BGL File – What is .bgl file and how to open it?

Babylon Glossary File (.BGL)

A Babylon Glossary File (.BGL) is a file format used by Babylon, a software application for language translation and dictionary lookup. It contains a collection of glossaries, each comprising a list of terms and their translations in one or more languages. BGL files provide a convenient way to organize and manage multiple glossaries within a single file. Users can create custom glossaries for specific domains or industries, enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of their translations. The format supports various language pairs and allows for the inclusion of multimedia content, such as images and audio clips, to enrich the learning experience.

Structure and Compatibility

BGL files follow a structured format that ensures compatibility with Babylon’s translation engine. Each glossary within the file contains a header section that specifies metadata such as the glossary name, language pairs, and any additional information. The main body of the glossary consists of term entries, each comprising a source term, its translations in one or more target languages, and optional notes or explanatory text. The file format is designed to be extensible, allowing for the incorporation of future features and enhancements. BGL files are primarily compatible with Babylon software but may also be used with other translation tools that support the file format.

Opening BGL Files Using Babylon Software

Babylon Glossary File (.BGL) files are primarily associated with the Babylon translation software suite. To open a BGL file, you need to have Babylon installed on your computer. Once installed, you can double-click the BGL file to open it in Babylon. Within Babylon, you can access the glossary and use it for translations.

Alternative Ways to Open BGL Files

If you do not have Babylon installed, there are a few alternative methods you can use to open BGL files:

• Text Editor: BGL files are essentially plain text files containing glossary entries. You can use a text editor like Notepad or TextEdit to open and view the contents of the BGL file. However, this method only allows you to see the raw text data and does not provide the full functionality of a glossary management software.
• Online Converters: There are online converters that allow you to convert BGL files to other formats, such as CSV or TXT. This can be useful if you need to import the glossary into another application that supports those formats. However, converting the file may result in some formatting or data loss.

Babylon Glossary Format

A Babylon Glossary File (BGL) is a proprietary file format used by Babylon Translator, a software application for translating text between multiple languages. BGL files store a glossary of terms and their translations and are primarily intended for use within Babylon Translator to enhance translation accuracy and consistency. They contain bilingual dictionaries with translations of words and phrases, organized into categories and subcategories for easier navigation and search.

BGL File Contents

BGL files are structured as follows:

• Header: Contains information about the file format version, language code of the source and target languages, and other metadata.
• Terms: A collection of terms and their translations, stored as key-value pairs. Each term is associated with a specific language code, and translations are provided for multiple target languages if applicable.
• Categories: A hierarchical organization of terms into categories and subcategories. Terms are assigned to categories based on their subject matter or domain.
• Usage: Records the frequency of usage of each term in translations, which can be used to prioritize translations and improve accuracy.
• Notes: Optional user-defined notes and comments associated with terms or categories.

Other Extensions