Create a queued translation job

You can create a job to send any type of component to translation, including maps, DITA topic files, and images. If you don't want to send the job to vendor right away, you can put it on hold by queuing it.

You must have permission to be a translation coordinator or be an administrator before you can send a component to translation or manage a translation job.

To queue a translation job, the Translation Project selection must use one of the following methods:

  • GlobalLink Portal
  • GlobalLink Enterprise (PD Rest API)
  • Manual

Be aware of restrictions and exclusions that can be applied to components!

  • Optional feature restriction for Approval. By default, a translation coordinator can select any unlocked component and send it to translation. However, an administrator can remove the ability to send a component to translation unless it has been approved.
    • If an administrator sets the optional TranslationApprovedOnly feature to true and enables it:
      • In the Components browser, when using the right-click or Options menu, the Translate option cannot be selected if the component is not approved.
      • If the topic is approved, for example a map, but the references are not, the coordinator sees errors for those components that are not approved.
      • If the topic is approved, but the references are not, the translation job can't be created until one of the following occurs:
        • The TranslationApprovedOnly feature is not enabled (set to false).
        • The coordinator approves all referenced components.
        • On the Translate component screen, the coordinator clears the Include referenced components option.
  • Components can be excluded by a tag. If a user doesn't want a file sent to translation, they can use a component tag to tell other users that translation isn't required. This tag also tells Inspire not to make language copies of it or to send it to translation.
    • Inspire provides the pre-defined tag TranslateNotRequired.
    • If you apply the TranslateNotRequired tag to a component:
      • You see the component marked with a tag in the Components browser.
      • Translation coordinators can still add the tagged component to a translation job.
      • Inspire makes sure that the component isn't sent with any new translation jobs.
      • If you use this tag and the component is an XML file or a binary component such as an image or PDF file, copies of the files aren't created for translation.
      • Any links in the component continue to use references in the original language

For a complete list of translation restrictions and issues, read the answers to frequently asked questions.

Translation FAQs

Sending components to translation FAQs

To send one component to translation:

  1. Select one or more components.
  2. Enter translation details.
  3. Optionally include attributes.
  4. Optionally add more components.
  5. Optionally include reference components for GlobalLink Enterprise.
  6. Optionally configure automatic publishing of translations.
  7. Queue the translation.
  8. Manage the translation job.

1. Select a component

Important notes:

Locks. If a component is locked for review, you may be able to send it to translation if an administrator has configured Inspire to allow it.
  • If a locked review component is added to a translation job, the content sent is the same as what existed at the time it was added to a review.
  • No review comments or changes are included in the content sent to the translator.
  • Administrators can follow the steps in Allow locked review components to be translated.

Languages. You can only select components that have the same source language. This restriction allows you to submit translation jobs to external applications without encountering an error. If you have components with different source languages, you need to create a separate translation job for each source language

To select one or more components:

  1. To select one component from the Components browser:
    1. Select Components_TopMenuOpt Components.
    2. In the Folders pane, navigate to the folder that contains the component you want to translate.
    3. In the Components pane, right-click the component you want to translate, and then choose Translate.
  2. To select one component from a project:
    1. Select Projects.
    2. On the Projects Management tab, double-click to open the project you want to translate.
    3. In the Content pane, do one of the following:
      • Right click the component you want to translate, and select Translate...
      • Use the component's Options menu, and select Translate...

2. Enter translation details

1. On the Translate component screen, select the Details tab.
2. In Name, enter a unique name for the job using 100 characters or less.
3. Optionally, in Description, add details about this component using 1000 characters or less.
4. Optionally, to automatically populate options on this screen, select a Translation Configuration.

Next steps:

  • Even if you choose a Translation Configuration, you must continue with these steps to review the settings and ensure the required information has been added.
  • You can change any details that are automatically added by a Translation Configuration.
5. To identify how the translation work will be completed, choose a Translation Project. Depending on how your organization configures Inspire, you would select one of the following:
  • The method for sending the files (PD Rest Api, Manual, GlobalLink Portal, GlobalLink Connect)
  • The client or vendor name

To queue a translation job, the Translation Project selection must use one of the following methods:

  • GlobalLink Portal
  • GlobalLink Enterprise (PD Rest API)
  • Manual
5a. If you selected a Translation Project that uses integration with GlobalLink Enterprise (PD Rest API), select the Translation Workflow to use in GlobalLink Enterprise (formerly known as Project Director).

