Confirmed/Unconfirmed Segment

Every segment in a CAT tool editor carries a status. When a translator opens a new file, all segments start as unconfirmed, they may contain a suggestion from the translation memory, a machine translation output, or nothing at all. Once the translator has reviewed and approved a segment’s translation, they confirm it. This signals that the translation is ready and intentional, not just a placeholder or an auto-inserted suggestion.

Confirmation is typically done with a keyboard shortcut, such as Ctrl+Enter (the industry standard for Trados, memoQ, and Phrase) or Enter, as the translator moves through the file. A confirmed segment usually displays a visual indicator, a checkmark, a color change, or a highlighted border, so the translator and project manager can see at a glance how much work remains.

⚙️ Why confirmation matters #️⃣

Confirmation is not just a visual status. It has direct consequences for how the CAT tool and TMS behave:

• Translation memory saving. In most CAT tools, a segment is only saved to the translation memory when it is confirmed. An unconfirmed segment (even one with a correct translation typed in), will not be stored for future reuse until the translator explicitly confirms it. While some web-based tools offer an “auto-save to TM” feature, confirmation remains the only way to officially validate the entry for the long term.
• Project completion gating. Many TMS platforms prevent a translator from marking a job as complete if unconfirmed segments remain. In Smartcat, for example, the “Done” button stays inactive until all segments are confirmed. This acts as a built-in quality checkpoint that stops partially translated “draft” files from being marked finished by mistake.
• Auto-propagation. In many tools, auto-propagation fills identical segments throughout a document as you type. Confirming a segment locks in the translation as a high-quality match and triggers propagation to any remaining identical unconfirmed segments in the file. Project managers can configure whether auto-propagation overwrites already-confirmed segments or only fills unconfirmed ones.

🔖 Key points about confirmed and unconfirmed segments #️⃣

• Confirmed segment — marked as complete and accurate, saved to translation memory for reuse in future projects.
• Unconfirmed segment — needs review or editing before it can be approved and stored. Even if it contains text, it is often treated as a “Draft.”
• TM saving — confirming a segment saves it to the TM. Leaving it unconfirmed usually does not, even if the translation looks correct.
• Auto-propagation — confirming a segment often triggers auto-propagation, automatically filling identical segments throughout the document with the newly approved translation.
• Unconfirming — a segment can be unconfirmed again after confirmation, for example when a reviewer edits it or a source update invalidates the existing translation.
• Locked segments — a separate state: protected from editing and typically excluded from the confirmation requirement before a job can be completed.

🔄 Confirmed segments in multi-step workflows #️⃣

In projects with more than one workflow stage, confirmation means something different at each stage. A segment confirmed by a translator may appear as “Unreviewed” to the reviewer. The reviewer then accepts or edits it, creating a second level of approval. Tools like LILT and Phrase use distinct visual indicators to distinguish between these states: a single checkmark for confirmed, a double checkmark for reviewed.

📤 Unconfirmed segments at delivery #️⃣

When a translated file is exported, the handling of unconfirmed segments depends on the tool’s export settings. Some platforms include the unconfirmed target text in the output as-is. Others, like Trados or memoQ, can be configured to revert unconfirmed segments to the original source text, preventing unreviewed MT output or empty strings from reaching the final layout. Checking your tool’s export configuration before delivery is good practice on any project with unconfirmed segments remaining.

Check out our documentation on reviewing translations to learn how to manage segment verification at scale.