Work with a Translation Service
In this article, we explain what steps to take if you use a translation service. The translation service could be either:
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An external translation agency
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Translators who work in your organization and who use professional translation software.
Note
This workflow does not apply if you have translators who are using Paligo to add the translation. For details on the steps to follow in that scenario, see Workflow for Internal Translation.
The basic workflow when using a translation service or professional translation software consists of several stages (described below and shown in the workflow diagram).
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With this workflow, the idea is that you prepare your content in the source language and then send it for translation. While the content is being translated, you should not update the source language content. This is because the translation needs to be in sync with the source language version of the content. If you need to update and publish your content in the source language while waiting for translations to be completed, see Update Content when Translation is Not Finished.
Before you start working through the stages of the workflow, make sure that you know how to change the state. You will need to change the state of your content at various stages, so that people know that the content is being translated.
When the translators have completed their work, import the translation into Paligo (see Import a Translation Package).
Your next step will vary, depending on the state of the content that the translation service provided. Typically, it will be either "confirmed and locked" or "confirmed" (this is true for Phrase, other vendors may use different terminology):
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Confirmed and locked files will import as 100% translated and 100% approved. The proofreading is done, so you only have to change the state to Released in Paligo.
Ignore Stage 6 and continue with Stage 7.
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Confirmed but unlocked files will import as 100% translated, but not 100% approved. You will need to review and approve the translation.
Proceed with Stage 9.
Note
Typically, Paligo updates the index for topics automatically. But for publications, you may have to trigger the re-indexing manually. This is usually due to some of the topics reusing external components, and the external components do not get re-indexed automatically.
Manual re-indexing is explained as part of the procedure in Import a Translation Package.
When you are happy that the translations are complete:
At the start of your translation project:
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Find out if you need to set up Paligo's translation software integrations. These are needed if your translators are using Phrase or Semantix.
For instructions on how to set up the integrations, see:
Note
If your translation service uses Crowdin, the translation process works differently as it does not require translation packages. For details, see Translate with Crowdin.
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Provide your translation service with the Translation Software Settings.
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Read the Workflow for Translation Service. That explains the process and has links to the various other resources you need, including information on how to:
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Send content to a translation service, see Export a Translation Package
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Receive content that the translation service returns, see Import a Translation Package.
If you will need to update and publish the content in the source language while waiting for translations to complete, you will need to branch your content. You can learn about the process for updating content while waiting for translations in Update Content when Translation is Not Finished.
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Your translation provider is responsible for setting up their Translation Memory System (TMS). But they may need some guidance on what settings are appropriate for translating Paligo content.
Here, we provide some information about what settings to use and the intended workflow. We have used an example from the Phrase TMS, but the same approach can be used for others such as TRADOS, MemoQ, Swordfish and so on.
These settings (or similar in another TMS) will work for many use cases. Please note that:
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The XLIFF is segmented according to the TMS rules (usually on sentence level)
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Linebreaks and whitespaces are ignored
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Previously translated and approved translations are imported into the translation memory.
To get the most out of the translation, for example, to skip already translated segments, the TMS should:
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Import approved as
state=final -
Export confirmed and locked segments as state=final.
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Have non-locked content set to
state=needs-review-translation, unless you do the review and approval process directly in a TMS. This will allow you to give final approval to the translation in Paligo.
Crowdin is a cloud-based translation and localization platform, designed for agile translations, where content can be updated and translated frequently. It has its own app, available in the Crowdin store, for integrating with Paligo.
If you are using Crowdin for translations, you need to be aware that it works differently to Paligo's other translation integrations:
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There are no Crowdin integration settings in Paligo. You set up the entire integration in Crowdin.
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You can use Crowdin to translate any Paligo topic that is in the "In Translation" state.
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You can manage the synchronization between Crowdin and Paligo. You choose when to "pull" content into Crowdin and "push" the translations back into Paligo. You do not need to use import and export translation packages.
When using Crowdin, we recommend that you:
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Display the Resource view for your content. To do this, find your content in the Content Manager and then select the folder that contains the content.
Note
If your content is not in a folder, select the Documents section at the top of the Content Manager instead. Documents is the top-level "parent" folder for any content that is not inside another folder.
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Use the status button to set the content state to In translation.
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Set up Crowdin to connect to Paligo. For this, you will need to:
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Create a project in Crowdinand add the target languages
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Create a Crowdin workflow to define and manage the translation processes in your organization.
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Install the Paligo app (available from the Crowdin store)
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Set the Paligo app to connect to your Paligo instance.
You will need the name of your Paligo instance, an email address with access to your Paligo instance, and the API key. For details on how to find the API key, see API Keys.
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Set up some form of notification so that when the translation work is complete, you receive a message.
