File settings for Projects

File settings enable special instructions to be added to certain Projects, either at a structural level, or a linguistic one. By allowing filter configuration and file instructions to be customized, we hope to improve quality by:

• adding indications that provide translators with more context about the project being translated and improves alignment with the your translation expectations;
• reduce formatting issues for specific file types and align with specific requirements.

Specific configurations don't add to the translation cost of your request.

File filters

File filters identify the text that needs translation while ensuring that structural and formatting elements are preserved. Unbabel develops default configurations that are able to pick on the most typically important requirements for a certain format, but it's also possible to have additional configurations for specific use-cases. File filters are created upon request and only currently available ones will be listed for selection.

To select a File filter:

1 - In step 4 of the Project creation flow, click the File filter field and select the file to which the configuration will apply from the drop down list. A configuration will only apply to the file selected with the radio button on the left panel, which lists all files in the Project - in this example, "DEL_WHMD_Announcement..." would be selected.

Note: if the File filter field is left empty, the Standard File filter for the format will be used.

2 - Once the selection is made, see the button change from Skip to Next. Change any necessary filter for all the project files and click the Next button it to enter the Review step of the flow and submit your Project once you're ready.

Instructions

With project instructions, you can give additional context and specific requirements to the translators that are specific to that project.

Expanding the Instructions panel will display all types of instructions available. Pipeline group instruction are general to all requests using the pipeline group andcan't be customized on a per-project level, but you can add extra instructions to your orders that will be displayed along with the general ones. They have 2 distinct levels:

File instructions

File instructions apply to all languages of the specific file. Make sure the file selected in the left panel is the intended one and type the instructions in the designated text box. No need to click save, as instructions save automatically and are preserved if you move between steps.

Language instructions

When the language pair has a specific need for its translation, you can add these extra instructions for each language. They can be different across all languages. To add language instructions:

1 - Make sure the file selected in the left panel is the intended one. Expand the Language specific board for instructions and click on the Target languages field.

2 - Check all languages to which you wish to add instructions.

3 - Confirm the languages were added to the field and click Add.

4 - A new text box for all languages will appear. Type your desired instructions and proceed with the Project creation. No need to click save, as instructions save automatically and are preserved if you move between steps.

Instructions interactions and propagating instructions

It's possible to propagate instructions across all files in your project, so you don't have to repeat this process. If you check the "Add these instructions to all files in the project", the instructions you are adding will apply to all files listed in the left panel. You can confirm this by navigating to the files and see the translations are present there as well.

Note: if uncheck the box later, translations will remain applied to other files and need to be removed if you so wish.

Language specific instructions take precedence over file instructions. If both are present, editors will only see the Pipeline group general instructions + language specific. However, if other languages don't have language instructions, we will display the file ones if there are any.

You can check on which instructions you provided for each order and translation job later by visiting the Project's details page.

You can see File instructions by clicking on a specific Order and selecting the Settings and Services tab:

Or you can see language instructions by clicking a Translation job within an order and check its details.