Wouldn’t it be useful to be able to import an IATE TBX into TermStar without losing any of the information? In this post, we will explain the steps you need to follow in order to do just this. In the previous post, we discussed exporting termbases from IATE in TBX format. Now, we will explain how to import the resulting TBX into TermStar. This will allow you to take advantage of terminology taken from an official and reliable source as you translate in Transit.

Although importing the TBX into TermStar directly would give you a functioning termbase, the aim of the steps described here is to get the most out of the information IATE provides for each entry. If you simply import the TBX directly into TermStar you would be able to take advantage of the terminology, but you would not be importing all fields. For that, a few more steps are needed.

In order to import all fields from the IATE TBX into Termstar, you need an .xid file. This acts as a bridge between TBX termbases and TermStar, establishing links between the types of fields in both systems. You either need to create one from scratch or edit one that already exists.

So, let's start by creating a new dictionary following the usual steps:

1. Run Transit/TermStar, click on “Dictionaries/Databases” >  “Create new dictionary/database”.

2. You will need to create a new database in which to store your dictionary. To do so, set a name and path for your new database.

3. The new dictionary is then created:

4. Once you have created your new dictionary, close this dialogue box.  You can now import your TBX. Click on “Dictionaries/Databases” > “Manage dictionaries/databases”.

5. Select your dictionary and click on “Import/Export”.

6. Insert the path of your TBX file into the “Import file” field. Tick the “Pre-processing” option and select your .xid file. In order for it to appear in the list, it must have been saved previously in one of the “config” folders of your Transit directory. Finally, click on “Start” and the import process will begin.

7. Your imported dictionary is now ready. Once you have opened it, make sure that your Transit/TermStar ribbon is correctly set to show the languages you need. To do so, go to the “View” tab on the ribbon and set the languages in the “Display language” section.

8. The final step is to create a dictionary layout that allows you to see IATE fields that may not otherwise appear in TermStar, even though you used an .xid file during the import process. In the “Dictionary layouts” section in the “View” tab, you can modify a right display layout or create a new one.

In the dictionary layout edit screen, certain fields from the “available fields” section must be added to your layout in the “fields layout” section. The “preview” window lets you see what it will look like. Depending on the .xid file used to import your TBX database, the TBX fields can match different TermStar fields. For example, in the case shown below, we had to add a “remark” field to the “header” section of the layout in order to show the “note” field from the TBX. We also had to add the “status” and “User1” fields to the “term” section of the layout to show the “administrativeStatus” and “reliabilityCode” fields from the IATE TBX.

You can keep adjusting the editor until you achieve the layout that best suits your needs.

Your newly imported TBX database is now ready to use as a dictionary in TermStar, meaning that you can look up terms on the go or view them whilst translating in Transit.

We hope that you find the information in this post useful. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. If you have specific interests in Transit or TermStar, please send us your suggestions.

Thank you very much for reading us and stay tuned!