Any tips on preparing a Word 2000 manual for translation in Trados?

Maria Eugenia Farre wrote:

Since I usually work with agencies that provide me the files without any images, I'm guessing that removing the images to later reinsert them (including the localized screenshots) is probably a file hygiene measure to prevent mishaps in Trados. Can anyone confirm this? Why is it necessary to remove the images before processing a file in Trados?

It is not absolutely necessary to remove the images but it will speed things up. It will also ensure that Trados does not 'freeze', but it depends on the version of Trados that you use and your PC capabilities.

Also, do you have any tips and advice on the pitfalls? Are there any error-prone areas that require special care and handling prior to translation, such as index, TOC, cross-links etc?

Work with all codes showing (Tools -> Options -> View -> Fields and All). This will ensure that index markings (i.e. {XE ...}) are visible and you can translate these in the segments straight away. Once you have cleaned the file, generating the index will be easy.

I would also recommend you check the used Styles. If they have been well-defined by your customer, then you should not have any problems regarding fonts that change and such.

Ricardo Martinez de la Torre wrote:

As a general rule, these types of manuals have a lot of hidden markers that you need to protect, so preparing the file with Trados Bookmark Handler is a must. You can probably get the tool from the Trados users Yahoo site.