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Working with Story Collector in QuarkXPress

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Working with Story Collector in QuarkXPress?

Translation Workflow
Translation of a QuarkXPress file involves the following stages:

  • Install Story Collector for QuarkXPress.
  • Prepare your QuarkXPress source files for translation.
  • Create a folder structure for your QuarkXPress translation project.
  • Set the story order in your QuarkXPress source file.
  • Export all stories from the QuarkXPress file to a text file (QSC).
  • Translate the file.
  • Import the file back into QuarkXPress.
  • Reposition any inline graphics into their original position. Use your QuarkXPress source files as a reference if necessary.

NOTE: You can also use Story Collector for QuarkXPress to process a batch of QuarkXPress files.

Installing Story Collector for QuarkXPress
Story Collector for QuarkXPress is included as part of your SDL TRADOS installation. These files are installed by default to the following location:

  • C:\Program Files\TRADOS\xxx\FI\QXP, where xxx corresponds to the name of the software you are using.

    There are folders for each supported version of QuarkXPress in English and Japanese in the QXP folder:
  • 4.1_E
  • 4.1_J
  • 5.0_E
  • 6.0_E

If you have a version later than 6.0, use the files in the 6.0_E folder. Before you install the Story Collector XTension, make sure that QuarkXPress 4.1, 5.x, or 6.x is installed on your system and is not running.

To install the Story Collector XTension:

  • Copy the following files from the default Story Collector installation folder to the XTension folder in the QuarkXPress installation folder.
    • Story CollectorQ.xnt
    • Story Collector GUI.dll
    • Story Collector Kernel.dll
    • Common.dll
    • Story CollectorQ1033.hlp
    • Story CollectorQ1033.cnt
  • Open QuarkXPress. The toolbar now contains a TRADOS menu through which you can access Story Collector functionality.

NOTE:

  • If you use Story Collector for QuarkXPress 4.1 for Japanese, move Enhance Preview.xnt into the XTension Disabled folder before starting QuarkXPress.
  • For Story Collector for QuarkXPress 4.1 for Japanese, the files to be copied to the QuarkXPress XTension folder are: EA_Common.dll, EA_Story Collector Gui.dll, EA_Story Collector Kernel.dll, and EA_Story CollectorQ.axt

Sample File
You can use the sample QuarkXPress file (sample.qxd) to work with the Story Collector for QuarkXPress that ships with TRADOS. This sample file is installed to C:\Program Files\Trados\xxx\Samples\Story Collector for QuarkXPress, where xxx corresponds to the name of the software you are using. You should use the sample file to work through the Story Collector process example that follows in this chapter.

Preparation and export for translation
You may need to prepare your QuarkXPress file(s) before using Story Collector to export. The extent of your preparation will depend on the formatting of your document and the source and target languages of your translation.

You should:

  • Create a folder structure for your QuarkXPress translation project
  • Set the story order of the stories in the QuarkXPress file so that they are presented for translation in a logical sequence
  • Export the stories in the QuarkXPress file to a text file.

How to create a folder structure
As this process produces a QXD (QuarkXPress Document) and QSC (QuarkXPress Story Collector) file for each language, it is vital to set up a folder structure for the project. Otherwise files may be lost or misplaced.
Create a target folder for each language you are translating into, as well as a source folder for the original files. Place a copy of the QuarkXPress file for translation in each target language folder. In this way, you retain a copy of each source and target file.

To retain copies of each file we suggest the following structure:

  • A source language folder with a subfolder for QXD files and another subfolder for QSC files.
  • A target language folder with a subfolder for QXD files and another subfolder for QSC files.

To keep a copy of each file and file format:

  • Place the files to be translated in the source QXD folder.
  • Place a copy of the same files in the target QXD folder.
  • Export the source files from the source QXD folder to your source QSC folder.
  • We recommend that you copy the files in your source QSC folder into your target QSC folder as it makes it less likely that you overwrite the source QSC files by mistake.
  • Translate the files in the target QSC folder using Translator's Workbench and TagEditor, and save the translated files in your target QSC folder.
  • Open the copy of the source files you placed in the target QSD folder earlier, import the translated files from the target QSC folder.
  • Reposition any inline frames in your translated files and save.

Opening Story Collector for QuarkXPress
Open a QuarkXPress document. A TRADOS menu is visible on the top menu bar. To open Story Collector, select an option from this menu.

How to set the story order?
By default, the stories on each page in your QuarkXPress document are exported in top-down order. However, this may not correspond to the order in which they flow logically. The story order function in Story Collector allows you to choose the order in which stories are exported to the tagged text file so that they are presented in a logical sequence for translation. This will not affect the layout of the QuarkXPress file.

