Working with Sitecore XM Cloud
In Sitecore Experience Manager Cloud (Sitecore XMC), you can manage your content through four main views: Pages, Components, Explorer, and Content Editor. The Pages view, also known as Page Builder, is a visual editor (WYSIWYG) used to design page layouts and edit content. This documentation focuses on using Page Builder, although it can be helpful at times to view the content structure in other views, such as the Content Editor.
It's important to understand that in Sitecore XMC, each page is built from components, and those components contain items. In Sitecore, items are the core content elements of a website, including text, layout, and media. Components are reusable UI elements that organize and present this content on a page.
While Page Builder makes it easy to edit visually, it does not clearly show the underlying structure or the names of individual items. This is important because the Smartling connector works at the item level. If you want to translate an entire page, all items that make up that page must be included in the translation request.
The connector simplifies this process. When you request translation for a top-level element, such as a page, the connector automatically includes all related assets. These assets are the items that make up the page.
You might wonder why your translation job includes multiple items when you only submitted one page. This is because a single page typically consists of several components, each containing individual items. Translating all of these items ensures a complete and accurate localized version of the page. A page is only considered fully translated once all items (i.e., files) included in the job have been translated and completed.
Example
From the Sitemap tab, you can view the general structure of your site.
In the Layers tab, you can see a page's components. Clicking on a component lets you view the names of the individual items.
Important prerequisites
Add translatable templates
Checkboxes appear next to assets that are eligible for translation. If no checkbox is visible, it means the asset's template has not been added to the connector settings.
To resolve this, make sure you've added the appropriate templates that match the content types you want to translate. Only assets using these templates will be selectable for translation in the asset list in Smartling. No checkbox appears next to an item if its template was not configured or if the template has no translatable fields.
Enable shared layout
It's important to enable Shared Layout when editing your source pages in Sitecore XMC. Shared Layout ensures that all layout changes made to the source page are applied across every language version of the page.
When you create a new English source page, the Shared Layout toggle is off by default. This means all layout changes will apply only to the English version. If you request translation without enabling Shared Layout, the connector will create language versions based on an incomplete or English-only layout. As a result, translated versions will not reflect ongoing layout updates to the source page.
To ensure consistent structure across all languages, turn on the Shared Layout toggle before adding or editing components on the source page. This allows the Smartling connector to generate translated versions that mirror the full structure of the original page.
If you want different layouts per locale, you can disable Shared Layout after translation. However, enabling it is required when preparing the source content.
Requesting translation in Smartling
You can request translation from the Asset List in Smartling. The content is displayed using the same folder structure as your Sitecore environment, making it easy to navigate.
As mentioned above, the connector works at the item level, but you don’t need to request items individually. You can request top-level elements, such as an entire page, for translation and then choose to include all related and child assets.
Understanding related assets and child assets
Related assets refer to all the content dependencies that make up a single item, typically a page. This includes all components and referenced items that are used to construct the page's layout and populate its content.
For instance, when you request translation for a single page, Smartling automatically includes any components, media, or embedded text items that are related to that page. These are not necessarily child assets in the content tree but are required to fully localize the page.
Child assets are content items that exist in a hierarchical relationship under a parent item. In Sitecore XMC, this structure reflects how your site is organized. For example, if your "Home" page contains "About Us" and "Contact" as subpages, those subpages are considered child assets of the Home page.
Using the connector, when you select a parent item for translation, you can choose to include its child assets to submit an entire section of content (e.g., a page and its subpages) in one translation job.
How to request translation
When you request a page for translation, you must request all related assets because within those related assets are the actual items that contain the content you need to translate. The "Show related assets" checkbox in Step 1 of the Request Translation wizard is selected by default.
There are two ways to request translation:
-
Select asset > Actions > Request Translation.
This option allows you to bulk-select multiple assets for translation. -
Click the information icon for an asset > Request Translation.
This option allows you to request translation for a single asset.
