Remove a bad import from a translation memory

The wrong client's TMX went into the master TM, or an MT-pretranslated file was imported as if it were reviewed. CAT tools import in one click and offer nothing to take it back — unless you still have the file you imported, which you usually do.

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━━ the problem

the units look like all the others

After the import, the bad units carry the same languages and fields as everything else. Deleting them by hand means searching one sentence at a time.

some sentences were already there

Where the bad file had the same source with a different translation, you want to keep yours. A crude "delete everything with this source" throws away good work.

the import date is the only trace

Without the file, the only clue is when it happened: every unit created or changed that afternoon.

━━ how TM Cleaner handles it

Export the TM to TMX and drop it in, then choose “+ Remove what's also in another TM” and add the file you imported. Every pair found in it is removed — pair by pair, so your own translation of the same source stays. No file? Remove everything changed after a date under Translators & dates.

✓matches whole pairs, ignoring case and spacing differences
✓your translation of the same source stays when the bad file had a different one
✓every removed unit is listed as “in the other TM” and kept in removed.tmx
✓works with zips and spreadsheets on either side

━━ frequently asked

what if I no longer have the file I imported?+

use the date filter in Translators & dates: remove every unit changed after the import. the preview shows exactly which units that is before anything goes.

does the other TM need the same language codes?+

no. it's read with your TM's source language, so en_US against en-US, or a header that says *all*, still lines up.

how do I get the result back into my CAT tool?+

import the cleaned TMX into a new, empty TM (or replace the old one's content), the usual way.

━━ related pages

Translation memory cleaner for Trados Translation memory cleaner for memoQ Remove duplicate translation units from a TM Translation memory cleaner for Phrase (Memsource)Clean a TMX for MT training data Clean a translation memory for AI translation Translation memory cleaner for XTM Cloud Remove machine translation from a translation memory Translation memory cleaner for OmegaT Translation memory cleaner for Smartcat Translation memory cleaner for Crowdin Fix a TMX that won't import Merge TMX files into one translation memory Convert Excel or CSV to TMX Reverse a TMX or extract one language pair Anonymize a translation memory before sharing it guide: how to clean a translation memory

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