Text import / export

[Exergy_cad]

Hello,

we have aquired a big set of drawings with german text that needs to be translated in english. Is there any possibility to export the text, translate it outside autocad and the reimport it where it belongs?

Thanks in advance for help.

[hwalker]

You can copy and paste text, into and out of Autocad.

I would suggest copying your text into google translate.

And when you paste the text back into Autocad paste it into an MTEXT box

[pendean]

... and good luck with the quality of the translation: hope nothing critical gets built with those drawings.

[hwalker]

Yeah I agree the translations can be very dodgy at times.

The fun thing with google translate is to put in a simple sentence and then translate it to language1 then from language 1 to language2 and so on and so forth and then eventually translate it back to the original language and see how much the sentence has changed.

[dmfrazier]

The modern day version of the "telephone game".

[Exergy_cad]

Thanks for the replies,

unfortunately google translate is not an option, the drawings are mechanical fabrication drawing of rotating machines, so mistakes are not allowed. The idea was to export the text, send it to a translation company and the import it back, already that will be very time consuming due to the number of drawings involved.

I previously used ATTIN/ATTOUT to edit data outside autocad, I wonder if there is something similar for text.

[hwalker]

Unless you have someone who actually speaks German, I'm afraid translation software is the only way it can be done.

[Exergy_cad]

The problem is not the language itself but how to get the text in and out of the autocad drawings in a way that takes reasonable time.

[martti.halminen]

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@Exergy_cad wrote:

Hello,

we have aquired a big set of drawings with german text that needs to be translated in english. Is there any possibility to export the text, translate it outside autocad and the reimport it where it belongs?

Thanks in advance for help.

---

If you happen to have AutoCAD Mechanical, there is some kind of language converter tool in the Tools>Language menu.

- I've never used it myself, seems to be a straight phrase-for-phrase converter so would need serious setup work.

Googling finds plenty of references for third-party translation tools for AutoCAD.

--

[RichieBurns]

if you had Autodesk civil 3D you would be able to export the text/points as shapefiles, these would come with.dbf files associated with them that would contain text and be editable in excel or an equivelent but it would be important not to move the text around from one box to another

[hwalker]

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@Exergy_cad wrote:

The problem is not the language itself but how to get the text in and out of the autocad drawings in a way that takes reasonable time.

---

As I said before copy and paste.
You can select text and copy and paste as if it is normal text as long as you are in the mtext box and select the text that way

Just create an mtext box and then paste your text in there.

[Exergy_cad]

Hello,

I have Autodesk Plant Design suite, with the normal autocad.

[pendean]

May I ask why you are ignoring the advice being offered to do what you want?

Do you not know how to use copy/paste? Or need more help but too shy to ask?

Open the text in your AutoCAD file: if it's mtext it's easier, if you only used TEXT it's harder.
CTRL+C (aka copy to clipboard)
Open MSWORD or Windows Notepad, then CTRL+V (aka paste from clipboard).
Done.

Now send your word document anywhere you want.

Caveat: Do NOT simply select the mext or text and copy, all you will paste in an image.

[Exergy_cad]

Thanks,
I do know how to use copy/paste and that is our last resort, I was hoping there was a faster way to process all the text but it seems there isn?t one.

[pendean]

Why didn't you say so earlier then? ignoring responses and hoping someone can read your mind is no way to work with remote assistance sites.

http://www.cadforum.cz/cadforum_en/qaID.asp?tip=6041
http://www.cadig.com/products/autocad-word.php
http://www.autolisp.org/export-selected-text-lisp/
http://dotsoft.com/word2cad.htm

Or ask here for help wirting your own Lisp.

[Exergy_cad]

Thanks for the suggestions, we will probably end up having a consultant making the changes in the autocad drawings or using Cad studio trans as you suggested.

There is no need to be rude, I tried to formulate the problem the best way I could, not everyone has lots of experience of online forums.

[dmfrazier]

"There is no need to be rude..."

How right you are!

As you continue to use these discussion forums (as I think you should and hope you will), you will discover that there are certain members who, despite their "expert" status (or maybe because of it), apparently cannot help themselves.  Eventually you learn that there is no way to stop it, so your best course is to simply ignore it and take the good with the bad.

[pendean]

No rudeness intended: perhaps a little frustration you ignored another who offer the same tip more than once (#2 and #11 in this thread). Give and take, not just take, to make remote assistance most helpful to all participants.

Consider actively answering those who take the time to offer suggestions, even if it's a 'no thanks' on your part.