To set the story order for the tagged text export file:

  • From the TRADOS menu select Story Order. The Story Order dialog box appears.
  • The Page List box displays an entry for the master page, and one entry for each page of the document. Clicking on an entry displays the stories in that page in the Story List box directly below. QuarkXPress also displays the selected page behind the Story Order dialog box so you can see the page in question.
  • You may change the story order by clicking on a story in the Story List box, and use the arrows to the left of the Story List box to reorder them. This activates the Custom order radio button in the Story Order box. Alternatively, you may set the story order for all pages by clicking on the Top-Down order or Left-Right order radio buttons in the Story Order box.
    • Top-down order: Story Collector for QuarkXPress starts at the top of the page and moves from left to right at each height. Therefore, stories situated higher on the page than other stories are always exported first, even if the other story is farther left.
    • Left-right order: Story Collector for QuarkXPress starts at the left of the page and exports all leftmost stories beginning at the top and finishing at the bottom of the page. It then returns to the top of the page, and so on. Therefore, leftmost stories are exported first even if one story is higher than another on a page.
    • Custom order: You may rearrange the story order on each page in any order you wish. To do this, select each story in turn and use the arrows to move them. You can also drag and drop the stories into position.
  • When you are satisfied with the story order for the tagged text export file, click OK to confirm the story order, Reset to start again, and Export if you wish to export this file immediately.
    • Even if you are working with multiple page spreads in QuarkXPress, you can only rearrange the story order within a single page at a time. Stories that spread over more than one page appear under the page they start on.
    • If you do not set the story order for an individual file, Story Collector for QuarkXpress will use the story order set in the Settings dialog box by default.

Exporting Stories
To export all the stories in your QuarkXPress file to a single text file:

  • Open the QuarkXPress file you wish to export.
  • From the TRADOS menu, select Export. The Select Export File dialog box appears.
  • In the Select Export File dialog box, specify the location of your source QSC folder, and a name for the extended tagged text file. The same file name as the source file is automatically suggested.
  • Click Save, a series of progress bars appear and Story Collector for QuarkXPress creates an export file in the folder you specified. The Export Results dialog box opens. It tells you if the export has been successful and how many stories have been exported.
  • Click OK to finish the export process, or click Save As to save the export results to a log file. The Save Log File dialog box opens.
  • Browse to where you want to save the log file, name it and click Save. Story Collector for QuarkXPress saves it under the name and in the location you specified.
  • Click OK in the Export Results dialog box and the export process is finished.

All stories are collected and placed in a QSC file in the source QSC folder you specified. We recommend that you copy the files in your source QSC folder into your target QSC folder as it makes it less likely that you overwrite the source QSC files by mistake. You can now translate the files in your target QSC folder.

NOTE: If you have the index extension palette open in QuarkXPress, you can export full index entries. If it is closed, you can export only partial index entries.

Translation
Translate your QuarkXPress files using Translator's Workbench and TagEditor. The following steps offer a high level view of the translation process for QuarkXPress files.

  • Export your file to your source QSC folder, and then place a copy of it in your target QSC folder.
  • Translate the file in your target QSC folder using TagEditor, saving the file in bilingual TRADOStag (TTX) format during translation.
  • When you have finished translating, verify the tag content of the translated file using the Generic Tag Verifier in TagEditor. Successful verification ensures that the syntax of tags in the translated file is correct and guarantees backward conversion.
  • After verification, use the Clean Up command in Translator's Workbench to remove bilingual data from the translated file and to convert the file back to QSC format. If necessary, you can also use the Clean Up command to update the translation memory with the latest bilingual data.
  • Save the file to your target QSC folder.
  • Open the source file you previously placed in your target QXD folder in QuarkXPress. Import the file back from your target QSC folder using Story Collector for QuarkXPress, and save.

Importing Translated Stories
To import the translated stories back into the QuarkXPress file:

  • Open the copy of the original QuarkXPress file that you placed in the target QXD subfolder earlier.
  • Choose Import from the TRADOS menu in QuarkXPress. The Select Import File dialog
    box is displayed.
  • Select the import file from the target QSC subfolder.
  • Click Open, a series of progress bars appear and Story Collector for QuarkXPress imports the translated stories. The Import Results dialog box opens. It tells you if the import has been successful and how many stories have been imported.
  • Click OK to finish the import process, or click Save As to save the import results to a log file. The Save Log File dialog box opens.
  • Browse to where you want to save the log file, name it and click Save. Story Collector for QuarkXPress saves it under the name and in the location you specified.
  • Click OK in the Import Results dialog box and the import process is finished.
  • From the File menu, select Save. The Save dialog box is displayed.
  • Click Save.

NOTE:

  • If you have the index extension palette open in QuarkXPress, you can import full index entries. If it is closed, you can import only partial index entries.
  • If your QuarkXPress file contains inline frames, QuarkXPress places them at the start of the translated file when you import your translated file back into QuarkXPress. You need to move these inline frames back into their original position. Use your source QXD files as a reference if necessary.

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