Workflows can be customized and will vary. Some examples of a workflow might be:

  • Pseudo - content is translated using machine translation
  • Human - content is translated using a human linguist
  • Pseudo review - content is translated using machine translation and reviewed by a human linguist

If your administrator has enabled the feature, you may see an option called Pivot to English.

Enable the PivotToEnglish translation

  • If enabled, the Pivot to English checkbox always appears when you create a translation from Translation Management.
    • By default, this option is checked when you translate a non-English component.
    • If the component you are sending to translation is in English, the Pivot to English checkbox is not selected by default.
  • If you create a translation job in another place, such as in the Components browser:
    • The Pivot to English checkbox only appears when you translate a non-English component.
    • The Pivot to English checkbox is hidden when you translate an English component.
  • The Pivot To English feature only works if both of the following conditions are true:

    • An Administrator enables either the PivotToEnglish option or the PivotToEnglishGB option
    • The language in the source component is NOT English
6. If you see Pivot To English, do one of the following:
  • If you need to include a translation to English before the Target language, select Pivot to English.
  • If you don't need to include a translation to English before the Target language, clear Pivot to English.

In Translation Target, to create a request that doesn't fail, you must:

  • Select a target language that is different from the language used in the source components.
  • Select a target language that exists in your project configuration in GlobalLink Enterprise (formerly known as Project Director).

If you submit a translation request for a language pair that does not exist in GlobalLink Enterprise, you see a failure notification. If the language pair cannot be found, the translation job will not be created in Inspire.

7. To select the language you want this component translated to:
7a. In Translation Target, click Select Languages.
7b. In the Select translation languages screen, select any of the following:
  • Language groups - To see only groups, click the Collapse down arrow next to the group names in bold. To see the languages in a group, click the Expand sideways arrow next to the group name in bold. Select a group to automatically include all the languages in the group.
  • Individual languages - To see an individual language in a collapsed group, click the Expand sideways arrow next to the group name in bold. Select an individual language from a group or from the language list below the groups.

Tip: By default you see all of the groups and individual languages. You can use the buttons in the title bar to quickly collapse all groups and then re-expand them all.

7c. In the Select translation languages screen, click Select.

Result: The languages you chose are listed after Select Languages.

8. In Export Configuration (Translation), select Translation unless you've created a custom export configuration you want to use instead.

An administrator can choose an export configuration to be shown automatically as the default. If you need to use something other than the default, you can select another option.

9. Optionally, to Ignore Content Attributes, select one of the following:
  • Use configuration - this is the default setting. It tells Inspire to check the Translation Attribute Management settings to ignore only the attributes that your organization has identified (marked with Ignore as content change set to True).
  • All - this setting tells Inspire to ignore all topics where the content hasn't changed but the attributes did.
  • None - this setting tells Inspire to send all content to translation regardless of attribute changes.

For example, if the only changes made to a topic are attributes used to define where page breaks are, you don't want to run this topic through translation again and incur unnecessary costs.

10. In Due Date, do any of the following:
  • Click the calendar icon to open a date picker. The current date is highlighted in blue. To select a day, click the number.
  • Enter the date in the format you use. By default, this is MM/DD/YYYY.
10a. To add a time, next to 12:00 AM, select the checkbox and then select a time from the list.
11. To include content for translation only if it has a specific profiling attribute, click Add Filter.
11a. On the Filter Profiling Attributes screen, do any of the following:
  • Leave the default value
  • Leave the default value and select additional attributes you want included in this job
  • Clear the default value and select different attributes you want included in this job
  • If there is no default value already selected, select the attributes you want included in this job
11b. On the Filter Profiling Attributes screen, click Select.

Result: The attributes you chose are listed after Clear Filter.

You only see the Prepend option if you selected a PD Rest API configuration in Translation Project.

12. To let Inspire add components to this job automatically if any topic references them, leave Include referenced content selected.

If you clear this option, you also disable the Export Configuration (Translation) list. In this case, only the components listed on the Translate component screen, on the Components tab, are sent for translation.

13. To translate content in the source components that isn't XML, such as images, select Translate Binary.
14. If your organization is using DITA specializations in Inspire, you can include a custom schema file in the translation job by selecting Include Schema.

