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File structure
A file is a large sequence of bits and bytes, organised according to specific rules which vary according to the data contained in the file. Files consist of a header and a body. The header is located at the beginning of the file and has a defined structure. It contains information about the way the data is organised, what the data represents and what its extension is. The body is the data area or content. According to their content, files can be classified in:
- Executable files - programs in machine language, in script languages, in intermediate codes, such as bytecode (*.exe, *.bat, etc.)
- Non-executable files - text files, image files, music files, database files, Translation Memory eXchange files, among others
- Special files - system files (drivers, *.sys, *.dll, *.ini, *.bin), etc.
Why is this information important for translators and translation teachers?
When working with text processing applications, translation specific software and/or the Internet, translators and translation teachers are confronted with several different types of files.
It is very important to be able to distinguish with what type of files we are dealing: with executable, non-executable or special files. This will help e.g. to avoid that we execute or install a software application accidentally or in the wrong location by clicking on an executable file. Or it will allow that a translator who receives a file to be translated can immediately have an idea of what tools to use for the translation process or if the file would need further editing (e.g. if it is a file containing graphics, etc.).
Knowing about some special files is also very important for translators. If tagged files in the formats XML, SGML or HTML have to be translated using Translation Memory systems, there are special files containing all information about the internal and external tags, which are used in the documents. These special files are called Document Type Definition files or DTD files and are used by the Translation Memory system to create special filtering files, which are used to import and segment the tagged files in the editor of the system; different Translation Memory systems have a different names for these files - e.g. *.ini (initialisation) file in Trados, *.dvflt (filter) file in DéjàVu, etc.
For example, freelance translators should be aware that when accepting translation projects to translate XML, SGML or HTML files, the customer should provide these DTD files together with the documents to be translated. Otherwise, it might happen that the files are not segmented correctly and tags may be corrupted during the translation process.