TM using only segments 1–800.

This additional scope control would be extremely valuable in large projects and collaborative translation and revision workflows.

A Common Professional Scenario

Suppose a translator and a reviser are working simultaneously on a large project containing approximately 100,000 words.

The translator completes the first 10,000 words, corresponding—for example—to segments 1–800. The reviser is ready to begin revising that completed portion while the translator continues working on the remaining segments.

The translator would like to:

1. Create a temporary handoff TM named, for example, Segments 1–800.

2. Update that TM using only the completed segment range.

3. Send the small, clearly defined TM to the reviser.

4. Continue translating the rest of the project without interrupting either person’s work.

At present, the available update options can filter segments by status, but they cannot restrict the update to a specific segment range. If later segments share the same status, they may also be written to the TM, even though they are not part of the intended handoff.

Proposed Enhancement

Please add a new section to the Translation Memory Updates settings, perhaps called:

Segment Scope

It could provide options such as:

• All eligible segments — retaining the current default behaviour.

• Specific segment range

  • From segment: [1]

  • To segment: [800]

• Currently selected segments

• Segments matching the active Editor filter, if technically feasible.

The segment-range option should work together with the existing status filters. For example, the user could instruct Studio to update the selected TM using:

• Segments 1–800 only

• With the status Translated or Translation Approved

• From the selected bilingual file

• Using the existing translation-unit conflict settings

This would preserve all existing functionality while adding a precise and flexible scope control.

Suggested Interface

A simple addition to the current settings could be:

Segment Scope

○ All eligible segments
○ Specific segment range

From: [1]  To: [800]

Optionally, Studio could display a confirmation summary before processing:

786 eligible segments within the range 1–800 will be written to the selected translation memory.

This preview would help users verify the scope before updating the TM.

Important Consideration for Multifile Projects

Because segment numbers may be repeated or handled separately across project files, Studio should clearly associate the range with the selected file or files.

For example:

• If one bilingual file is selected, the range applies to that file.

• If several files are selected, Studio could either apply the same range to each file or ask the user to define ranges per file.

• The safest initial implementation may be to enable range selection only when a single bilingual file is selected.

Clear validation would prevent ambiguity and make the feature dependable.

Why a TM-Based Handoff Is Useful

Exchanging a small TM containing only the completed portion can be cleaner and safer than repeatedly exchanging full bilingual files.

A range-specific TM would allow the reviser to benefit immediately from the translator’s confirmed work while retaining the reviser’s own copy of the project file. It could also reduce:

• Confusion about which bilingual file is the latest version.

• The risk of one colleague overwriting another colleague’s work.

• Unnecessary transfer of very large SDLXLIFF files.

• Versioning problems caused by repeatedly exchanging modified bilingual files.

• The accidental inclusion of unfinished or unrelated translations.

• Interruptions to the translator’s ongoing work.

It would also provide a clearly defined handoff package: the TM name itself could identify exactly what it contains, such as ProjectName_Segments_1-800.sdltm.

Wider Use Cases

This functionality would also be valuable when users need to:

• Share only a completed chapter or section with a colleague.

• Deliver translation progress in controlled batches.

• Create a TM containing a specific portion for QA or linguistic review.

• Isolate a problematic segment range for investigation.

• Extract approved translations from part of a large file.

• Divide a large assignment among several translators or revisers.

• Create milestone TMs without exporting the entire bilingual file.

• Recover or reuse translations from a precisely identified project section.

Expected Behaviour

1. The user selects one or more project files.

2. The user starts Update Main Translation Memories or Update Project Translation Memories.

3. Under Translation Memory Updates, the user selects Specific segment range.

4. The user enters the starting and ending segment numbers.

5. Studio applies the existing status and conflict-handling options only within that range.

6. Studio validates that the range exists in the selected file.

7. Studio reports how many segments were eligible, updated, skipped or excluded.

8. No segment outside the specified range is written to the selected TM.

Backward Compatibility

The existing behaviour should remain unchanged by keeping All eligible segments as the default setting.

Users who do not need segment-range control would therefore experience no change, while those working on large or collaborative projects would gain a valuable additional option.

Benefits

This enhancement would:

• Support simultaneous translation and revision more effectively.

• Enable precise, incremental TM handoffs.

• Reduce dependence on exchanging complete bilingual files.

• Prevent unfinished or unrelated segments from entering a handoff TM.

• Improve collaboration, version control and traceability.

• Save time in large projects.

• Reduce the risk of confusion or accidental overwriting.

• Extend the usefulness of the existing TM update workflow with a relatively intuitive scope option.

Summary

The current TM update functionality provides useful controls based on segment status, but it lacks a way to define which exact portion of a file should be used.

Adding a From Segment / To Segment option would make the workflow substantially more precise. It would allow translators to share completed portions with revisers through small, clearly scoped translation memories while continuing to work on the rest of a large project.

This would be a practical and welcome enhancement for professional teams working collaboratively on long files, rolling deliveries and projects containing tens of thousands of words.



I know some would say there are other workaround solutions like changing statuses and import only a specific status or split the file or anything like that, and for me, with all due respect that is beating around a bush, while we can have a real very easy to implement solution as described above. 

thanks for your understanding and please keep up the great work.

Sameh