Just one sentence in Trados

Disappointed with an app in SDL OpenExchange called T-Window, which doesn't work. I wondered how I could translate the odd sentence, from emails, customer's own database etc. without having to save the text as a file, read the file into Trados, to translate with the full benefit of the translation memory and terminology database.
Well, then I read that SDL Trados Studio 2011 SP2 has introduced “edit source”. Taraaah! Now there is a way to do it!
  1. Create a Word file and use copy and paste to enter 1000 lines each containing just a full stop.
  2. In Trados create a project as usual with TM and Termbank and with the full stop file to be translated.
  3. In the Trados editor window you will now see a very boring screen with dots down the left column and nothing in the right column.
  4. Put your cursor in one of the "empty lines" and press alt F2 ( or use the context menu via a right mouse click).
  5. Enter the text to be translated into the source box, deleting the dot if you don't need it.
  6. Click in the right box and translate, confirm to add to the TM.
  7. Copy your translation and paste it where it's supposed to go.
  8. When you get to 1000, start again with a new file.
You may have to enable editing of the source. In my German Studio this is under Projekt -> Projekteinstellung -> Bearbeitung des Ausgangstextes für die unterstützten Dateiformate. In an English one it would be Project -> Project settings -> Allow source editing for supported file types.
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