SDL Multiterm – Object reference not set to an instance of an object

SDL products often bring various surprises and I cannot say that they are always positive. On Friday, I experienced an error message "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" shown by the SDL Multiterm 2014 Convert and Desktop after long time of smooth operation. I ended up re-installing the software, which was quite useless, as there is an easy and quick fix available that worked for me. Here is what might help you.

Symptom: 

When converting to import into a new or existing termbase, or when working with existing termbase, the following errors are shown by the SDL Multiterm 2014 Convert and Desktop

• An error occurred while parsing EntityName. Line X, position XXX
• Object reference not set to an instance of an object

Fix: Check your project folder path and see whether it contains any ampersand or semicolon. If this is the case, remove or replace these characters. The termbase and conversion utility should now work correctly.