Translation Connectors for Website Localization

Introduction

Many companies use pre-configured integrations, called connectors, to add localized content to their content management system. Ideally, translation connectors easily integrate with CMSs, enabling organizations to easily assign digital content to linguists or vendors for translation.

Great translation connectors provide streamlined, scalable and customizable localization management across your website … while also delivering accurate, relevant translations at industry-leading speed.

Connectors are computer-assisted translation tools that enable you to maintain control over how your translated text. This helps you to customize the finished product and ensure brand consistency. While you want your content to resonate across different cultures and markets, you also want to keep the core of your brand.

Many website localization tools are available to choose from. So, why go with computer assisted translation? Common advantages of connector translation include:

Full Creative Control

Well-designed connectors enable you to exercise granular control over your translated content. The best enable the translation of page tags, metadata, page assets, component strings and more.

Easy Translation Management

Translation Connectors, when paired with a quality CMS dashboard, create a user-friendly interface. This interface makes it simple for you to add webpages or sections of your website for translation.

Full Translation Visibility

Leading connectors make the translation process as transparent as possible. Before sending content for translation, some services give a “pricing preview.” This includes details such as the number of words already translated, which good vendors will redo for free. It also includes the number of new words and images needing translation, as well as other relevant information.

‘Must Have’ Connector Capabilities

Here are several other powerful capabilities to look for in a translation connector:

• Fully automated workflows that can push, receive & publish translated content
• Cron batch jobs that automatically pull translated content from the vendor
• Supports formats designed for specific CMSs (such as AEM XML)
• Support for translation of image formats specific to CMSs (such as AEM Image)
• Support for i18n dictionary translation within the connector workflow
• The ability for customers to approve and reject translations
• Controlling the frequency or time of day when a translation request is submitted to the vendor
• Robust administrative control for bespoke settings

Common Challenges of Connectors

Translation Connectors are often built for typical CMS use cases. If your CMS is customized for your organization, the connector may not work initially. It may also stop working after a platform or security update.

This results in development time, cost and effort to configure the connector to get along with a customized CMS instance, and ongoing work to ensure the integrations properly function after upgrades or updates.

Additional shortfalls of translation connectors can include:

• They only translate content and don’t improve a localized website for better search engine results or user interaction.  
• They do not process content that is outside the platform they are integrated with.  
• They often possess increased management requirements that inflate the cost of ownership.

Read more about website translation in our ultimate guide to website translation.