The Akeneo Connector supports translation of products, product models, and categories. Translations are requested from within the Smartling platform, and translated content is automatically sent to Akeneo.
Once the Akeneo Connector has been connected and set up, you will find Akeneo content in the Akeneo tab in your Smartling project. Here, you will be able to manage the translation process. From the Akeneo tab, you will be able to request and authorize content for translation.
Request Translations
There are two ways in which you can Request Translation;
1) Select the asset > Actions > Request Translation. This option also allows you to select multiple assets for translation.
2) Click the information icon of an asset > Request Translation. This option allows you to request translation for only that individual asset.
Both options will open the three-step Request Translation wizard.
Step 1: Select Assets for Translation
The asset(s) you selected will be included for translation. If you requested a "Product Models" type asset, you have the option to select Show child assets. However, if you only requested the translation of Categories or Products, no child assets will appear if this option is selected, as these content types do not have related assets.
By default, if Show child assets is selected all related assets 1 level deep will be included. Use the dropdown menu if you would like to translate assets more than 1 level deep. Uncheck any child assets you do not wish to translate.
- Individual assets and their related assets can be selected or deselected as required.
- If no child assets should be included, leave the checkbox unticked.
Once your selection is complete, click Continue.
Step 2: Enter Job Details
You can now choose to create a New Job or add the asset(s) to an Existing Job.
- Insert the Job Name - the title for the translation task in Smartling.
- Insert a description for the linguists, if desired.
- Select the Target Languages.
- Click Save Job and Continue to create the Job in Smartling.
Step 3: Job Processing
The next step will display the Job Processing.* Once the processing is complete, the Authorize Job button will activate by turning blue. Select Save for Later if you wish to create the job, but not authorize it yet. You also have the option to set a Job due date. Choose the appropriate workflow from the dropdown menu and click Authorize Job to submit the asset(s) for translation.
*If you selected 30 or more items for translation, the Request Translation wizard will close after Step 2 and the list of bulk requests (Recent Job Processes) will be displayed. This is because uploading a large number of assets can take some time, and the connector uses a different service to process and upload large sets of assets.
You can check the status of bulk requests by clicking the number icon on the top right of the page. Once the Job Request has finished processing, navigate to the Job via the Jobs Dashboard to review its contents and authorize it for translation.
Request Translations in Bulk
When you request translations in bulk using Select all matching current filter, the following window will appear. You can choose to create a new job or add the selected assets to an existing job. If you wish to translate related assets, select Include Child Assets. A dropdown menu will appear where you can select how many levels deep to include.
When you request assets in bulk using Select all matching current filter, you are not able to individually select/deselect particular child assets. If you would like more control and visibility over which related assets are sent for translation, please select multiple assets manually using the checkboxes, rather than using the Select all matching current filter option.
Once you click Save Job and Continue, you will get confirmation that your job request is being processed.*
*If you selected 30 or more items for translation, the Request Translation wizard will close after Step 2 and the list of bulk requests (Recent Job Processes) will be displayed. This is because uploading a large number of assets can take some time, and the connector uses a different service to process and upload large sets of assets.
The number of bulk requests submitted is displayed on the top right of the page. You can check the status of the bulk requests by clicking the number icon.
This will open the Recent Job Processes window where you can view the details and status of each bulk Job Request. You can cancel any incomplete Job Requests by clicking the 3 dots under Actions > Stop Process.
Translation Delivery to Akeneo
As translations are completed, they are automatically sent to Akeneo. Files that have never been translated in Smartling before are delivered back as soon as the file has been translated in Smartling.
Files that have been translated previously but have since been updated, the translations are returned to Akeneo immediately.
Translated assets are delivered back to Akeneo within the original asset, for all languages. This means that the original asset will contain all translated versions of the asset in the languages the translation was requested in.
You can always get the translation to Akeneo manually as well. To perform a manual export of translated content from Smartling to Akeneo:
- From your Akeneo project, click the Akeneo tab
- Select the translated assets to download (Bulk-Select and Export is supported)
- Click Actions and select Export Translation
Editing Translations in Smartling
If you update the translations in Smartling, the updated translations will deliver back to Akeneo within the scheduled cron.