Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) is a content management system used to create, manage, and deliver digital experiences across channels. Smartling offers two AEM connectors to support translation: the AEM Cloud Connector and the AEM Touch Connector.
The AEM Classic Connector is a legacy solution and has been deprecated.
Choosing the right connector: Cloud vs. Touch
The connector you use depends on your AEM deployment model:
- AEM Cloud Connector is for AEM as a Cloud Service
- AEM Touch Connector is for on-premise AEM installations
While both connectors support similar translation workflows, their setup, authentication, and deployment models differ due to underlying AEM architecture. Choose the connector that matches your AEM deployment model. For setup instructions, see:
How it works
Both Smartling AEM connectors are built on top of AEM's existing translation framework. The connectors integrate directly with this framework to manage translation requests, retrieve source content, and deliver translated content back to AEM. Users request content for translation within AEM, the content is sent to Smartling for translation, and the translated content is automatically delivered back to AEM once complete.
For detailed technical information on how the connectors work, see our AEM Connector Technical Resources.
Need a quick translation? Both Smartling AEM connectors offer an Instant Translation option, allowing you to generate near-instant translations without creating a translation job or routing content through a workflow.
Supported content types
The AEM Cloud and Touch connectors support the following content types:
- Pages, Experience Fragments (XF), Content Fragments (CF), tags, and metadata
- DITA
- XLSX, DOCX
- Image metadata
Additionally, the AEM Touch connector supports:
- i18n dictionaries (such as those in Forms)
- Adaptive Forms
Visual context
Visual context is available for both Smartling AEM connectors, giving translators a visual preview of the source content as they work. The connectors include built-in tools for capturing context using two methods: HTTP rendering and direct rendering.
With HTTP rendering, the connector captures context by requesting a page via HTTP, similar to how a browser loads a webpage. With direct rendering, the connector runs inside AEM and captures visual context programmatically, without needing external HTTP requests.
Version history & upgrading the connector
Since the connector is built on top of AEM's existing translation framework, changes made by Adobe may sometimes impact how the connector works. Our teams regularly push new versions of the connectors to account for these changes and add new features.
You can find the version history for both connectors in our Help Center and in Maven Central (if using AEM Cloud):
Want to be notified when a new version is available? Visit the Smartling Community and, under Connector Updates, join the dedicated space for the AEM connector you use (AEM Cloud or AEM Touch). You can then enable email notifications to get alerted when a new release is available.
Upgrading the connector
Refer to the instructions below for what to do after upgrading to a new version of the connector:
FAQ
For answers to commonly asked questions, see AEM Cloud/Touch Connector FAQ.