Both methods will open the three-step Request Translation wizard:
Step 1: Select Content
The asset(s) you selected will be included for translation. By default, "Show related assets" is selected. All related assets 1 level deep will be included. Use the drop-down menu if you would like to translate assets more than 1 level deep. You can select related assets up to 5 levels deep. Select "Show child assets" to include child assets. Uncheck any related assets you do not wish to translate.
You can use the second drop-down menu to filter by item type.
Once you have made your selections, press Continue to go to Step 2.
Step 2: Job Configuration
- Choose to create a New Job or add the content to an Existing Job.
- (Optional) Add a description for linguists.
- Select the Target Languages.
- Click Save Job and Continue to create the job in Smartling.
Step 3: Authorization
- Here you can see a cost estimate for the job based on your selected workflows.
- If you edit the workflow(s), the estimate will update automatically.
- (Optional) Add a Job Due Date.
- Select Save for Later to create the job but have the content sit in Awaiting Authorization. Select Authorize Job to kick off the translation process.
We recommend selecting Save for Later so you can review the strings in the job before authorizing it for translation.
Automate job creation
The above steps outline how to request Sitecore content for translation manually. For information on how you can automate job creation, see our documentation on Automation Rules for Connector Content Translation.
Translation delivery to Sitecore
The Sitecore XMC Connector is file-based, meaning translation progress is tracked at the file level rather than the job level. When you request a Sitecore asset for translation, the content is bundled into a JSON file and sent to Smartling for translation. Once the file is fully translated for a target locale, the translations for that locale are automatically delivered back to Sitecore.
The connector creates a new language version each time it delivers translations. For example, if you request a page for translation that contains three items, once an item is completed, it will be delivered back to Sitecore. This means you will need to wait until all items are translated and delivered in order to see a fully translated page. Only the latest version (meaning the delivery for the last item to be translated) will show a fully translated page.
Manual export
You can also trigger translation delivery manually at any time. To export translated content from Smartling to Sitecore:
- From your Sitecore XMC project, click the Sitecore XMC tab
- Select the assets you would like to export translations for
- Click the Actions menu > Export Translation
You can also manually export translations from the Asset Details page.
Check translation status
You can check the translation status of any asset via the Asset Details page, by clicking the info icon next to an asset in the Sitecore XMC tab.
The Delivered column shows the date when translations were last delivered to Sitecore. The state Completed means all content is translated and was successfully delivered back to Sitecore. For more details on different states please see the info here.
Hover over the requested date to view the exact time the asset was requested and by whom. Similarly, hover over the delivered date to see the exact time the asset's translations were delivered.
Viewing translations in Sitecore
When translations are completed and delivered back to Sitecore, the connector will create a language version of the page if it doesn't already exist. Each time you manually export translations or the connector re-delivers translations, a new version will be created in Sitecore. As a result, you may see multiple versions of the page for the target language.
Use the language selector to view different language versions.
Within each language, use the version drop-down menu to select a translated version.
When translations are delivered, a new language version is created. For example, if you submit a page with three items, each item is sent back to Sitecore as it's completed. You must wait for all items to be translated before viewing the complete page. The latest version will show the fully translated page.
The connector does not automatically publish content. All publishing must be handled manually from within Sitecore.
If you prefer not to have multiple versions, Sitecore provides functionality to purge old versions. Consult your Sitecore administrator for guidance on version management.
Adding or editing translations
Translations should not be added directly in Sitecore, as the connector does not recognize translations added manually. If your team adds translations directly, they will be overwritten when the connector delivers translations.
If you need to edit translations after they have been delivered to Sitecore, all edits should be made in Smartling. The connector does not track or recognize changes made directly in Sitecore. Any edits made in Sitecore will be overwritten the next time the connector delivers translations for the asset. To ensure changes are preserved, always make edits in Smartling.
Visual context
By default, the connector generates simplified dynamic HTML Visual Context. The connector generates a simple HTML file that renders the Sitecore fields and their values, providing a basic representation of the asset's content. An example of this can be seen below.
If you are interested in integrating additional Visual Context tools, such as adding context via an API integration or Smartling's JavaScript Context Capture Library, please reach out to your Solution Architect or Smartling representative.