Smartling Instant AI Translation

Instant AI Translation (Instant AIT) enables real-time, AI-powered translation directly within Smartling connectors, plugins, and the MCP server. Powered by the same AI translation pipeline used in Smartling AIT workflows, it automatically applies translation memory, glossaries, and style rules to deliver high-quality, on-brand translations. No job creation or workflows required.

Translations are generated and returned near-instantly to your connected platform. Unlike traditional Smartling workflows, content is not ingested as a job. Instead, translations are generated automatically and returned directly to your connected system.

Smartling handles prompt management, model selection, and quality assurance behind the scenes, so you don't need to manage LLM configuration or prompts. Your teams can receive AI translations directly within the tools they use every day, without leaving their connected environment.

How is this different from Instant Translation?

Instant Translation is a feature available in several connectors, plugins, and the Smartling MCP server. It allows you to generate a quick translation without bundling content into a job and sending it through a translation workflow. Translations are generated using the Profile you configure in the Smartling dashboard. This Profile tells Smartling which translation provider to use and what settings to apply to achieve your desired translation output.

Example:
In this example, the Drupal TMGMT Connector is set to use the Profile named "Google Translate". This means any Instant Translation requests will be translated using this Profile.

Instant AIT is a new Profile option for Instant Translation. Instead of using a third-party MT engine or LLM, you can get translations generated by Smartling's AI Translation pipeline. This Profile, named Smartling Instant AI Translation, is available in the Default Profile dropdown in the Instant Machine Translation Settings.

Previously, translations powered by Smartling's AI Translation pipeline were only available by submitting content through an AIT workflow in the Smartling dashboard. With Instant AIT, you can access the same AI translation capabilities directly from your connected platform, without creating a job or waiting for content to move through a full translation workflow.

Supported connectors

Instant AI Translation is available for the following connectors and plugins, as well as Smartling's MCP server:

Additional connectors are planned for later in 2026.

Prerequisites

Before setting up Instant AIT, ensure the following:

Account Owner role: You must have an Account Owner role in Smartling to configure the Instant AI Translation Profile and set it as the Default Profile for your integrations.
AI Hub access: Your account must have AI Hub enabled. Contact your Customer Success Manager if you don't see the AI Hub in your Smartling dashboard.
An active connector or plugin: You need an active connector project set up in Smartling. For plugins that don't require a project, such as the Zendesk Support plugin, the plugin just needs to be installed.
Reliable linguistic assets: For best results, ensure your translation memories and glossaries are up to date and of good quality. Optionally, you can also configure custom Style Rules for AI. Since these assets are used as a reference, they should accurately reflect your preferred translation style, tone, and terminology.

How to enable Instant AIT

Your account includes a pre-configured Smartling Instant AI Translation Profile that can be used with any supported connector, plugin, or MCP server. First, select which Linguistic Packages to use to inform translations. Then, select the Profile as the default profile for each integration where you want to use Instant AIT. This is configured in the Smartling dashboard within the Instant MT settings.

Only Account Owners can edit Profiles and configure Instant MT settings. Once you have configured Instant AIT in Smartling, it can be used by any member of your team who uses the connector, plugin, or MCP server.

Step 1: Configure the Profile

The Smartling Instant AI Translation Profile uses Linguistic Packages to determine which translation memories, glossaries, and style rules are applied during translation. Configure this first so your translations use the correct assets.

Log in to Smartling.
Go to the AI Hub from the top navigation.
In the left sidebar under Settings, select Profiles.
Select the Smartling Instant AI Translation Profile.
Under Linguistic Packages, add the relevant packages.
Drag to reorder packages by priority; higher-priority packages are used first.
Review the locale pair coverage indicator to confirm your selected packages cover the language pairs you need.
Click Test to confirm the connection is working. To test the actual translation output, you will need to request test content for translation.
Click Save.

Step 2: Select the Profile for your connector, plugin, or the MCP server

In the AI Hub left sidebar, select Instant MT.
Select the tab for the connector or plugin you want to configure (e.g., Figma Plugin, Drupal TMGMT, ServiceNow).
Make sure the toggle is switched On.
In the Default Profile dropdown, select the Smartling Instant AI Translation Profile.
Click Save.

Some connectors and plugins share a tab. The Adobe plugins (Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop) and the MCP server do not have dedicated tabs and all use the Profile configured in the MT API tab.

Once saved, whenever a user selects the Instant Translation option in that connector or plugin, it will use this Profile to generate translations.

For details on using Instant Translation in a specific integration, see the relevant article:

(Optional) Create an additional Profile

You can create additional Instant AI Translation Profiles if needed. For example, you may want separate Profiles to use different linguistic packages.