In Crowdin you can set up notifications at the project level so that you receive an email when the work is done. Alternatively, you can set up connectors with Slack, MS Teams and similar apps to get notifications there. It is also possible to set up webhooks for Crowdin Enterprise (see webhooks) and set Crowdin to sync automatically with Paligo at regular intervals.
For information on setting up Crowdin to connect to Paligo, see the official Crowdin documentation.
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When you have set up Crowdin to connect to Paligo, access the project. It has two columns: Crowdin is on the left and shows the content in Crowdin and Paligo is on the right. The Paligo column shows all content in your Paligo instance.
Note
Crowdin can view all topics in Paligo, but only those that are set to In Translation can be worked on.
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Use the checkboxes to select the topics and the Sync To buttons to push content from one system to the other. The Sync to Crowdin button pushes "In Translation" content from Paligo to Crowdin, so that it can be translated. When the translation work is finished, select the Sync to Paligo button to push the translated content from Crowdin back to Paligo.
When the content has been translated, you should receive a notification.
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In Paligo, set the content to the In Translation Review state. Use the Resource View to check that the translation is complete (100%) . If it is complete, proceed to step 7.
If the translation is complete, you can approve the work. Select the options menu ( ... ) for the publication or topic, and then select Approve translation. Note that if you approve the translation of a publication, it automatically approves all of the topics inside that publication.
If the translation is incomplete, put the topic in the In Translation state and notify the translators that it needs more work. When they translate it again, repeat step 6.
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When the translations are complete, set the state to Released. You can then publish the content (see Publishing).
Paligo can connect directly to Phrase so that you can:
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Export translation packages directly to Phrase from Paligo
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Import completed translations directly from Phrase.
Note
To use Paligo with Phrase, you need to set up the Paligo to Phrase integration. You can then follow the translation service workflow. To get started, see Work with a Translation Service.
Paligo has a Phrase integration that means translation jobs can be sent to and received from Phrase without the need for translation packages and zip files. The workflow for using Phrase with Paligo is similar to that used for other translation services.
Once the integration is set up, you can send content for translation directly from Paligo to Phrase, see Export a Translation Package. Paligo recommends that you ask your translation service to contact you when they have completed their work. Phrase is unable to provide Paligo with a notification.
When the translation is complete, you can import the content directly from Phrase into Paligo, see Import a Translation Package. Paligo automatically matches the translation to the content for the source language. You can then manage the translation and release status for the content in all languages. For details, see Workflow for Translation Service.
To use the Phrase integration, the Phrase account must:
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Have the role of a Project Manager (PM) or Administrator.
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Have permission to "Modify setup's server settings". This is related to user rights and you can set it up by editing the user profile in Phrase.
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Be on a plan that provides API access. Paligo requires API access to connect to Phrase.
To set up the integration in Paligo:
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Make sure you have a project in Phrase. When you export content from Paligo, it will be exported into the project in Phrase. You will need to get the project id, as you'll need it for the Paligo settings in the next steps.
Note
The project id is not the main id name in Phrase, that is just a display name. To find the project id, open the project in Phrase and look at the address field in the browser. The last part of the address is the project id and it is a string of characters, similar to this: jK32Nl001CtTBEwnA0QH8Q.
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Select your user name in the top-right corner and select Settings.
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Select the Integrations tab and then select Add or Change on the Phrase box.
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Enter
UsernameandPassword. -
Select the Default project used for translation export.
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Select Save.
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Select Test setting to verify the connection.
You should get a notification that the test was successful, which means that Paligo can connect to Phrase.
Note
If not, check that the entered credentials are correct, and pay close attention to typographical mistakes in the entries.
If you still cannot get Paligo to connect to Phrase, contact support for help.
Semantix is a translation provider with a portal for ordering translations. Paligo has an integration for Semantix which you can use to send your translation projects directly to their portal.
You can export content directly to Semantix for a quote. When you accept the quote (in Semantix), the translation service will begin work on the translations. When the translations are complete, the translation service should notify you. You can then import the translations back into Paligo.
Note
To use Paligo with Semantix, you need to set up the Paligo to Semantix integration. You can then follow the translation service workflow. To get started, see Work with a Translation Service.
Semantix is a translation provider with a portal for ordering translations. Paligo has an integration for Semantix which you can use to send your translation projects directly to their portal.
To set up the integration in Paligo:
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Select your user name in the top-right corner and select Settings.
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Select the Integrations tab and then select Add or Change on the Semantix box.
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Enter your Semantix credentials.
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Select Save.
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When you have the integration set up, you can choose to send a translation directly to Semantix.
For details, see Export a Translation Package.
When the translation is complete, you can import the translation directly into Paligo. We recommend that you ask your translation service to contact you when they have completed their work. Semantix is unable to provide Paligo with a notification.
