Overview
The ServiceNow Connector (TMS Spoke - Localization Framework) v1.1.0 introduces support for multi-source language translation, allowing organizations to translate content from multiple source languages (e.g., English and Spanish) within the same ServiceNow instance. This update requires configuration changes to support the new functionality.
Previous Limitation: Each ServiceNow "TMS Configuration" was locked to a single source language through the smartlingProjectId attribute, but you could not create multiple TMS configurations due to target locale overlap restrictions.
Solution: The updated connector uses a flexible project mapping system in the "TMS Additional Info" field that allows multiple source languages to be configured with different Smartling projects.
How it works
The updated connector automatically determines which Smartling project to use based on your content's source language. When you request translation, the connector identifies the source locale of the localization framework (LF) task by checking the source locale of the requested items. If you accidentally mix items with different source locales (e.g., mixing English and Spanish articles in the same translation request), an error will occur and the request will fail.
If the connector confirms all the content is in the same source language, it checks your configuration to determine which Smartling project should handle the translation. The connector then sends the content to the correct Smartling project. When translations are complete, they are automatically delivered back to ServiceNow.
Examples
English Knowledge Article: Request translation of an en-US help article → connector routes it to your Smartling project with en-US source locale → translation is completed → completed translations automatically delivered to ServiceNow
Spanish Knowledge Article: Request translation of an es-US help article → connector routes it to your Smartling project with es-US source locale → translation is completed → completed translations automatically delivered to ServiceNow
Migration steps
Step 1: Complete all ongoing translations
Be sure to complete this step before updating the connector to prevent any issues with translation delivery.
- Check for active translation requests, wait for all active translation jobs to be completed and for translations to be published in Smartling and successfully delivered back to ServiceNow.
Step 2: Update the connector from the ServiceNow marketplace
- Navigate to the ServiceNow store and find the Smartling Translation Management System Spoke (TMS) App and install the new version.
Step 3: Update your existing Smartling configuration in ServiceNow
The key change in v1.1.0 is how source languages and Smartling projects are mapped using the TMS Additional Info field. Previously, users could specify only a single project ID. Now, you can configure multiple projects to align with your different source locales.
Previous Configuration
smartlingProjectId: <single-project-id>
New Configuration Format
In the "TMS Additional Info" setting, configure Smartling project IDs for all source languages you need to translate from using the key format smartlingProjectId_<language code>. The language code should be the ServiceNow language ID. Use the ID exactly as is (including any dashes, underscores, etc.). In the second column, enter the project ID of the Smartling project. You can find a project's ID by navigating to the relevant Smartling project and checking the URL. The project ID will be listed after /projects/.
Example:
Your configuration in ServiceNow would look like this. smartlingProjectId_en → ef007dc6d
Where smartlingProjectId_<language code> is in the first column and the Smartling project ID is in the second column. Be sure that the language code entered is the ServiceNow language ID.
Step 4: Test the new configuration
Perform a test translation to ensure the migration was successful using the standard translation request process. Verify that the translation request was sent to the correct Smartling project and that the appropriate content from the correct source language was ingested. Publish the test translations in Smartling and confirm that they were successfully delivered back to ServiceNow.
For additional details on setup and testing, see the Installation and Configuration Guide.