Translation Process using external system

The translation of DOKA-NG is possible from English (US) to various other languages such as German, Spanish etc., and to do so, an external platform called LanguageWire is used.

LanguageWire is a SaaS platform for automated translation workflows which includes Neural Machine learning technology. It also has an online review tool named Smart Editor, where a native speaker can correct/accept the machine translation. Any correction to the machine translation done on Smart Editor is stored in the translation memory database, which is then used for the upcoming machine translations. The file type that is exported/imported from and to DOKA-NG is XLIFF 2.0.

LanguageWire platform gives the user access to different workflows, few of which, that is being used for DOKA-NG is explained below-

• RAW MT (Raw Machine Translation):
  • This project template translates the file uploaded to the platform using automatic machine translation that uses the translation memory already in place.
  • It is recommended to use this template when a translation memory has already been set-up. If not, the translations are purely machine based and may not be accurate.
  • Point to note is that this type of template does not work well with size restrictions in the export file. Size restrictions are often added to the xml export template when help texts or code table texts are exported and can be found using tag entries <slr:..> in the xml file.
  • It is recommended to use the PEMT template while using size restrictions or to disable the size restriction in the export file using the checkbox available in GENXLF Settings panel.
  • If for any reason, the file with restriction had to be used using a RAW MT template and if the translation did not complete from the Languagewire automatically, then it is best to contact the languagewire partner so that they can ignore any warnings that would have been created and complete the workflow.

• Internal PEMT (incl. Auto XLIFF Transformer):
  • PEMT stands for Post Editing of Machine Translation, which means that the file uploaded using this template is firstly machine translated and then sent to an online review tool named SmartEditor where one of our colleagues (already saved in the template) who is a native speaker must verify, correct and accept the translations.
  • It is highly recommended to provide the SmartEditor tool license only to native speakers as it will directly impact the translation memory and might hinder future translations.

• Internal PEMT (incl. Manual File Prep):
  • This template is only used for files that may have additional hints/notes within the xml file. It requires an additional manual process by the languagewire internal IT team. So far, this template is not widely used and is recommended to consult with an expert/languagewire team before using it.

• TM Update (Translation Memory Update):
  • Translation Memory is a database of literals and its translations for a language pair such as English-German or English-Spanish etc.
  • Each language pair has its own translation memory database.
  • This template is only used when the translation memory itself needs to be set-up or updated.
  • A translation memory load can be exported from DOKA-NG using transaction XLIFF export and import tool and can be imported to languagewire.

• In addition to these templates, different type of files such as xlsx, docx etc., can also be translated using RAW MT template.

The series of steps involved in the translation of files is as follows:

• Analyze and review the items that needs translation. for e.g.: if UI literals needs translation or if dokuwiki text needs translation etc.
• Check for which language pairs the translation is required.
• Export the xliff file for those translatable items and for the corresponding language pair using transaction XLIFF export and import tool.
• The XLIFF file is exported to a tmp file -S:\dng\tmp\genxlf\.
• Login to Languagewire and select the project template that must be used for this translation
• Drag & drop or browse and upload the files that has been exported in the previous step to languagewire and select Next.
• Provide a relevant project draft name for the current translation and select the source & target language accordingly.
• If the project template used is Internal PEMT, then additional information can be sent to the expert (team member who will be using SmartEditor platform) using languagewire platform.
• Click on Order and additionally a desired delivery time can be selected.
• The project is then initiated and the user initiating the project will receive automated email to the Surecomp e-mail id accordingly.
• Once the translation is complete, the project is finished which will also be notified via email and then the translated file can be downloaded.
• The translated file can now be imported into DOKA-NG.
• Rename the original file with extension .ori and place the translated file in the same genxlf (S:\dng\tmp\genxlf\) folder.
• Login to DOKA-NG work environment where the translation must be imported and select the environment in the Import panel.
• Select the file that needs to be imported and Import the file.
• Check for logs and pass the translation for code review and check-in of frames to the relevant team member.

Helpful in this respect is to read through High level translation concept which covers the translation concept and XLIFF export and import tool that exports translatable items from DOKA-NG to a XLIFF file.