To be able to send content to a translation service, it must be exported as a translation package. Paligo creates the translation package as part of the export process. This package is manually sent to the translation service. When the completed translation is returned, it must be
imported to Paligo.
The following is not included the translation package:
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Images must be sent separately to the translation service, see Translate Images.
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Variables must be sent separately to the translation service as a Variable set . Make sure that the variables are translatable variables.
Note
If your Paligo instance is set up to use a translation integration, Paligo will send the translation package automatically. You might need to notify the translation service that you have provided a translation package.
The completed translation is returned in the same way, but Paligo will not notify when its ready to be imported. Therefore the recommendation is to ask the translation service to notify you when the translation is completed and ready to be imported.
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Select the
foldercontaining the topic or publication to be translated in Content Manager.
If the content is not in a folder, select the top-level folder Documents.
This will open the Resource View.
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Change the topic or publication status to In translation.
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Expand the entry for the publication or topic to see the details and then select the Translations tab.
Tip
Select Show incomplete topics to see a list of topics (in a publication) that are not fully translated.
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Select the Dotted Menu (...) for the topic or publication.
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If needed, select Translation and choose Add languages.
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Check the boxes for languages to be added to the topic.
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Select OK.
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Select Translation and choose Export translation.
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Select the language or languages in the Translate to field.
You can only select languages that has already been added to the topic.
Important
When using Phrase, it is important to choose languages that are available for the target project.
If you choose unavailable languages, the export will fail and exclude the unavailable languages from the translation package. The translation package (with the available languages) will be exported to Phrase and Paligo will display the following message:
Error sending to Phrase: TargetLangs must match project settings.
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Choose a Document format.
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XLIFFis the most commonly used format for translations. -
A variant XLIFF formatthat is required by some translation tools. -
POis a format that is often used to translate web content -
Phraseis for sending content to the integrated translation service.To use this, the function must be activated, see Connect Paligo to Phrase.
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Semantixis for sending content to the integrated translation service.To use this, the function must be activated, see Connect Paligo to Semantix.
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Choose a Project from the dropdown menu.
This feature is optional and is only available for the Phrase integration.
To add a new project:
Source language and target language is already set according to the template.
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Select Create a Project.
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Select a Template from the dropdown menu.
To create new templates, see Project Template TMS in the official Phrase documentation.
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Name the project.
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Add a Due date (optional).
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Select Create.
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Choose Export Options
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Include a due date
This feature is optional and is only available for the Phrase integration.
Check the box Due date to add a due date for the project (if not already added in the project). Use the calender to select a date.
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Include approved translations - Recommended
Use this feature to set previously approved translations to have the the state
finalin the translation package, meaning that this content is imported into the translation memory system, but is not re-translated. However the translation service must have the Translation Software Settings for this to work.If this box is cleared the previously approved translations will get state
needs translation. The translation service will regard the content as new and it will be re-translated.It is recommended to check the box Include approved translations to avoid unnecessary translation costs.
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Include fuzzy translations
Use this function to set
unapprovedtranslations to have stateneeds review translationin the translation package. Unapproved translations are often for content that has previously been translated and approved, but the source language content has now changed. The changes mean the translation is no longer approved.Clear this box to set unapproved translations to have state
needs translationin the translation package. The translation service will regard the content as new and it will be re-translated.In most cases, Paligo recommends to clear the box Include fuzzy translations because the translation software will often segment content differently than Paligo.
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Select Export.
Paligo produces the translation packages as a
zip filethat downloads in your browser (even if a translation integration is used). -
Manually send the translation package to the translation service (if not using a translation integration).
Note
In the Semantix portal, the translation project manager will receive a quote for the translation. Once the quote is accepted the translation service will be provided.
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The returned translation package must be imported to Paligo (even if a translation integration is used), see Import a Translation Package .
Tip
It is also possible to use the Translation View to export translation files.
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Select the topic or publication to be translated in Content Manager.
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Select the Dotted Menu (...) for the topic or publication.
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Select Edit and choose Translate.
This will open the Translation View.
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Select the Cog.
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Select Export translation.
When your translation providers have completed their work, they will return an updated translation package to you. You will need to upload that package back into Paligo, so that Paligo can add the translations to the relevant topics. It is possible to upload a zip file containing multiple files (one file per language pair) or to upload individual files.
To upload, either:
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Display the publication or topic in Resource View, select the Dotted menu (...) and then choose Import Translation.
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Open the publication or topic in Translation View, select the Cog and choose Import Translation. To find out more, see Working in Translation View.
If you sent images and / or variables to the translation service, these will be returned separately. They are not included in the translation package:
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To import translated images, see Translate Images.
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To import translated variables, see Import Translated Variable Sets.
