File Format Reference

This page documents the Supervertaler Project Data Format (Universal Data Exchange Standard).

If you prefer the repository copy, see: https://github.com/michaelbeijer/Supervertaler/blob/main/docs/specifications/SUPERVERTALER_DATA_FORMAT.md

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Supervertaler Project Data Format

Universal Data Exchange Standard

Date: October 14, 2025
Version: 1.0
Status: Implemented

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Overview

The Supervertaler Project Data Format is a unified, comprehensive data structure available in two file formats (DOCX and TSV). It serves as the standard for data exchange, archiving, and specialized workflows.

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Core Format Specification

Column Structure (Version 1.0)

Column	Type	Description	Required
ID	Integer	Segment identifier	✅ Yes
Status	String	Translation status (untranslated, draft, translated, approved, locked)	✅ Yes
Source	String	Source text	✅ Yes
Target	String	Target text	✅ Yes
Paragraph	Integer	Original paragraph ID	✅ Yes
Notes	String	Translator/proofreader notes	⚪ Optional

File Formats

1. DOCX Format

• Structure: Word table with 6 columns
• Style: "Light Grid Accent 1"
• Headers: Bold text
• Use case: Review, printing, Word-based workflows

2. TSV Format

• Structure: Tab-separated values
• Encoding: UTF-8
• Header row: Column names
• Use case: Excel analysis, scripting, data processing

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Current Implementation

Export

Menu: Export > Supervertaler project data (DOCX/TSV)

Methods:

• export_supervertaler_data() - Main entry point with format dialog
• export_bilingual_docx_full() - DOCX export with all 6 columns
• export_tsv() - TSV export with all 6 columns

Import

Status: Not yet implemented (planned feature)

Planned functionality:

• Import DOCX or TSV files in Supervertaler project data format
• Auto-detect format based on file extension
• Validate column structure
• Reimport with full metadata preservation

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Future Extensions

1. Proofreading Workflow 📝

Concept: Round-trip translation → proofreading → reimport

Export for Proofreading:

Menu: Export > For proofreading (DOCX/TSV)

Format: Same 6-column structure
Special handling:
  - Lock translated segments (status = locked)
  - Add "Proofread by: ___" field
  - Include proofreading instructions

Import from Proofreading:

Menu: Import > Proofread document (DOCX/TSV)

Features:
  - Compare with original segments
  - Track proofreader changes
  - Update targets with proofread versions
  - Preserve status and notes
  - Generate change report

2. Glossary Integration 📚

Concept: Export segments as glossary entries

3. QA Workflow 🔍

Concept: Export for quality assurance checks

4. Segment Filtering & Partial Export 🎯

Concept: Export subsets based on filters

5. Version Comparison 🔄

Concept: Compare two versions of same document

6. Collaborative Translation 👥

Concept: Split project among multiple translators