diff --git a/src/main/java/de/tla2bAst/Translator.java b/src/main/java/de/tla2bAst/Translator.java
index b89c3bd764e96174bede0aa806f16ba726fc7fa4..8eb569c5495dc783591d8aa79b968991f41ea4a5 100644
--- a/src/main/java/de/tla2bAst/Translator.java
+++ b/src/main/java/de/tla2bAst/Translator.java
@@ -37,7 +37,12 @@ import java.util.stream.Collectors;
 import static de.tla2b.global.TranslationGlobals.VERSION_NUMBER;
 
 public class Translator {
-	private static final String GENERATED_BY_TLA2B_HEADER = "/*@ generated by TLA2B ";
+
+	/**
+	 * This old header looks like the generated pragma which does not parse because of the text following it.
+	 */
+	private static final String GENERATED_BY_TLA2B_HEADER_OLD = "/*@ generated by TLA2B ";
+	private static final String GENERATED_BY_TLA2B_HEADER = "/* @generated by TLA2B ";
 
 	private String parentPath;
 	private File moduleFile;
@@ -216,7 +221,8 @@ public class Translator {
 		if (machineFile.exists()) {
 			try (BufferedReader in = new BufferedReader(new FileReader(machineFile))) {
 				String firstLine = in.readLine();
-				if (firstLine != null && !firstLine.startsWith(GENERATED_BY_TLA2B_HEADER)) {
+				boolean generatedByTLA2B = firstLine != null && (firstLine.startsWith(GENERATED_BY_TLA2B_HEADER_OLD) || firstLine.startsWith(GENERATED_BY_TLA2B_HEADER));
+				if (!generatedByTLA2B) {
 					System.err.println("Error: File " + machineFile.getName() + " already exists"
 						+ " and was not generated by TLA2B.\n" + "Delete or move this file.");
 					System.exit(-1);