--- title: "Similar Phrases" description: "Use Similar Phrases to speed up the translation process and improve consistency across your project." canonical: "https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/translation-memory" product: "babeledit" source: "html" --- # Similar Phrases Similar Phrases is a built-in translation memory like feature in BabelEdit that helps you translate more efficiently by showing previously used phrases and their translations. This feature automatically identifies similar text fragments in your project to: * Reuse existing translations * Maintain consistent wording across languages * Identify inconsistencies in source text ### Speeding up the translation process When translating content, you'll often encounter phrases similar to ones you've translated before. Instead of translating from scratch each time, Similar Phrases lets you quickly reuse existing translations, saving time and effort. ### Consistency in the translations Similar Phrases helps maintain consistency by showing how you've previously translated words and phrases in similar contexts. For example, when translating the English word "cancel" to German, you might choose between synonyms like "abbestellen" or "kündigen". The Similar Phrases feature shows which variant you've already used in your project, helping you maintain consistent terminology. ### Consistency in the source language A nice side-effect is that Similar Phrases as implemented in BabelEdit also works in your source language. E.g. if you used "Cancel subscription" and "Stop subscription" you'll see both variants in the **Similar Phrases** view. ## How can I use Similar Phrases in BabelEdit? To activate Similar Phrases simply click on the in the bottom right corner of BabelEdit: ![Using Similar Phrases in BabelEdit](https://www.codeandweb.com/static/a707b355cba0a4e8c47fcc20683c9ccf/283d3/translation-memory%402x.png) This shows a pane at the bottom of the center view with phrases that you used in a similar context. As you see in the screenshot above, _Cancel subscription_ was already translated in a different context. You can simply pick one of the already translated phrases using the keyboard shortcut, or by clicking on the line with the translation you want. As you also see, it was used quite inconsistently in that file. There is one inconsistency in English: _Cancel subscription_ vs _Stop subscription_ and another one in the German translation: _Tarif abbestellen_ vs _Tarif kündigen_. ## Does BabelEdit have a Translation Memory? Not directly. The similar phrases is a lightweight translation memory to help you reuse existing translations and keep wording consistently. The database is automatically built from your current translation project. There's no need to manually add or remove entries. Its currently biggest limitation is that you can't import or export TMX (**T**ranslation **M**emory e**X**change) files. ## In this section - [Installation](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation.md) - [Framework selection](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/framework-selection.md) - [Main screen](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/main-screen.md) - [Project configuration](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/project-configuration.md) - [Configure languages](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/configure-languages.md) - [Adding translations](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/adding-translations.md) - [Search & filters](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/search-and-filters.md) - [Editing tools](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/editing-tools.md) - [Import & export](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/import-export.md) - [.NET (.resx)](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/frameworks/dotnet.md) - [Angular](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/frameworks/angular.md) - [Ember.js](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/frameworks/ember-js.md) - [Flutter (.arb)](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/frameworks/flutter.md) - [Gettext (.po, .pot)](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/frameworks/po-files.md) - [i18next (json)](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/frameworks/i18next.md) - [Java](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/frameworks/java.md) - [JSON](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/frameworks/json.md) - [Laravel (php/json)](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/frameworks/laravel.md) - [React](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/frameworks/react.md) - [Ruby On Rails](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/frameworks/ruby-on-rails.md) - [Svelte](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/frameworks/svelte.md) - [Vue.js](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/frameworks/vue-js.md) - [YAML](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/frameworks/yaml.md) - [Overview](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/features.md) - [Machine Translation](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/machine-translation.md) - [ConsistencyAI](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/consistency-ai.md) - [Spell Checker](https://www.codeandweb.com/babeledit/documentation/spellchecker.md)