If you are involved in the translation of large quantities of website content, then you will be familiar with the laborious task of manually moving content from one place to another.
Project managers often have to spend large amounts of their time moving content requiring translation from the website’s content management system (CMS) to the translation supplier’s translation management system (TMS). After translation has taken place, they then need to manually move the content back from the TMS to the CMS.
It sounds mind-numbingly tedious, and it is. Thankfully, there is something that can help to streamline the website translation process and cut out the manual movement of content: translation connectors.
What is a translation connector?
A translation connector sits between a CMS and a TMS and automatically transfers data between the two.
The diagram below illustrates an example of a translation workflow that uses a connector.
How do translation connectors work?
Translation connectors use APIs, plug-ins and/or channels to work.
Depending on how they are configured, connectors can:
- identify content that needs translating
- export content from the CMS to the TMS and vice versa
- create the project in the TMS
- send the translation request to the translator(s)
- publish the translated content on the website
It is important to bear in mind that connectors need to be configured exactly according to the website’s structure and translation needs, which means that no two connectors look the same. It also means that the initial set-up of the connector can be time-consuming.
However, this is time that is well worth spending. Once the set-up has been completed, the connector will greatly streamline your translation workflow.
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest benefits that you could see from using a connector.
What are the major advantages of using translation connectors?
- Connectors help to automate the translation workflow, allowing you to achieve the continuous delivery of translated content.
- This results in faster turnaround times and lower costs.
- Project managers no longer have to spend time doing tedious manual tasks, allowing them to concentrate on other things such as strategising and problem-solving.
Want to learn more? Read our e-book on how to undertake SEO-localisation in a world of continuous delivery, which explores in much more detail the role that connectors can have in this process.
Emily MacKenzie
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