Tips:

  • You only see this option if you select a Translation Project that uses the PD Rest API.
  • This option is helpful if an Administrator has uploaded a custom XSD and you want to include it in a translation job so the vendor can parse your XML files.
15. If there was an issue with a previous translation and you want Inspire to translate files again, you can select Force Translation of All Components.

Tips:

  • You only see this option if you select a Translation Project that allows it.
  • If any files were previously translated and there have been no changes, Inspire won't translate the files again, even if you select them.
  • Using this option forces translation and overwrites the previous translation of all files in this job.
16. If you selected a PD Rest API configuration in Translation Project, you can add the Inspire Translation Job Id to the Submission Name by selecting Prepend Translation Job Id to Submission Name.

3. Optionally include attributes

If the Translation Project type you select has attributes associated with it, you'll see an Attributes tab.

You only see this tab if you are sending additional details about the job to a GlobalLink application that Inspire can communicate with. You must select one of the following options on the Details tab, in Translation Project.
  • GlobalLink Portal (formerly Transport)
  • PD Rest

Translation attributes are created by your organization. Therefore, the attributes shown in the example screen above will be different from what you see on the Attributes tab.

  1. On the Translate component screen, click the Attributes tab.
  2. For all required information that's marked with a red star, enter information in each text box.
  3. Optionally, for attributes not marked with a red star, do one of the following:
    • Under each label, enter information in the text box.
    • Leave the option empty.

4. Optionally add more components

Tips and tricks

  • You must have at least one unlocked component in the translation job.
  • If a component is locked for review, you can add it to the translation job ONLY if the TranslationLockSourceDisabled option is set to True. Administrators can follow the instructions in Allow locked review components to be translated.
    • If a locked review component is added to the translation job, the content sent is the same as what existed at the time it was added to a review.
    • No review comments or changes are included in the content sent to the translator.
  • For components that aren't binaries (images), the source languages must all be the same.
  • For binary components (images), you can add images translated into other languages if your administrator allows it. Administrators can read:t Reuse translated images across language codes.
  • When you Add Components, on the Select Components panel, you can set the number of components listed per page. At the bottom of the list, next to Items per page, from the dropdown menu select a quantity.

    Inspire remembers how you customize this setting. The next time you open the Selected Components panel, Inspire uses your choice instead of the default. If you want Inspire to forget your customization and return to showing the default number of Items per page, you must re-select the default or clear your browser's cache.

To optionally add more components:

  1. On the Translate component screen, select the Components tab.

    You see the components you selected in the Components browser.

  2. Optionally, to add more components, click Add Components...
    1. On the Select Components screen, in Folders, navigate to the folder that contains the component you want to add.
    2. In Components, select the file(s).
    3. Click Select.
  3. Optionally, to remove a component from the list, click Remove.

5. Optionally include reference components for GlobalLink Enterprise

Tips and tricks

  • Reference components are not locked in Inspire.

  • Reference files aren't returned from GlobalLink Enterprise.

  • You can send the same files for translation and reference only. This is helpful when the linguist might need to refer to the original, such as a map, when making changes.

You only see this tab if you are sending reference files to GlobalLink Enterprise (formerly known as Project Director). On the Details tab, in Translation Project, you must select PD Rest

To optionally include reference components for GlobalLink Enterprise:

  1. On the Translate component screen, select the Reference only tab.
  2. Click Add Components...
  3. On the Select Components screen, in the Folders pane, navigate to location of the components you want to send as a reference.
  4. In the Components pane, select the checkbox for each component you want to include as a reference.
  5. On the Select Components screen, click Select.
    Results: You see the reference files listed.

6. Optionally configure automatic publishing of translations

You can have Inspire automatically publish the translated components and import the published deliverable back into Inspire. The translated content is published when the translation job is marked Completed, and Inspire publishes the content according to the publish configuration you select.

To optionally configure automatic publishing of translations:

  1. On the Translate component screen, select the Publish screen.
  2. In Publish translated source components when, select Translation language is completed.
  3. Click Add Publish Configuration...
  4. On the Publishing Configurations screen:
    1. Select the type of deliverable you want to create for the completed translations.
    2. Click Select.

7. Queue the translation

To queue the translation:

  1. On the Translate component screen, verify you've added all the required information by looking at the Queue button to see if it's enabled (blue).

    If the buttons are greyed out:

    then you haven't added all the required information.

