The Contentful Connector supports translation of entries and media asset content. Translations are requested from within the Smartling platform, and translated content is automatically sent to your Contentful instance.
Once the Contentful Connector has been connected and set up, you will find Contentful content in the Contentful tab in your Smartling project. Here, you will be able to manage the translation process. From the Contentful Content tab, you will be able to request and authorize content for translation.
For each Contentful entry listed within the Contentful tab, you will find an App Link that will take you directly to the entry in your Contentful account.
Enable Localization
When setting up your Contentful Connector, you should enable localization of Contentful assets. Only assets that have been enabled for localization can be translated in Smartling.
Character Limits
Each content type consists of a set of fields that you define, each of which has specific character limits. If any field exceeds the character limit, the connector cannot deliver translations. For more information on fields and character limits, read Contentful's documentation.
Request Translations in Smartling (manual)
There are two ways in which you can Request Translation in Smartling;
1) Select the asset > Actions > Request Translation. This option also allows you to bulk-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 Request Translation wizard.
Step 1: Select Assets for Translation
The entry you selected will be included for translation. You can select Show related assets to see a list of the entry's related assets.
By default, if Show related 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. You can select related assets up to 10 levels deep. Uncheck any related assets you do not wish to translate. For more information on related assets, see Entry and asset links guide.
You can use the second dropdown menu to filter by entry Type.
Once you have made your selections, press Continue to go to Step 2.
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, or alternatively, choose a language group.
- 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 turn 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 entries can take some time, and the connector uses a different service to process and upload large sets of entries.
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.
Bulk Actions and Select All
All actions are now "bulk" actions and will apply to all selected assets. You must make a selection before you can take any action. You can also take an action on all the items in a result set without navigating to all the result pages.
To perform an action on the entire result set:
- Select the top checkbox that is in the table's header row.
- Choose the Select all matching current filter option that appears after you have selected all on the page.
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 Related 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 related 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 entries can take some time, and the connector uses a different service to process and upload large sets of entries.
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.
Smartling App in Contentful
Contentful develop and manage partner apps in their marketplace. Once you install the Smartling app in your Contentful instance, you can send content to Smartling for translation and monitor translation progress in Contentful.
Automate Job Creation
The above steps outline how to translate Contentful content manually. For more information on how you can automate Job creation, read our documentation on Automation Rules For Connector Content Translation.
Track Translation Progress of Each Asset per Language
You can track the translation progress of each asset per language on the Contentful Progress page.
- Go to your Contentful project in Smartling.
- Click the Gear icon > Contentful Progress
Lock Translations
With the Contentful (Entries) Connector, you can choose to lock the translation of specific entries per language after they are published in Smartling. This allows you to update the source content of the entry in Contentful, and the Connector will not push the updates to Smartling for translation. This feature is recommended if the Automation of Prior Requests for Translation setting is set to Auto, and there are specific entries you do not wish to re-translate if the source content is updated.
To lock the re-translation of an entry:
- Go to your Contentful (Entries) tab
- Find the asset
- Click the information icon
- Expand the linked asset list (if applicable)
- Click the Lock button
Tip: If you do not wish to translate updates to all source content, ensure the Automation of Prior Requests for Translation setting is set to Manual or Disabled.
Getting Translations to Contentful
As translations are completed, they are automatically sent to your Contentful instance. Files that have never been translated in Smartling before are delivered back as soon as the file has been translated in Smartling. For files that have been translated previously but have since been updated, the translations are returned as per your Contentful Connector configuration - every three hours is the default and recommended frequency.
You can always get the translation to Contentful manually as well. To perform a manual export of translated content from Smartling to Contentful:
- From your Contentful project, click the Contentful tab
- Select the translated assets to download (Bulk-Select and Export is supported)
- Click Actions and select Export Translation
Handling Updates to Contentful Content
How your Contentful Connector handles changes made to your source content in Contentful is configured under changed content behavior within your Contentful project settings
Talk to your Customer Success Manager or Solutions Architect about configuration options regarding how your Contentful Connector retrieves translated content from Smartling.
View Translations in Contentful
Follow these steps to view content that has been translated in Smartling and returned to Contentful.
- Log in to Contentful.
- Select the Content or Media menu then click on the appropriate asset.
- On the right-hand side of the page, click Change.
- The Choose Translations dialog will appear. Select the languages for the translations you would like to view.