This integration is a paid product. For pricing information, contact your Smartling Customer Success Manager.

How it works

When a job event occurs in Smartling, the integration automatically creates or updates a Jira issue in your configured Jira project. The Jira issue is populated with the Smartling job data you specify during setup, and includes a direct link to the job in Smartling so your team can quickly navigate to it from within Jira.

This is a one-directional integration whereby Jira issues are created and updated from Smartling only; there is no communication back to Smartling from Jira. It is a customizable way for your teams to track translation jobs in Jira alongside their other project work.

Supported job events

The integration can respond to the following Smartling job events:

• Job Created: a Jira issue is created when a new Smartling job is created
• Job Updated: the Jira issue is updated when job details change in Smartling (e.g., title, description, due date)
• Job Status Changed: the Jira issue transitions to a mapped workflow status when the Smartling job progresses (e.g., In Progress, Completed)

If you need the integration to respond to additional job events, contact your Customer Success Manager or another Smartling representative to discuss your requirements.

Key points

• One-directional: Data flows from Smartling to Jira only. Changes made directly in Jira (editing fields, adding comments, changing status) are not synced back to Smartling.
• Direct links: Each Jira issue includes a link to the relevant job in Smartling for quick access.
• Flexible field mapping: You can control exactly which Smartling data appears in which Jira fields, including custom fields.
• Status transitions: Jira issue status can automatically update as the Smartling job progresses through its lifecycle.
• Attachments are linked, not uploaded: Smartling job attachments can be included as download links within a text-valued field such as Description, but are not uploaded as Jira file attachments.
• Engineering-configured: Initial setup and configuration changes are handled by Smartling's engineering team. Contact your Customer Success Manager to initiate the process.

Getting started

This integration is configured by Smartling's engineering team based on your specifications. Follow the steps below to get set up.

Step 1: Complete the setup questionnaire

Download the Integration Setup Questionnaire and return the completed document to your Customer Success Manager. A Smartling engineer will use your answers to configure the integration on your behalf. The questionnaire covers two main areas:

Field mapping

Field mapping defines which Smartling job data populates which Jira fields on the created issue. Each mapping can be:

• A static value (e.g., always set the Jira project key to "LOC")
• A dynamic value from the Smartling job (e.g., set the Jira Summary to the Smartling job name)
• A template combining static text and dynamic values (e.g., "[Smartling] My Job Name")

At minimum, you must provide mappings for the Jira Project, Issue Type, and Summary fields, which Jira requires to create an issue. All other fields are optional. You can include any job field in the mapping, such as:

• Job name, description, and reference number
• Due date
• Target languages
• Cost estimates (word counts, weighted word counts, estimated costs)
• Job progress (overall and per-locale completion percentages)
• Linguist assignments
• Smartling custom field values
• Any other available job field

Status mapping

Status mapping defines how the Jira issue should transition as the Smartling job progresses. For each Smartling job status (Draft, Awaiting Authorization, In Progress, Completed, Cancelled, Closed), you can specify a corresponding Jira workflow status. Leave a mapping blank if you do not want the Jira issue to transition for that event.

The questionnaire includes a complete reference of available Smartling fields and example configurations to help you fill it out.

Step 2: Connect your Jira instance

An Account Owner role is required to complete the connection in Smartling.

You can connect your Jira instance at any time. You do not need to wait for Smartling's engineering team to complete configuration first. However, the integration will not be active until the backend configuration is complete.

1. Click Account Settings in the top navigation in Smartling.
2. In the Integrations section, click Integrations & Developer Tools.
3. On the left-hand side of the page, select Management Bridge.
4. Click Connect to Jobs Jira.
   
5. Enter your Jira instance URL, user email, and API token, then click Connect.
   

We recommend using a dedicated Jira service account for the connection instead of an individual user account, as all Jira issues created by the integration will appear as created by that account. The service account must have the following permissions in the relevant Jira project: Browse Projects, Create Issues, Edit Issues, and Transition Issues.

Step 3: Await configuration confirmation

After connecting your Jira instance, Smartling's engineering team will complete the backend setup based on the field mappings and status mappings you provided to your Customer Success Manager. Once the configuration is complete, our team will notify you, and the integration will begin creating and updating Jira issues automatically.

Disconnecting the integration

To disconnect the Jira integration, navigate to Account Settings > Integrations & Developer Tools > Management Bridge and click Disconnect on the Jobs Jira card. Once disconnected, Smartling will stop creating and updating Jira issues for new job events.

Updating your configuration

If you need to change your field mappings, status mappings, or any other aspect of the integration configuration after it is live, contact your Customer Success Manager or another Smartling representative. Configuration changes require Smartling's engineering team and cannot be made directly in the Smartling dashboard.

Questions?

Reach out to your Customer Success Manager or another Smartling representative to get started or to discuss your specific field mapping and status mapping requirements.