Go to the AI Hub > Profiles.
Click Create Profile and select Smartling Instant AI Translation.
Enter a Profile Name. We recommend using a name that is easy to identify, such as including "Instant AI Translation" in the name.
Under Linguistic Packages, add the relevant packages.
Drag to reorder packages by priority; higher-priority packages are used first.
Review the locale pair coverage indicator to confirm your selected packages cover the language pairs you need.
Click Test to confirm the connection is working. To test the actual translation output, you will need to request test content for translation.
Click Save.

How it works

When a user selects the Instant Translation option in a supported integration, Smartling translates the content using Instant AIT.

Content from your connector, plugin, or MCP server is sent to the Instant AIT API.
Smartling translates each segment using AI translation, with relevant translation memory matches provided as context, glossary terms applied, and style rules enforced.
The translated content is automatically returned to your connected platform. No job is created and no content is ingested into the Smartling dashboard.

Examples:
Figma Plugin

Drupal Connector

MCP server

Unless otherwise specified, the MCP server uses this provider for all translation requests that use the smartling_machine_translate_file or smartling_machine_translate_text tools.

Example prompt in your AI tool using the MCP Server:
Translate the text "Contact us today for a sample translation RFP" into German. Use Smartling machine translation.

Notes on configuration

Glossary Term Insertion (GTI) is automatically disabled when the Smartling Instant AI Translation Profile is selected. Instant AIT handles glossary terms automatically during translation, so GTI does not need to be enabled separately.
TM Match Insertion is disabled for Instant AI Translation Profiles. Instant AIT uses TM matches as contextual examples for generating translations rather than inserting them directly.
Language-pair configurations are available if you want to use different Profiles for specific language pairs within a connector.

Important considerations

Speed: Instant AIT may take slightly longer than standard MT, as it is a more sophisticated translation method that requires more processing.
Language support: All Smartling-supported locales are supported, though lower-resource languages may have varying quality; higher quality is expected for high-resource languages. Because translations are returned instantly, there is no light post-edit step as there is with a standard AIT workflow.
Quality: Because Instant AIT does not create a job or go through a workflow, the Translation Satisfaction Guarantee does not apply to translations generated through this feature.

Costs and usage

Translations completed using Smartling Instant AI Translation are charged at the AIT Tier 1 rate. If you have an active AI Subscription, these translations will draw from your subscription.

FAQ

Setup & Configuration

Do I need to change anything in my connector setup?

Yes, but it's a simple configuration change. First, edit the Smartling Instant AI Translation Profile in AI Hub > Profiles to configure your Linguistic Packages. Then go to AI Hub > Instant MT and select it as the Default Profile for each connector, plugin, or MCP server you want to use it with.

Will this affect my existing translation workflows?

No. Instant AIT applies only to Instant Translation for connectors, plugins, and the MCP server and does not involve a workflow. Your existing translation workflows (AIT, AIHT, human translation) in the Smartling dashboard are not affected.

Can I use Instant AIT for some connectors and MT for others?

Yes. The Default Profile is set per connector. You can configure one connector to use Instant AIT while others continue using an MT engine or a different LLM Profile.

Can I use Instant AIT for some language pairs and MT for others?

Yes. Within each connector's settings, you can add language-pair configurations to use different Profiles for specific language pairs.

Translation Quality & Output

How is Instant AIT different from using Auto Select LLM or another LLM Profile?

All three options use translation memory, glossaries, and style rules to generate translations. The difference is in how much control you have, how translation is managed, and speed:

Instant AIT uses the same pipeline that powers AIT workflows, but faster since content does not need to pass through a workflow. Smartling handles model selection and prompt management automatically, delivering high-quality translations quickly.
Auto Select LLM is fully managed and requires no configuration, making it a good option for teams that want a simple setup for LLM translation.
LLM Profile with RAG gives you the most control. You choose the LLM provider (e.g., GPT, Claude, Gemini), write your own translation prompt, and adjust model parameters.

Does AI translation use my translation memory and glossary?

Yes. Instant AIT pulls in relevant translation memory matches as contextual examples for the LLM, applies glossary terms, and enforces any AI Style Rules you've configured. These assets are configured through Linguistic Packages in the Smartling Instant AI Translation Profile.

Is the translation quality the same as AIT workflows?

Instant AIT uses the same AI translation pipeline that powers AIT workflows. The key difference is that Instant AIT is synchronous and delivered near-instantly: content is not sent through a translation workflow, so there is no light post-edit step. Quality may vary for lower-resource language pairs.

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