Backup for Translation agencies

Why Translation agencies are extra vulnerable to data loss

What makes translation agencies data a high-value target — and what happens when it's gone

Translation agencies store some of the most sensitive data in their field — including client source documents | translated content | glossaries & translation memories. This combination of confidential records, long statutory retention obligations, and day-to-day reliance on software like SDL Trados makes them a prime target for cybercriminals.

Ransomware groups increasingly target organisations that cannot afford downtime — and translation agencies fit that profile exactly. A firm that loses access to its client source documents cannot operate. Deadlines are missed, regulatory obligations are breached, and clients lose trust. Under GDPR / AVG, data must be retained for 7 years — meaning a data loss event does not just disrupt operations today, it creates legal liability that extends years into the future.

The risk is not abstract. Loss of translation memories (irreplaceable ip), ransomware on tms, breach of confidential client source documents is the leading threat for this sector. Files with characteristics like translation memory databases | confidential source documents are difficult or impossible to reconstruct from memory once lost. Every day without a verified, offsite backup is a day of unnecessary exposure.

• Translation agencies
• Client source documents
• ISO 17100 (translation quality)

The misconception that costs many translation agencies dearly

"Translated files are sent to the client — we don't need to keep our own copies."

It is easy to understand why many translation agencies believe this. SDL Trados is marketed as a professional-grade platform, and vendors naturally emphasise uptime and reliability. But there is a critical difference between redundancy and recovery. A system can be highly available and still offer you zero protection the moment ransomware encrypts your files or an administrator accidentally deletes a directory.

Synchronisation tools — including those built into SDL Trados — propagate changes in near real-time. When ransomware encrypts a file, that encrypted version immediately overwrites your 'backed up' copy. By the time the attack is discovered, every sync destination contains the same unusable data. This is not a backup. It is a perfectly synchronised disaster.

The practical consequence: without an independent, immutable backup, translation agencies facing a ransomware attack have two options — pay the ransom or start over. Neither is acceptable when GDPR / AVG requires you to demonstrate full data integrity to regulators.

What do I need to back up if I use SDL Trados?

The data translation agencies typically overlook when using SDL Trados

SDL Trados manages your day-to-day workflow, but its built-in data protection typically covers only what happens within the application itself. It does not automatically back up your entire data environment — and there are several categories of data that fall outside its scope entirely.

For translation agencies using SDL Trados, the following should be included in any proper backup: client source documents, translated content, glossaries & translation memories, invoices. If you also use memoQ, any data in those systems must be covered separately.

Pay particular attention to translation memory databases | confidential source documents. These file types are either difficult to reconstruct or subject to strict legal retention requirements. A backup strategy that does not explicitly cover them is incomplete — and potentially non-compliant.

• Translation agencies
• Client source documents
• SDL Trados

What a proper backup actually does

The 3-2-1 rule — and why it matters for translation agencies

The 3-2-1 rule is the baseline standard for data resilience: keep at least 3 copies of your data, on 2 different types of storage media, with 1 copy stored offsite. For translation agencies, this is not just best practice — it is increasingly a regulatory expectation under frameworks like GDPR / AVG.

In practice: your primary production data counts as copy 1. A local backup (on a NAS or secondary server) is copy 2, enabling fast recovery without waiting for a cloud download. Copy 3 is stored in an offsite data centre — physically and logically separated from your main environment, so a fire, flood, or ransomware attack cannot reach all three copies simultaneously.

Mindtime extends this to a 4-copy model, with an additional snapshot stored in a second Dutch data centre. For translation agencies managing client source documents, this means your data is always recoverable — from a clean, pre-attack restore point — regardless of what happens on-site.

How do translation agencies protect themselves against ransomware?

Specific measures for translation agencies — beyond antivirus

Ransomware attacks on translation agencies typically follow a predictable pattern: initial access via a phishing email or compromised credential, lateral movement to identify high-value data, and then encryption of everything — including network shares and connected backup drives.

The single most effective defensive measure is an immutable offsite backup — one that ransomware cannot reach. Beyond backup, translation agencies should implement: multi-factor authentication on all systems (particularly SDL Trados), regular software updates and patch management, network segmentation to limit lateral movement, and staff awareness training on phishing recognitions.

Critically, a backup is only useful if it has been tested. Many organisations discover during a recovery that their backup is incomplete, out of date, or corrupted. Mindtime performs automated integrity checks on every backup and alerts you if a backup fails — so you know your data is recoverable before you need it, not during a crisis.

How do I create a backup if I use SDL Trados?

A practical guide for translation agencies using SDL Trados

Setting up a proper backup for translation agencies using SDL Trados (and memoQ if applicable) involves more than activating the export function in your software. Here is the practical approach:

First, identify all data that must be retained under GDPR / AVG — including client source documents | translated content | glossaries & translation memories. Map every location where this data lives: within SDL Trados, on local drives, on shared network folders, and in any integrated third-party tools.

Second, configure Mindtime's agent on each endpoint and server that holds translation agencies data. The agent performs incremental backups continuously, so you are never more than a few minutes behind your last recovery point. Backup frequency, retention periods, and encryption settings are all configured to meet your specific regulatory requirements.

Third, run a test restore within the first week. Verify that client source documents and other critical data types can be recovered fully and within your acceptable downtime window. Document the process so your team knows exactly what to do if an incident occurs.

Data retention and compliance obligations for translation agencies

GDPR / AVG and what it means for your backup strategy

Translation agencies operate under some of the most specific data retention obligations in their field. The primary framework is GDPR / AVG, which sets clear requirements for how long client source documents must be kept, in what format, and with what level of accessibility.

Key retention requirements for translation agencies:

— 7 years (fiscal)

— Translation memories: indefinite (core business asset)

— Per client NDA

Beyond retention duration, these regulations also require that data remains accessible and verifiable throughout the retention period. A backup that cannot be searched, exported, or audited does not satisfy the requirement. Mindtime's backup platform includes point-in-time restore, meaning you can retrieve any version of a file at any point within the retention window — exactly what regulators require during an audit.

Certification under ISO 17100 (translation quality) demonstrates that your data protection processes meet a recognised standard — which regulators and clients increasingly expect.

• Translation agencies
• GDPR / AVG
• ISO 17100 (translation quality)

Five steps to get this sorted

A practical checklist for translation agencies implementing a proper backup strategy

Your questions answered

Frequently asked questions about backup for translation agencies