    • Go back to each tab and look for fields with a red star.
    • Ensure you've completed each required setting.
  2. To have Inspire prepare the job, and then place it on hold, click Queue.

    Results:

    If you selected Force Translation of All Components, you see the following notification on-screen:

    You also see a notification on-screen that the job was successfully queued.

    In the Notifications module, you receive a notification with more information:

    Inspire marks the job as Queued Submission.

8. Manage the translation job

Inspire prepares the job

  • Inspire creates a folder for each language you select. The folder's location is based on the component you select for translation.

  • Inspire creates a target language component and puts it into the new language folder. A target language component is created for each language you selected.

  • Inspire sets the Reading property ("ltr" or "rtl") as it is specified in the language definition when creating target components for translation.

  • As the translation coordinator, you'll receive an email notification that the translation job was submitted.
  • When you complete a task that triggers a notification, such as managing translation jobs, the Slack and email message bodies contain:
    • The notification with ten or less Issues, Errors, and Warnings.
    • A link at the bottom of the message [See Full Version].
    • You can click the [See Full Version] link to expand a section under the link with the full details.

When Inspire is preparing the job, you may see warning messages that a component was not included in translation job because:

  • It is already active in another translation job for the same language
  • Its content does not require translation

You also see Job IDs in the warning messages:

  • The component [COMPONENT NAME] was not included in translation job [ID, JOB NAME, TRANSLATION LANGUAGES] because it is already active in another translation job [ID] for the same language: [ID].
  • The component [COMPONENT NAME] was not included in translation job [JOB NAME, TRANSLATION LANGUAGES, ID] because its content does not require translation
Is a component not being sent to translation? Here are a few things to check:
  • Inspire won't send a component to translation if it's already been translated and there aren't any changes. The only exception occurs when you select the Force Translation of All Components option to overwrite a previous translation.
  • Files may have been excluded due to a filter or an export configuration.
  • Files can have a tag called TranslateNotRequired to exclude it from jobs. For more information, read Exclude a file from translation using a component tag.
  • In Translation Target, to create a request that doesn't fail, you must:

    • Select a target language that is different from the language used in the source components.
    • Select a target language that exists in your project configuration in GlobalLink Enterprise (formerly known as Project Director).

    For example, you include source components that are written in Japanese instead of English. When you request that the source content be translated into Japanese, that creates a language pair of Japanese to Japanese. However, in GlobalLink Enterprise you have a source-target language pair defined as English to Japanese.

    • If you submit a translation request for a language pair that does not exist in GlobalLink Enterprise, you see a failure notification.
    • If the language pair cannot be found, the translation job will not be created.

Inspire puts the job on hold

  • Inspire does no further processing of the job.
  • In the Translations module, on the Translation Management screen, the State is set to Queued Submission.
  • To start the translation work with the vendor and finish processing the job, you must select this job and choose to Submit it before Inspire can start communicating with integrated vendors.

    Submit a queued translation job

After you Submit the job

  • If you're using an integrated vendor, Inspire contacts them and delivers the files and job settings. The integrated vendor provides Inspire with an ID that allows Inspire to track the job's progress.
  • If you're using a manual process, you receive a notification with a link. The translation job content can be downloaded from that link. Then you must send the target files to the vendor for translation and provide them with the job details.
  • In the Translations module, on the Translation Management screen, the State is set to In Progress.

Manage translation jobs

Completed jobs

  • Translation coordinators receive an email notification that the translation was completed.

    The email notification contains the following information:

    • The status. If the job was successfully Completed or Cancelled in GlobalLink Vasont Inspire. For example:
      • A translation job that you requested from GlobalLink Vasont Inspire for [17563] "DSLQR_Map" (fi-FI) has been successfully created.
      • The translation job [17563] "DSLQR_Map" (fi-FI) was cancelled in GlobalLink Vasont Inspire by "janedoe@mycompany.com".
      • The translation job [17563] "DSLQR_Map" (fi-FI) was successfully completed.
    • The translation job ID. (For GlobalLink Enterprise and TransPerfect jobs.)
    • The translation job Name.
    • A list of target Languages used in the translation job.
    • User Name of the account that completed or cancelled the translation job.
  • If you selected the Pivot to English option, in Translate to English first, refer to the Results section.
  • In the email notification, you can use the link to zip file to download deliverables.
  • When translation creates a zip, you see the file name as Translate-{Job Name}-{date/time}.zip.