Send components to translation

You must have permission to be a translation coordinator or an administrator before you can send a component to a vendor. You can send any type of component to translation, including maps, DITA topic files, and images. You can choose to send a single component or a group of components. You can exclude components from translation using tags and filters, and exclude content from included components using export configurations.

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.
    • 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.

Tips and tricks

Source files must use the same language. When creating a translation job you can only select components that have the same source language unless they are binary components (images). This restriction allows you to submit translation jobs to external applications without encountering an error.
  • For example, if you want to send five topics to be translated in the same job, they must all be written in the same language, such as French.
  • If you have components that you want to send to translation but they have different source languages, you need to create a separate translation job for each source language.
  • For example, if you want to send five topics to be translated in the same job, and three are written in English and two are in French, you'll have to create two translation jobs — one for the English files and one for the French files.
  • If you try to select components that have different source languages you'll get an error.
You can select a binary component translated in a different language if your administrator has configured Inspire to allow it.
  • For example, your company translates English content to both the Ukrainian and Russian languages. You want to use your translated Russian images in both the Ukrainian and Russian translated content.
  • An Inspire administrator must configure the languages and set the image override.
  • This allows a translation coordinator to select a Russian image when they are sending content to be translated into the Ukrainian language.
  • If you try to select binary components that have different source languages and you get an error, ask your administrator if you can Reuse translated images across language codes.

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.

When you send a component for translation, Inspire creates a target copy of the component in a new language sub-folder. When creating the target copy, Inspire ensures content that is read from Right-to-Left displays correctly in Oxygen.

For the topic's language, Inspire sets the Reading property in these cases:
  • If it doesn't exist yet
  • Only if the language Reading property is rtl (Right-to-Left)
  • For example: <concept id="concept_guid" xml:lang="ar-Ar" dir="rtl">
  • Inspire makes no changes if the language Reading property is ltr (Left-to-Right)

Sending multiple files to translation. When you select multiple files to send to translation at the same time, you can choose to create one submission that contains all files or a separate translation submission for each file.

For example, if you select five maps and go to the Selected Components panel, you can select the Translation option and you can specify if you want to send them all in one translation job or split them up.

If you are sending a large amount of files specifically to GlobalLink Enterprise (formerly known as Project Director) for translation, you can use the following procedure to split up the files into multiple jobs by language:

  1. Set a maximum value of files per job. Administrators can tell Inspire how to divide up a submission with a large number components. For example, admins can set a Maximum Document value to 502 topics per submission for each target language.
    1. In GlobalLink Enterprise, most jobs have a default maximum of 5000 documents.
    2. In Inspire, admins can open the GlobalLink Enterprise Configuration and set a Maximum Document value.
  2. Send source components to GlobalLink Enterprise for translation. The definition of source components is the selected component(s) plus all referenced content.
    1. After determining how many topics there are for each target language, Inspire uses the Maximum Document value to calculate how many languages can fit into a submission.
    2. The minimal division is by language.

      For example, you have a source component that includes 104 references (totalling 105 source components). If you send the components to translation for 10 different languages:

      • When you set a Maximum Document value to 100, Inspire will create 10 jobs each with 1 language.
      • When you set a Maximum Document value to 200, you would end up with 5 jobs each with 2 languages.
  3. Inspire automatically creates multiple submissions. Each submission that is created includes a prefix of a dash and a number (-1, -2, -3, etc.) to help you identify that the submission was split up.

    When creating a translation request with a large number of files, you do not need to select an option or set any special value. If an administrator sets a Maximum Document value, Inspire analyzes your job automatically and splits it if necessary.

For more information, read Split large translation jobs sent to GlobalLink Enterprise.

DITA specializations. If you're using DITA specializations in Inspire by uploading custom XSDs, you can now include them in a translation job so the vendor can parse your XML files. This option lets translators validate the content you send against specialized XSDs instead of the standard XSDs.

To use this feature, you must select a Translation Project that uses the PD Rest Api. If you select a different translation project type, you won't see the option to Include Schema.

You can also select a Translation Project that uses the manual method. In this case, instead of selecting Include Schema you would just send the files yourself.

Options can vary. When sending files to translation, your options vary depending on the selections you choose:

  • Details. All translation jobs require you to add information on this tab.
  • Attributes. 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 any of the following options on the Details tab, in Translation Project:
    • GlobalLink Portal (formerly TransPort)
    • PD Rest
  • Components. All translation jobs require you to specify source files on this tab.
  • Reference only. 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
  • Publish. If you normally publish your content after the translation process is complete, you can automate this step in a translation request. When you create the translation job, you can use the Publish tab to schedule publishing automatically when the translation is complete.

By default, files being translated are locked. However, administrators can customize Inspire to allow for the following behavior:

  • Allow files to remain unlocked during translation

    If you want to keep the files unlocked while they are included in an active translation job, you can configure this optional feature. Follow the steps in Allow files to remain unlocked during translation.

    • By default, this feature is not enabled.

      • When a user sends a component to translation, all files in the job are shown with a red system lock.

      • Users can view the file but not make any changes until the job is cancelled or completed.

    • Enabling this feature.

      • When a user sends a component to translation, all files in the job are shown with an open lock.

      • Users can view the file and make any changes at any time.

    When you send content to translation, you may not know if it's already in a translation job.

    • An administrator can configure a setting to keep the files unlocked while they are included in an active translation job.

    If you send content to translation but the job can't be completed because:

    • It requires no translation
    • The content is in use in another translation job

    You can see in the error message the job IDs that are already using the content.

    New Notification:

    The components are already out for translation or the language could not be found. (translation Job Id)

  • Unlock files with a system lock

    If a user is an administrator or has been added to the can_unlock_system module property, they can unlock a component with a red system lock after it's been sent to translation. Follow the steps in Control who can unlock system locks.

    • The component being translated is unlocked and remains in the translation job.
    • Users can edit the content and this may cause issues when the component is returned from translation.

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.
  • 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.

Automatically publish completed translations

If you normally publish your content after the translation process is complete, you can automate this step in a translation request.

When you create the translation job, you can use the Publish tab to schedule publishing automatically when the translation is complete.

The Publish tab is always available, no matter what Translation Project or Export Configuration you select.

  • You can specify which Publish Configuration should be used to create a published deliverable for the translation.
  • If you select a Publish Configuration, after the translation of all topics for a single language completes, a publishing request is automatically created by Inspire. This request is to publish the translation of the source components that just completed.
    • For example, you create a job to translate three topics in My_Map to Spanish and French.
    • The map component itself isn't part of the translation package because the map sent to translation only needs three topics translated. The rest of the topic references are already translated.
    • When the translation for all three topics is completed for the Spanish language and they are imported back into Inspire, the translation coordinator receives a publication notification for the Spanish map.
    • When the translation for all three topics is completed for the French language and they are imported back into Inspire, the translation coordinator receives a publication notification for the French map.
    • The map is published even if it isn't part of the translation package. For example, sending a map to translation, but only a few topics go because the rest of the map is already translated.