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Summary

In general, Wordfast Pro 8 is a good tool to translate Markdown files despite the import error in the beginning.

Advantages

  • Markdown reference in links can be translated, which makes it possible to translate a table of contents and all other references to headers in Markdown files
  • Many filter settings allow rich configuration options for importing Markdown files
  • Imports the content of embedded HTML code

Disadvantages

  • Inline code is ignored and cannot be translated
  • Code block is ignored and cannot be translated
  • Comments <!-- comment example --> are ignored and cannot be translated
  • Bizarre behaviour of tables
  • Very complex combinations of Markdown tags or with HTML tags may cause problems or make the Markdown tags shown as text; however, in the case of HTML tags this has more to do with the general behaviour between HTML and Markdown tags

Recommendations for translation of Markdown files in Wordfast Pro

This section contains recommendations for technical writers (or generally, authors writing in Markdown) and translators.

Recommendations for technical writers

  • Avoid combining bold, italic, and strikethrough — some combinations may cause importing errors
  • Inform the translator about basic Markdown syntax, because some tags can be shown as text
    • If references are translated, instruct the translator how to translate references and what the syntax is: one hash symbol, no space between the hash symbol and the first word, small letters, and minus symbol instead of spaces; e.g. the reference to this section should be #recommendations-for-technical writers
  • If inline code, code block, or <!-- comment example --> comments are to be translated, instruct the translator about:
    • How to open the Markdown file
    • The syntax
    • What is to be translated and what must not be edited
    • Alternatively, break the syntax, so the comment is imported into the CAT, and fix it yourself in the output file
  • If extended Markdown syntax or HTML tags, inform the translator that there may be characters that are not used in a standard way in the source language and tell the translator what to do with them
  • Encourage the translator to contact you if the CAT editor shows any characters that are not used in a standard way in the source language as these are most likely tags

Recommendations for translators

  • Tick all settings for best performance, even if it means pasting links
  • Contact the technical writer if the source text in the CAT editor shows unexpected characters, as they may be part of Markdown or HTML syntax shown as text
  • Make sure you do not edit something that may be a tag
  • Carefully check the output file for any missing elements, especially in tables

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