Although XLS and CSV files tend to be smaller in size, the downside to these types is that you store less data about each translation unit (i.e.

However, translation memory can also be stored as spreadsheet files such as Excel (XLS) or even just comma separated value text files (CSV). The two most popular file types in the industry are XLIFF and TMX - both of which are XML files. What are the typical formats of translation memory files? More specifically, it is typically an XML ( Extensible Markup Language) file, which is also a text file, but with a well-defined structure which provides ways to represent complicated data structures. So what exactly is a translation memory file?Ī translation memory file holds translation and linguistic data in a structured format. For the most part, a translation memory file is straightforward and functional.

Additionally, you don’t need a PhD or computer degree to read it or understand the structure. In reality, all you need is a standard text editor (such as TextEdit on Mac or Notepad on Windows) and you can open it up. Did you know that a translation memory (TM) file is just a text file with structure? Maybe you saw the file extension (*.tmx or *.xliff) and imagined it can only be opened with special software.

Free cat tool xlf