diff -u b/src/Form/JobItemForm.php b/src/Form/JobItemForm.php
--- b/src/Form/JobItemForm.php
+++ b/src/Form/JobItemForm.php
@@ -335,17 +335,21 @@
         // Update the translation, this will only update the translation in case
         // it has changed. We have two different cases, the first is for nested
         // texts.
-        $text = is_array($value['translation']) ? $value['translation']['value'] : $value['translation'];
+        $original_text = is_array($value['translation']) ? $value['translation']['value'] : $value['translation'];
+        $text = $original_text;
+        if ($text == '') {
+          $text = ''; // empty segment-only tags
+        }
+        // Initialise the empty translation with empty segment-only tags.
+        // Otherwise mask the translation's HTML tags.
         $data_item = $item->getData($data_service->ensureArrayKey($key));
-
-        // Mask the translation's HTML tags.
         \Drupal::moduleHandler()->alter('tmgmt_data_item_text_input', $text, $data_item, $item);
 
         $data = [
           '#text' => $text,
           '#origin' => 'local',
         ];
-        if ($data['#text'] == '' && $item->isActive() && $form_state->getTriggeringElement()['#value'] != '✓') {
+        if ($original_text == '' && $item->isActive() && $form_state->getTriggeringElement()['#value'] != '✓') {
           $data = NULL;
           continue;
         }
only in patch2:
unchanged:
--- a/src/Entity/Job.php
+++ b/src/Entity/Job.php
@@ -708,12 +708,7 @@ class Job extends ContentEntityBase implements EntityOwnerInterface, JobInterfac
     // We don't know if the translator plugin already processed our
     // translation request after this point. That means that the plugin has to
     // set the 'submitted', 'needs review', etc. states on its own.
-    if (!empty($this->getItems())) {
-      $this->getTranslatorPlugin()->requestTranslation($this);
-    }
-    else {
-      $this->submitted();
-    }
+    $this->getTranslatorPlugin()->requestTranslation($this);
 
     // Reset it again so getData returns again all the values.
     $this->filterTranslatedItems = FALSE;