Note
If you use one of Paligo's translation integrations, such as Phrase, you will need the translation service to notify you when the translation is complete. You can then import the translation into Paligo.
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Select the
foldercontaining the topic or publication to be translated in Content Manager.If the content is not in a folder, select the top-level folder Documents.
This will open the Resource View.
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Select the Dotted menu (...) for the publication or topic.
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Select Import Translation.
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Select an Import type:
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To manually import a zip file, choose Upload file.
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To import through a translation integration, choose Phrase or Semantix.
Note
This is only possible if the translation integration is set up correctly in Paligo, see Connect Paligo to Phrase or Connect Paligo to Semantix.
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Select the target language of the content that you are going to import.
Important
You can only import the translation if the language is added to the matching publication and topic. To find out more, see Language Management.
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Select a single
translation fileor a zip file with multiple languages to be imported.
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Use the Ignore current translation status checkbox to control how Paligo reacts to statuses set by the translation service.
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Check the box to have Paligo ignore the status. The content will keep its current status in Paligo.
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Clear the box to allow Paligo to update the status based on the status that is set by the translation service.
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Select Import.
Paligo will import the translation into the matching publication or topic.
Important
If encountering problems during an import of a Phrase project, use the checkbox Override import project . It will force Paligo to find the missing
Phrase job IDand reconnect it with thePhrase project ID.
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This final step only applies if you imported a translated publication.
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Return to Resource View.
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Select the Dotted menu (...) for the publication.
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Select Translation and choose Re-index translations.
It instructs Paligo to index the translations again, including any reused content in them.
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Note
You might need to refresh the page to see the upload status.
Tip
It is also possible to use the Translation View to import translation files.
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Select the topic or publication to be translated in Content Manager.
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Select the Dotted Menu (...) for the topic or publication.
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Select Edit and choose Translate.
This will open the Translation View.
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Select the Cog.
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Select Import translation.
When a translation service returns translated content to you, you can review it in Paligo. As a minimum, you should check that the translation work is complete. If you have multi-lingual colleagues, you may want to check the quality of the translation too, see Translation View.
Caution
If you are using a translation service, we strongly recommend that you do not edit the translation in the Translation View. If you make changes, your content in Paligo will no longer be in sync with the translation memory in your translation service's software.
If you only want to review that the translation is complete, use the Resource View:
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Select the
foldercontaining the content in Content Manager.If the content is not in a folder, select the top-level folder Documents.
This will open the Resource View.
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Change the topic or publication status to In translation review.
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Expand the publication or topic and select the Translations tab.
1 = Hover over to the much of the translation that is translated and approved. 2 = The bar shows how complete the translation is.
The tab has a bar for each language and its shading and color shows how complete the translation is (2). A fully shaded green bar means the content is completely translated. A partially shaded blue bar means the translation is incomplete, and a clear gray bar means that there is no translation for the content.
If you hover the cursor over a bar, a popup appears, which shows you the translated and approved content details as numerical values (1).
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If the translation is complete, select the Dotted Menu (...) for the publication or topic and choose Approve.
Note
If you approve the translation of a publication, it automatically approves all of the topics inside that publication.
You cannot approve content that has incomplete translations. It needs to be returned to the translation service.
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If your translation is incomplete for a particular language, we recommend that you change the status of the content back to In translation and then return it to the translators.
To return the content to a translation service, create a new translation package containing the incomplete content. Use the Show Incomplete Topics feature to find the topics that contain unfinished translations, see Find Topics with Incomplete Translations).
When your content is translated and the translations are approved, you can publish it and put it in the Released state.
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Display Translation View from the assignment link or via the Assignments Panel.
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Review and edit the translation in the Translation View.
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Select the Settings and choose Translation is complete or Translation is not complete.
Alternatively, you can select individual segments and check the box Translation complete.
Note
A translation needs to be marked as
finalandcomplete, to avoid a re-translation if it is included in a translation package again.The translator's software can only skip past content that has been marked as final and complete.
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If the translation was part of an assignment workflow, select Your assignments and choose The translation is complete.
To show all of the topics in a publication that still need to be translated, use the Show incomplete topics option in the Resource View:
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In the Content Manager, select the folder that contains the topic or publication that you want to translate. When you select the folder, Paligo shows the Resource View.
If your content is not in a folder, select the Documents section at the top of the Content Manager instead. Documents is the top-level "parent" folder for any content that is not inside another folder.
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Expand the publication and select the options menu ( ... ) for for the translation language of interest. Then select the Show incomplete topics option.
Paligo displays a list that shows the topics that have incomplete translations in this publication. The list includes all topics that have no translation or unapproved translations.
Note
Select a topic to display it in the Resource View. From there, you can select the topic again to open it in the editor.