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Alignment

DEFINITION
A process in which translated text is aligned with the source text, often for translation memory creation or ensuring consistent terminology use across projects.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Alignment is a technical process in translation where segments of source text are matched with their corresponding translated segments, creating parallel text pairs. This is most commonly used to build or populate Translation Memory (TM) databases from previously translated content that was not originally processed through a TM tool.

The process works by taking a completed source document and its translation, then using specialised software to match sentences or segments from each version. Once aligned, these paired segments are stored in a Translation Memory and become available for reuse in future projects, improving consistency and reducing costs.

Alignment is particularly valuable when onboarding a new translation provider. If a client has years of previously translated content that was produced without a TM system, alignment allows that historical work to be captured and leveraged going forward. This means the new provider can maintain terminology consistency with past translations from day one.

The quality of alignment depends on the structural similarity between source and target documents. Well-formatted documents with clear paragraph breaks align easily, while heavily reformatted or redesigned translations may require manual adjustment.

At LEXIGO, we routinely perform alignment as part of client onboarding, ensuring that legacy translations are captured in our TM systems so clients benefit from their existing investment in translated content.

WHY IT MATTERS

Without alignment, organisations switching translation providers or adopting TM technology for the first time lose the value of all their previously translated content. Every sentence that has already been professionally translated represents an investment that should not need to be repeated.

Alignment turns historical translations into a reusable asset, reducing costs on future projects and ensuring new translations maintain the same terminology and style as previous work. This is especially important for organisations with large volumes of legacy content across multiple languages.

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