Translation connectors are pre-configured software (or interface) designed to connect native platforms (i.e. Content Management Systems) to a translation service vendor or translation management system (TMS).
Translation connectors, sometimes called plugins or CMS connectors, can automate the translation workflow by allowing CMS or platform users to assign and receive digital content from in-house linguists or translation service providers. This enables you to send and receive translation directly into a familiar platform or CMS while conveniently managing multilingual digital content without ever leaving your preferred tech stack.
The flexibility of pre-configured translation connectors allows application administrators the ability to integrate into any CMS or platform such as marketing automation software, eCommerce, customer support portals, and much more. The possibilities are endless with a translation connector.
Drupal, WordPress, Sitecore, and Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) are the most popular content management systems with various website translation integrations options available.
Who needs a translation connector?
Businesses that:
- Need content stored in native platforms translated via their preferred translation service provider
- Require a fast, seamless translation integration approach that includes low development work or downtime
- Want their content management teams to have the ability to manage digital content efficiently and effectively on their preferred tech stack
- Need to reduce the challenges associated with managing translation workflows
What does a translation connector do?
A translation connector helps you specify which digital content to assign for professional translation and have it automatically sent back into your preferred CMS or platform. This eliminates the tedious process of manually copying and pasting translated content back into your tech stacks. This opens countless opportunities for localized content on your website or application by allowing you the flexibility to customize your translated content for each market. You also can control costs by going the route of machine translation vs human translation.
What are the pros and cons of translation connectors?
Pros:
- Content Customization: You can easily update translated content on each page individually at any time. Some businesses require the ability to make content changes on the fly; good translation connectors allow this to happen because the translated content is already hosted in the native platform.
- Maintenance: Once the initial set-up is completed, the translation process is straightforward and is maintained on an ongoing based by TMS or your translation service provider. You don’t have to support the development of the translation connector, as long as the CMS or platform versions stay compatible with each other.
- Translation Management: By leveraging a translation connector, you’re able to translate any digital content from your origin language to another language. Most companies choose between doing the translation in-house or outsourcing it to a translation service provider. Translation connectors remove the manual translation processes with a fast, secure, and innovative project management workflow.
- Creative Control: All the translated content is hosted in your own CMS or platform, which means you have complete control of your content. This includes not having to worry about it being hosted by a third party or converting a Translation Memory Exchange (TMX) file to be imported later.
- Intuitive Interface: Translation connectors, combined with the dashboard capabilities of a capable CMS, can deliver a robust interface that empowers you to add individual webpages—or entire sections of your website—to your translation workflow.
- