Alignment tools
Alignment tools change how source and target passages correspond. Before using them, identify whether the problem affects one side, both sides, one sentence boundary, or a longer stretch of rows.
The alignment segment toolbar is customizable through its gear. Its commands are separate from translation, memory, and termbase commands. Toolbar controls explains showing the menu, configuring commands and research links, and assigning shortcuts.
Choose the source or target side
Click inside the source or target cell you intend to change. Commands such as one-sided merge, split, shift, and deletion use that side. Select the intended rows before a multi-row action.
A locked row protects a verified pair. Unlock the affected row, and any required neighboring row, before attempting an operation that changes it.
Alignment tools can change neighboring rows
For structural work, clear table filters and inspect the surrounding rows in document order. Several operations use actual neighbors or a whole stretch between locks, including rows outside a narrowed view. Selecting one visible row does not limit every alignment operation to that row.
Use Shift-click to select a displayed range, or Ctrl/Command-click for separate rows. Select all selects the filtered set. For merges, select a consecutive group so unrelated passages are not combined.
Bookmark, lock, and navigate pairs
Use previous or next locked-row commands to move between anchors. Use mismatch navigation to find suspicious length relationships and the first-unlocked command to resume unchecked work.
Bookmark rows that need a later decision. A bookmark is a reminder, while a lock is a structural protection used by alignment operations.
| Command | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Lock / Unlock | Protect or release selected pairs. A mixed selected group is locked together; run again to unlock the group. |
| Previous lock / Next lock | Jump to a locked pair before or after the current position |
| Previous mismatch / Next mismatch | Investigate a suspicious source–target length relationship; a mismatch is a clue, not proof of a wrong pairing |
| First unlocked | Resume from the first pair that is not locked |
| Bookmark | Mark selected rows for a later decision |
| Find and Replace | Open the replacement panel for wording corrections |
| Filter | Use highlighted source or target wording to investigate related rows |
A pair you verify and lock also establishes a boundary for nearby structural work. Lock useful verified pairs on each side of a difficult passage before recalculating that passage.
Merge a one-to-many pair
Suppose one source sentence is translated as two target sentences. If the source is already correct, select the relevant rows and use the target-only merge. If both sides need consolidation, use the command that merges source and target together.
After merging, check that the combined wording has appropriate spacing and that the next row still corresponds. A merge is not an instruction to discard content from the other language.
| Merge command | Result |
|---|---|
| Merge source | Combines source text into the first selected row and clears the later selected source cells. Target text stays on its own side. |
| Merge target | Combines target text into the first selected row and clears the later selected target cells. Source text stays on its own side. |
| Merge units | Combines both languages into one pair and removes the other merged rows |
With only one row selected, merge includes the next row. Check and unlock that neighbor first. With several rows selected, check the entire selected group and its lock boundaries.
For example, if a source sentence occupies two rows but its target occupies one, merge the source wording. If two complete pairs belong together, merge units. One-sided merge can leave blank cells that need a subsequent structural adjustment.
Split a passage at the cursor
Place the cursor where the content should divide. The existing-row split actions move part of the active side into the neighboring row; the as a new row variants create an additional row instead.
For example, Split up can move the text before the cursor into the preceding row on the active side. Use the corresponding downward or new-row action when that better matches the required structure.
Do not select a text range when the action requires a cursor position. If the neighboring row is locked or no suitable neighbor exists, read the message and choose an appropriate alternative.
| Split command | Result at a cursor placed inside the text |
|---|---|
| Split up | Moves text before the cursor to the preceding cell on the same language side, appending it to any existing text |
| Split down | Moves text after the cursor to the following cell on the same side, combining it with that cell's content |
| Split up as a new row | Places the preceding portion in a new row above; the opposite-language cell in that new row is empty |
| Split down as a new row | Places the following portion in a new row below; the opposite-language cell in that new row is empty |
Place the cursor between the two passages you want to separate. At the start or end of the text, the action can move the whole passage instead. Inspect the resulting rows, not just the cell where the cursor started.
Move source or target text up or down
Push up, push down, and swap commands move alignment content on the active side. They are useful when an extra heading or missing passage has put the two languages out of step.
Inspect the command's description and both neighboring rows before applying it. Use an empty row for material that has no counterpart rather than forcing unrelated sentences into the same pair.
| Command | Requirements and effect |
|---|---|
| Push up | Select one unlocked row on the intended side. The preceding cell on that side must be empty. The following content shifts upward within the current lock-bounded stretch, leaving an empty cell at its end. |
| Push down | Select one unlocked row. There must be an empty cell farther down on that side before the next lock. Content shifts down into that space, leaving the selected cell empty. |
| Swap | With one row selected, swaps its active-side text with the next row. With two selected unlocked rows in the same stretch, swaps their active-side text. The other language stays in place. |
| Add empty segment | Adds an empty pair after the selected position so you have space for an unmatched passage or a structural adjustment |
If target text is one row too high and there is an empty target cell below, activate the target side and use Push down from the start of the shifted passage. Then reread the affected stretch. Push is a change to the arrangement of that side, so more than the selected pair can change.
Delete text or pairs
Delete source, delete target, and delete whole units have different effects. One-sided deletion removes text from that language; whole-unit deletion removes the pair. Cursor-to-start and cursor-to-end actions remove part of the active text.
Use cleanup or deduplication only after checking the selection and purpose. Repetition can be meaningful in a document, even when you later choose not to retain duplicated pairs in a memory.
The toolbar separates Delete source, Delete target, and Delete units. One-sided deletion clears the selected language cells. Unit deletion removes the selected pairs. Delete to left and Delete to right remove the part of the active cell before or after the cursor.
The ribbon's Dedupe and Prune work across the loaded alignment, regardless of row selection or filters. Dedupe removes duplicate pairs. Prune asks for confirmation and removes pairs that fail its checks, including empty sides, unsuitable text, pairs containing only numbers on both sides, and suspicious length relationships. Review such material before pruning: it may belong in the original documents even if you choose to exclude it from a reusable memory.
Realign rows within lock boundaries
Realign inside the current lock boundary recalculates the unlocked stretch around the selected row. The surrounding locked pairs determine the boundary, not merely the selected row's position.
Realign with AI and its current-boundary alternative add AI assistance. They require the selected service to be available. Review the resulting pairings again.
Manual alignment resegments and pairs content by position so you can make manual adjustments. Equal row indexes are a starting arrangement, not a judgment that the meanings match.
Both the toolbar's ordinary realignment and Manual alignment use the unlocked stretch around the selected position, bounded by the surrounding locks or the document edges. They do not use the selected rows as a narrow replacement range.
For a local repair:
- Verify and lock a correct pair before and after the problem.
- Select an unlocked row inside that stretch.
- Choose the current-boundary realignment action, or Manual alignment when you want a fresh positional arrangement.
- Review every resulting pair between the locks.
- Apply targeted merges, splits, or shifts, then lock the pairs you have checked.
The ribbon also has document-wide AI realignment. Distinguish it from Realign current boundary with AI before running it; the document action can reach other unlocked stretches.
The anchor options let you choose cues such as numbers, uppercase tokens, title-case phrases, URLs, emails, and bilingual term pairs. An anchor cue helps locate correspondence; it does not prove that every row between two cues is correct.
Review, undo, and save
Use alignment Undo or Redo if a structural change gives the wrong result. After a sequence of corrections, reread the affected stretch from a known verified pair to the next one.
Then import reviewed pairs to a memory or export TMX. See Alignment for the complete workflow.
If a command is missing, check the gear, selected row count, active language side, locks, and available neighbors. A split also needs the cursor inside the active cell, with no highlighted text range. Undo and Redo appear when the corresponding history is available.
Identify the command icons
These cards show the commands offered in the alignment toolbar's gear menu. Checking a card adds its command to the toolbar. Read the operation's scope above before running a structural command.
Lock or unlock
Select verified pairs and lock them to protect their arrangement. Locked pairs also bound nearby realignment and shifting operations.
A mixed selected group is locked together. Run the command again to unlock the group when a correction is needed.
Realign within the current boundary
Verify and lock a correct pair on each side of the problem, then select an unlocked row between them and realign.
The operation recalculates the unlocked stretch between surrounding locks or document edges. Its scope is broader than the selected row.
Realign with Searchspeare
Select an unlocked row inside the stretch you need to repair and request assisted realignment. Use verified locked pairs to bound that stretch.
Review every resulting pair between the locks. Do not confuse this with the ribbon’s document-wide AI realignment.
Manual alignment
Use this inside the relevant lock-bounded stretch to resegment the content and pair it by position for manual adjustment.
Equal row positions are a starting arrangement. Check meanings, then repair the pairings with merges, splits, and shifts.
Previous lock
Move to the preceding locked pair to inspect a verified boundary. A lock is a useful navigation point as well as structural protection.
Next lock
Move to the following locked pair to inspect the end of a working stretch. Check the intervening rows before a structural change.
Previous mismatch
Move to the preceding suspicious source–target length relationship. Compare meanings and surrounding rows before changing the alignment.
A length mismatch is a reason to inspect a pair, not proof that it is wrong.
Next mismatch
Move to the next suspicious length relationship and compare both languages. Check for shifted text, missing material, and valid one-to-many translations.
First unlocked pair
Move to the first pair that is not locked. Use this to resume checking the alignment from the first unverified part.
Select all
Select all pairs in the current filtered set, including rows outside the screen. Clear filters and inspect document order before structural work.
Add empty segment
Select the position after which an empty pair is needed, then add a row. Use it to make space for a passage that has no counterpart or to prepare a structural adjustment.
Undo
Return to an earlier available editing state. Read the affected wording or rows after undoing; the change may involve more than the cell containing the cursor.
Undo is unavailable when there is no earlier state in the current editing history.
Redo
Reapply a change you previously undid. Inspect the resulting text or row arrangement before continuing.
Redo is unavailable when there is no later state to restore.
Push up
Activate the intended language side and select one unlocked row. The preceding cell on that side must be empty.
Content shifts upward within the current lock-bounded stretch and leaves an empty cell at its end. Inspect the entire affected stretch.
Push down
Activate the intended side and select one unlocked row. There must be an empty cell farther down that side before the next lock.
Content shifts down into that space, leaving the selected cell empty. The other language stays in place.
Swap
Activate the source or target side. With one row selected, swap that side’s text with the next row; with two suitable unlocked rows selected in the same stretch, swap their active-side text.
The opposite language remains in place. Compare both resulting pairs.
Split up
Place the cursor inside an unlocked cell with no text range highlighted. The text before the cursor moves to the preceding cell on the same language side and joins its content.
Check and unlock the neighboring row as needed before running the command.
Split up as a new row
Place the cursor at the intended division in an unlocked cell. The preceding portion moves to a new row above, whose opposite-language cell is empty.
Inspect the new row and its counterpart rather than treating the split as a completed alignment.
Split down
Place the cursor at the intended division in an unlocked cell. The text after the cursor moves to the following cell on that side and joins its content.
Check the following row and its lock before applying the split.
Split down as a new row
Place the cursor inside an unlocked cell. The following portion moves to a new row below, with an empty opposite-language cell.
Use this when another row is needed rather than adding the text to an existing neighboring cell.
Bookmark
Mark selected pairs for a later check. A bookmark is a reminder; use a lock when you also need a verified structural boundary.
Find and Replace
Open the replacement panel to correct wording on the intended language side. Check the search, matching options, locks, and filtered table before replacing.
Filter
Highlight wording on either side to investigate related rows. Use Clear all afterward to return to document order before structural work.
Several alignment operations use real neighbors or a complete stretch between locks, including rows hidden by filters.
Merge source
Select the relevant consecutive rows when one source passage is split across them. Source wording combines into the first selected row and the later selected source cells become empty; targets stay on their own side.
With one row selected, the merge includes the next row. Check and unlock that neighbor first.
Merge target
Select the relevant consecutive rows when a target passage is split across them. Target wording combines into the first selected row and the later selected target cells become empty; sources stay in place.
With one selected row, the next row is included. Read both sides and the following pair after merging.
Merge units
Select consecutive pairs that belong together and merge both languages into one pair. The other merged rows are removed.
With a single row selected, this includes the next row. Inspect neighboring content and required locks before running it.
Delete sources
Select the intended rows to clear their source-language cells. Their target wording remains.
Use whole-unit deletion only when you mean to remove both sides of the pair.
Delete targets
Select the intended rows to clear their target-language cells. Their source wording remains.
Check the selection and both neighboring pairs before clearing a group.
Delete units
Select the complete source–target pairs to remove. This deletes rows, rather than clearing only one language side.
Inspect the selection carefully; a deliberate deletion has a different purpose from filtering or fixing a shifted side.
Delete to left
Place the cursor in the intended editable cell. This removes that cell’s text before the cursor.
Check the active language side and cursor position before running it.
Delete to right
Place the cursor in the intended editable cell. This removes that cell’s text after the cursor.
Use the source-only, target-only, or unit deletion commands when the intended scope is whole selected rows instead.