Unable to use termbases after upgrading to Studio 2022 SR2

I installed Trados Studio 2022 SR2 a few days ago and ever since have not been able to use termbases with my translation projects. When I try to add a termbase, I get an "Unable to find specified file" message, even when the file is visible and selected on the screen. I've tried restarting Studio and Windows, removing existing termbases and reselecting them, and reorganising the termbase in Multiterm, which has no problems opening the termbases. Anybody else having the same issue?

BTW, I'm running Windows as a virtual system on a MacBook using VMWare Fusion. I've been using this platform for over a decade and never had this issue before.

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    It sounds as though Studio is having problems with being able to find the file you can see.  Since you can see it the only conclusion I can come to is that the file is not there, only its "footprint".  For example, the "footprint" you see in your local drive when using cloud-only files in OneDrive, or more commonly referred to as "placeholders" or "stub" files, represent the files stored in OneDrive cloud storage and appear in your local OneDrive folder, but they don't actually contain the full data of the file.  When you select or open a placeholder, the full file is then downloaded from OneDrive cloud storage for local use.  The problem this can cause is that if the file isn't really there Studio cannot get it.

    This phenomenon could also occur when running Windows as a virtual system on a MacBook using VMware Fusion.  However, I believe it's also possible for this to happen without OneDrive in a setup like yours.  For example, your Windows VM, you might have a network drive mapped (for example, a drive from a corporate server or a NAS - Network Attached Storage.  The files on the network drive or in the integrated cloud storage appear in the Windows VM's file explorer.  They are accessible as if they were local files.  But depending on the settings and the specific software you're using these files might not be fully downloaded to your VM's local storage.  Instead, they might be represented as icons or entries in the file system, which, when accessed, trigger a download or synchronization from the network location or cloud storage.  That would be similar.

    I am only guessing as I have no clue how you're setup, but the description you provide fits these sort of scenarios.

    Paul Filkin | RWS Group

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  • Hi Paul,

    Thanks very much for the advice. It turns out you were correct. Once I moved my termbases into a folder that isn't routinely uploaded to iCloud (Apple's version of OneDrive), Trados no longer had a problem loading the termbase file. Because the internal drive on my MacBook only has a limited capacity, I generally have a lot of my data stored in the cloud to save disk space. It's never been an issue before, but presumably something about the SR2 upgrade upset the apple cart (so to speak) (sorry!).

    Thanks again,

    John

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    Glad you found the problem. I think all this automated cloud working is the cause of many problems faced by our users these days since it's not terribly clear for most users how they work.  I experienced this myself recently on my personal laptop and it did take me a while to figure out how OneDrive was working, and then it was also tricky to avoid the problems since they don't make it easy to exclude folders that are put into the OneDrive arena by default. I certainly hope Microsoft improve on this going forward...or that we at least make it possible for the files we put in there to be installed in a preferred location.

    Paul Filkin | RWS Group

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  • Hi Paul,

    I have the same problem using Dropbox. However, I haven't found any solution to this (not using Dropbox is not a solution). With Dropbox, the files are physical present on the harddisk in addition to a cloud copy. But I'm also using Windows via Parallels Desktop on a Macbook, so it might be a problem with paths.

    However, when I downgraded (uninstalled SR2 and installed SR1), it worked fine again. I would therefore suggest you locate the issue in Trados 2022 SR2 instead of recommending workarounds, as these may be different depending on the users' individual setups. If it worked before, I'm sure you can make work again.

    For my own part, I will continue using SR1 until I know this issue is solved.

    Best regards,

    Snorre

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    But I'm also using Windows via Parallels Desktop on a Macbook, so it might be a problem with paths.

    Most likely it is.  Try mapping drive letters to your MAC paths.

    Paul Filkin | RWS Group

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  • Hi Paul,

    Thank you for giving good tips on workarounds. Finding workarounds might be very valuable for some problems. However, it would really be better to solve the problem in those cases where it is clearly an issue with Trados. As I said, it works flawless in Trados 2022 SR1 and it in all other applications I use. The problem is in SR2.

    I think the strategy of finding workarounds that users have to implement themselves, instead of solving the problems, is a wrong way to go. Fortunately, there are now also developers who understand this.

    To mention an example: When Norwegian is configured as a target language, the wrong quotation marks are implemented in Trados Studio. This has been the case as long as I remember. I have addressed this several times in different ways, in this forum, in Facebook groups, with Trados leaders during events. Noone took this  seriously, I was always proposed workarounds that either didn't work or implied a lot of extra effort.

    However, recently I gave it a new try in this forum and I was so lucky to get a young developer to actually look into it. It turned out to be a small problem in Trados: Norwegian has three different locale codes, and they were not assigned correctly, therefore US English was automaticly used. The problem is a small one and will now be fixed, after all these years.

    I don't know how many thousands of hours Norwegian translators have spent on useless workarounds, I don't know how many documents have been produced with bad formatting, and I don't know how many customers have said at one point: Why bother with Trados when this functions in all other CAT tools?

    The point is: Instead of always thinking "workarounds" whenever something does not work, why not take a minute to listen to the users and actually locate the problem? Why should users be bothered to implement complicated workarounds for functions that are really basic? It might be fun for IT specialists, but most users just want to get their work done.

    This might sound whiny-voiced, but my intentions are good. I like Trados very much and use it every day. But it has to work, for me and for all other users, if we shall chose to pay for Trados also in the future.

    Best regards,

    Snorre

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    Thank you for giving good tips on workarounds. Finding workarounds might be very valuable for some problems. However, it would really be better to solve the problem in those cases where it is clearly an issue with Trados.

    Obviously!  But that won't happen today.  So workarounds until a suitable release vehicle is available with the fix.

    Paul Filkin | RWS Group

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    You've done the courses and still need to go a little further, or still not clear? 
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  • Hi Paul, 

    Thank you for the answer. You are right, that should be exactly the use of workarounds: preliminary ways of solving problems. It's just important that preliminary does not turn into permanent. :-)

    Best regards,

    Snorre

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