Trados GmbH was founded as a language-service provider in 1984 by Jochen Hummel and Iko Knyphausen in Stuttgart, Germany. The company began developing translation software in the late 1980s, and released the first Windows versions of two of the suite's major components in the early 1990s – MultiTerm in 1992, and Translator's Workbench in 1994. In 1997, the company received a major boost when Microsoft decided to use Trados for its internal localization needs. Trados was acquired by SDL in 2005.
Configuration
SDL Trados Studio is delivered with several tools and applications. These are: ;SDL Trados Studio: The main application providing a complete environment to edit or review translations, manage translation projects, organize terminology, and connect to machine translation. ;SDL MultiTerm: A terminology management tool that is integrated with SDL Trados Studio for adding, editing and managing terms. ;SDL AppStore: SDL Trados Studio includes several applications on an online marketplace which offers apps to help with a range of translation processes, for example further file format support and task automation.
SDL Trados Studio supports over 70 different file types, including: various markup and tagged formats such as SGML, XML, HTML, XLIFF, SDLXLIFF, OpenDocument files; straight text files; source code files, such as Java and Microsoft.NET; Microsoft Word, Excel, Bilingual Excel and PowerPoint; and some Adobe file formats, such as PDF, scanned PDF, FrameMaker, InDesign, and InCopy.
The translation memory format of SDL Trados Studio is SDLTM, which consists in a particular SQLite database. When creating a new translation memory, SDL Trados Studio creates a database file in which all translation units are stored. The translation memory also stores structural and context information to link all the different segments and their position in a document. This allows the tool to select the most relevant translation memory segment.
Main translation memory database file:.sdltm
In previous version of Trados a neural network of files that enable fuzzy search capability was also created. A new translation memory consists of five new files:
Main translation memory database file:.tmw
Neural network files:.mdf, *.mtf, *.mwf, *.iix
When copying a translation memory, you must copy all five translation memory files. Otherwise, Translator's Workbench displays an error message when opening the copied translation memory. SDL Trados Studio can also work with server-based translation memories by connecting to SDL Trados GroupShare. It can also connect to other Translation Providers created through the API by any developer, many examples of these can be found on the SDL AppStore. Glossaries are handled by the MultiTerm application. Glossaries can be bilingual or multi-lingual, file-based or Server based.
Integration of machine translation and postediting
SDL Trados Studio has integrated machine translation and postediting into its translation workflow. If the appropriate parameter setting is made, SDL Trados Studio will insert a machine translation of a translation unit if no match is found in the translation memory. The translator can then post-edit the machine translation for added clarity. SDL Trados currently supports the following MT systems: Language Weaver, SDL BeGlobal, SDL LanguageCloud and Google Translate. SDL Trados Studio also supports the integration of Microsoft Translator and other MT system through its open API and plugin architecture on the SDL OpenExchange.
SDL AppStore
In December 2010 SDL launched the SDL OpenExchange, now known as SDL AppStore, a web portal allowing independent developers to leverage the software's open architecture to create applications and plug-ins for SDL Trados Studio. Apps can be downloaded to add functionality missing from the base product, such as legacy file support and new machine translation plugins. As of the end of August 2017 there has been over a million downloads of apps from the store. Today the SDL AppStore supports the needs of users through the ability to download and install additional functionality that often addresses niche requirements that cannot be solved in any translation tool. It also supports the needs of developers who use the APIs that are freely available for the products to integrate and add new features that support their own business needs. The SDL team supporting the SDL AppStore also maintain a github site where they provide opensource code using the APIs for many of the apps they have created on the SDL AppStore. This provides a very useful resource for developers looking for additional examples of how to use the APIs in practice.
Market share
According to a 2004 survey by the World Bank, Trados held an estimated 75% global market share with SDL holding an additional 10%. According to the ICU Translation Memory Survey from 2006, SDL Trados is used by a total of 75% of surveyed users - 51% used Trados with a further 24% SDL Trados. A survey done by ProZ.com in 2013 indicated that 73% of ProZ translators have SDL Trados.
Community and compatibility
A number of solutions have been created for handling the different versions of Trados file formats. SDL did apparently respond to user complaints of licensing complexity and problems by simplifying the licensing scheme used in the SDL Trados Studio 2011 Freelance release. Successive versions of SDL Trados Studio have resolved the backward compatibility issues. SDL have also launched and maintain their own which is actively used to support their customers in an open environment across every product in their portfolio.
