Translation IME Custom Phrases Not Working? Dictionary Import & Candidate Priority
Listed but not in candidates: activation, import encoding, priority, then session refresh.
When Translation IME custom phrases or a dictionary do not apply, confirm the lexicon is active with a matching language pair and exact trigger, re-check UTF-8 import columns and overwrite rules, then raise candidate priority and refresh the IME session. Route missing candidates, hotkey failures, lag/high CPU, and privacy wording to their own articles—do not reinstall the OS for one lexicon row.
1 Separate “phrase not applying” from a broken IME
Three symptoms—mixing them burns three re-imports.
Custom phrases / dictionary not applying: the entry exists (or import reported OK), but typing the trigger never shows your translation, pushes it to the last page, or keeps the default gloss.
No pinyin candidates or cannot switch back to Chinese → candidate/input-source issue, not the lexicon. Silent Alt/Ctrl → hotkey conflicts. Setup will not run → Windows install failure—unrelated to phrases.
Only asking whether entries count as user-provided data or whether customer names are safe examples → privacy baseline cross-read. This article stays operational.
2 Thirty-second checks: on, pair matched, trigger exact
Most “not working” cases die here before format debates.
Settings → Dictionary → Custom dictionaries: the target lexicon must be Active. Created-but-off lists show rows that never reach candidates.
Match the dictionary language pair to the current input direction. A ZH→EN row will not fire in an EN→ZH session; locking the wrong direction in cross-language chat feels like a “broken dictionary.”
Type the trigger exactly as stored—extra spaces, full/half-width, and case (if your build cares) all miss. In Notepad, copy the “source” column from the import file; do not rely on memory.
3 Import: encoding, columns, overwrite rules
Import success ≠ refreshed candidates; bad encoding can drop rows quietly.
Prefer UTF-8 CSV with at least source and translation columns; if a priority column exists, follow the in-app legend. Tab-separated TXT and first-sheet Excel also work. GBK/BOM mismatches often skip garbled lines while the UI still says “done.”
If the dialog offers skip-duplicates vs overwrite-same-key, the wrong choice keeps the old gloss. Choose overwrite when you mean to replace, then search the list for that source string.
For large files, import 5–10 rows first and verify. Only then load the full set—easier than hunting one bad line in two thousand. Step-by-step UI notes live in the custom dictionary guide; this page pins the “imported but inert” failure points.
4 Candidate priority: present, but pushed off the first screen
Users often treat “page three” as “not working.”
One trigger can hit system words, suggestions, cloud candidates, and your custom row. Raise that entry’s priority (or equivalent weight) and temporarily disable aggressive suggestion experiments, then retest.
Several custom dictionaries active at once can bury the one you care about. Leave only the business lexicon on; when it fires, re-enable others to find the override.
A short candidate window (3–5 rows) hides lower-ranked custom hits behind Page Down. Flip pages to prove the row exists, then raise priority—do not delete and re-import blindly.
5 Session and cache: make the IME reread the table
If the process still holds the old map, the UI shows new rows while commit uses the old gloss.
After priority edits or overwrite imports: toggle the dictionary off/on, or quit the tray/menu-bar IME and switch back. Still stale? Sign out of the Windows session once, or log out/in on macOS, then retest Notepad.
With cloud sync on, another device’s older snapshot can overwrite today’s edit. Watch conflict prompts; during triage, pause sync, prove the local lexicon, then turn sync back on.
Antivirus or managed policy may block writes to the lexicon folder—settings “save” while disk stays old. On corporate PCs, loop in IT; on personal PCs, exclude the real config path and re-import.
6 Acceptance order and where to go next
Only after five checks fail should you export a backup and reinstall the current package.
Verify: (1) dictionary active; (2) source string searchable in the list; (3) Notepad, same language pair, same trigger; (4) custom gloss on page one or visible after paging; (5) WeChat/browser behave the same. Fail (1)–(4) → stay here. Fail (5) → app compatibility, not CSV shape.
No candidates → candidate article. Dead hotkeys → hotkey conflicts. Typing lag or high IME CPU → lag & high-CPU article (a working phrase still allows heavy prefetch). Policy wording for entries → privacy baseline. Installer failures → Windows install guide.
Platform packages and version fields live on the download page; stepwise add/import templates live in the guides hub and custom dictionary guide. FAQ is fine for quick symptom routing before a deep dive.
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FAQ
The entry shows in the dictionary list but never appears while typing. Is that “not working”?
Yes. Usual causes: dictionary toggle off, language-pair mismatch, or system/suggestion candidates outranking yours. Retest in Notepad, then check import and priority—do not reinstall first.
CSV import says success. Why do candidates still show the old translation?
Success only means the file was read. Without “overwrite duplicates,” or without refreshing the IME session, the old row still wins. Toggle the dictionary off/on, or restart the IME process, then type the same trigger string.
Does this article cover privacy compliance for custom entries?
No. How entries map to “information you provide” belongs in the custom-dictionary privacy baseline cross-read. This page only troubleshoots “I added it and it does not fire,” with no extra sync-region or retention claims.
There is no candidate bar at all. Is the dictionary corrupt?
Usually not. Missing candidates → candidate / stuck-in-English article; dead hotkeys → hotkey conflicts. Dictionary issues look like “candidates exist, but my phrase is missing or buried.”
Export your custom dictionary before reinstalling; get the current package from the download page
If you are ready to install or update, return to the download page and verify the current public version, platform notes, and on-site release information.