Cross-references in TermStar NXT

Terminology is of the utmost importance and is at the heart of the translation process. As a terminologist, it is very important to keep dictionaries organised and easy to access. In this post, we will talk about a feature of TermStar NXT called Cross-References, enhanced in the new Service Pack, which means that cross-references can be created very easily, you do not have to be an expert. All you need is to understand how it is done and you will be all set to create a perfect and easy-to-use dictionary. This feature helps terminologists organise dictionaries more efficiently and translators benefit from it by being able to search the dictionary in numerous ways.  

Cross-references make searching for terminology considerably easier. As previously mentioned, it is very easy to create cross-references, and with the new Service Pack for Transit NXT/TermStar NXT, a large number of cross-references can be generated automatically.

TermStar NXT supports various types of cross-references:

1. Automatically-generated cross-references for subentries
2. Cross-reference field
3. Manually-generated cross-references

Let's take a more detailed look at each one.

1. Working with automatic cross-references

This is the easiest way of creating cross-references. You do this simply by entering a subentry term, such as a synonym. TermStar then displays each subentry term as a separate language entry in the dictionary with a cross-reference to the main entry. For example, if the language entry route has the synonym subentry path, TermStar sorts path under the letter P, with a cross-reference to route, as shown in the image below:

This means that your search will yield successful results if you search the dictionary using both terms, path as well as route. This is done automatically by TermStar, all you need to do is to fill in a subentry of the main term.

2. Working with the cross-reference field

Each language entry contains the cross-reference field. TermStar NXT formats any value you enter in this field in such a way that when you click on it, you will be taken to the corresponding (cross-referenced) term in the dictionary. Follow these simple steps in order to cross-reference fields in the dictionary:

• Double-click on the data record to switch to the edit mode and select the cross-reference field by clicking on it or by using the TAB key to move the cursor to it.
• Enter the cross-reference term in this field. This term must match the term to which it is being cross-referenced, as shown in the image below. If you wish to enter several cross-references, you can do so by separating them with a semicolon.
• Select Processing > Data record > Quit to exit the edit mode. Select Yes to save the changes and No if you do not wish to save the changes.

Let's take the example of the terms file and document. We will create a cross-reference to the term document. In order to do so, enter the term document in the cross-reference field of the term file. When you select the term file, you will now see the cross-reference, click on it to go to the cross-referenced term, which in this case is document. TermStar NXT closes the data record, exits the edit mode and displays the cross-reference in a different colour. When you click on the cross-reference, TermStar NXT jumps to the cross-reference target. This is illustrated in the image below:

3. Creating cross-references manually

You can do this in two ways: cross-references to terms and cross-references to data records. Let's look at each one in more detail.

Cross-references to terms:

• Switch to the edit mode by double-clicking on the data record and select a field. 
• Enter and select the cross-reference term. The term must match the term to which it is being cross-referenced. 
• Select Processing > Language entry > Cross reference > To term. TermStar NXT changes the colour of the text to the colour of the cross-references, as set in the current dictionary layout.
• Select Processing > Data record > Quit to exit the edit mode. Select Yes to save the changes and No if you do not wish to save the changes. TermStar NXT jumps to the cross-reference target when you click on the cross-reference.
• The following figure shows an example of how we have cross-referenced set up to the term setup, already included in the dictionary.

Cross-references to data records:

• Switch to the edit mode by double-clicking on the data record and select a field. 
• Enter and select the cross-reference term. 
• Select Processing > Language entry > Cross reference > To data record.
• TermStar will display the following window:

• If TermStar is unable to find an entry, you can search for it by clicking the Find button. If several entries of the term are found, select the one you require from the right-hand side of the Create cross-reference to data record window and then click the OK button to create the cross-reference. 
• Select Processing > Data record > Quit to exit the edit mode. Select Yes to save the changes and No if you do not wish to save the changes. As you can see in the above image, we have created a cross-reference for the term document called hard copy, which is in turn another data record in the dictionary. If you click on the cross-reference, you will be taken to the data record, as shown in the image below:

Cross-references therefore provide the translator with a high level of flexibility in searching for terms and navigating the dictionary easily. They allow you to search the dictionary for terms, synonyms, cross-referenced terms, etc. All you have to do is create cross-references and then click on them in order to see the related terms.

I hope you have found this post useful. Do try it out and let us know if you have any queries or suggestions for any topic you would like us to write about. We will be back soon with another useful feature of Transit NXT/TermStar NXT.