How do you organize your translation project files?

What’s the best way to save your translation files? Here are some tips for project managers - and anyone managing a translation project - to optimise their time. They are intended for translation clients, however, with a little tweaking they can come in handy for translators as well.

Orderly file storage is a key element to properly manage [translation](/translation/professional translation) projects. Order, which should extend to all aspects of a project, is essential for organizing file-based tasks such as translations: a file in a certain language should be translated into another. In essence, a translation project is just that.

Here we will focus on a perhaps trivial, but often frustrating aspect, namely how to save and organize project files. Files can be saved on your own computer or on a shared server, if the project involves several people or if the organization you work for requires to do so. Without going to the extremes as shown in the image below, it is very common to get lost between original file, translated file, revised file, final version, version to be published, etc.

Source: http://www.theinspiration.com/2015/03/every-designer-world-yash-bhardwaj-jugaad-posters/

Let’s start by observing.

If you regularly request translations, you may have noticed that some language service providers use integrated management systems.

These management systems streamline operational processes and centralise operations. In the translation industry jargon these management systems are called TMS (Translation Management System). We also use one in Qabiria, TranslationProjex, which has a convenient portal through which our clients can request translations directly from us.

TMSs offer numerous features, including predetermined schemes of folder structures to organize each project’s files in the most logical way.

• Sometimes the structure shown by the TMS matches with the actual folders that are automatically created on the hard disk when you start a project.
• Other times, the TMS creates a virtual structure that stands between the user and the stored files.

Either way, it’s interesting to see how files are saved in these systems, as translation clients, freelance translators or internal translation teams may apply the same method to their projects, even if they don’t use any management software.

The examples shown in this article stem from our own experience; they are not intended to be a definitive solution, but merely an example for you to draw ideas from.

Since what we propose is a folder tree, it will have the limitations of any rigid hierarchical structure. Such limitations can only be overcome with the use of a database or an integrated system, a so-called DMS (Document Management System), such as Alfresco, just to mention a well-known one.

In addition, any system becomes useless if the instructions for its use are not known to all team members - i.e., if everyone interprets the folders in their own way. All involved parties should always follow the default guidelines and save in each folder only those files corresponding to it.

We assume that the organization you work for knows how to separate one project from another and has established clear criteria for identifying each job. It may seem trivial, but how often have we wondered: “Should this project be billed to my department?” or “Should I include these translations in the current month or the next one?” or “To what budget do I assign this one?”

If your company has established guidelines for this, the first consequence is that each project will be assigned to just one department and one specific budget. Therefore you’ll need to share with the translation provider at least the following information to be included on the invoice:

• tax data of the organization paying for the work
• assigned department
• internal project number
• contact person (if different from project manager)

The project or internal reference number (purchase order number) is especially important because it will be the project’s unique identification number.

For those who have freedom of choice (i.e., those who do not have to use a number provided by their management system) we suggest simply using a progressive number, which can start over each year. In this case, we recommend to include the reference year as a prefix e.g.: 2021_001).

This number will be used to create the root folder where all the project files will be stored. For clarity’s sake, this folder can be created within the supplier’s folder (if you are the translation client), or the client’s folder (if you are the translator).

So we will have:

ACME
├── 2021_001
├── 2021_002
└── ...

The structure of each project will depend on the project’s workflow. Some folders will only be created if they are needed for the project.

For example, a folder containing revised files only makes sense if the project includes a proofreading/editing phase.

Translation clients usually need at least the following folders:

ACME
├── 2021_001
│   ├── 01_source_XX
│   ├── 02_translated_YY
│   └── 99_final
└── ...

Usually you have a folder containing the original files, which you can call 01_source_XX where XX is the source language code, e.g. 01_source_IT for Italian), then a folder 02_translated_YY where YY is the target language code, e.g. 02_translated_EN for English) and finally a 99_final folder, which includes ready to use files.

Translators, on the other hand, may need a few extra folders:

ACME
├── 2021_001
│   ├── 00_from_customer_XX
│   ├── 01_source_XX
│   ├── 02_translated_YY
│   ├── 03_edited_YY
│   ├── 04_proofread_YY
│   └── 99_final
└── ...

A 00_from_customer_XX folder is useful when the files received from the client do not match the files to be translated, because a conversion or text extraction is required beforehand, for example if you receive PDF files to be converted to editable text.

The rest of folders follow the previous scheme, which may include some additional folders for storing edited files 03_edited_YY and the proofread files 04_proofread_YY. The rationale is that each linguist uploads their files to the folder marked by the activity performed. The same action can be performed by the project manager.

If the project includes other stages, you can add a folder 05_postprocess_YY, which contains the reconverted files in the original format, another - 06_DTP_YY - with the formatted or paginated files, or even 09_reference with any reference files (support documents, style guides, glossaries, etc.). All the administrative files (quotes, orders, invoices, etc.) can be easily stored inside the main folder, without having to create a special subfolder.

In summary, here is a complete folder tree:

ACME
├── 2021_001
│   ├── 00_from_customer_XX
│   ├── 01_source_XX
│   ├── 02_translated_YY
│   ├── 03_edited_YY
│   ├── 04_proofread_YY
│   ├── 05_postprocess_YY
│   ├── 06_DTP_YY
│   ├── 09_reference
│   └── 99_final
└── ...

The use of numbers as folders’ prefixes does not only respond to an order criterion. When browsing folders with the keyboard, just type the corresponding number to access the desired folder.

For convenience, I recommend that you save a copy of the empty structure and use it as a template, to save time when starting a new project.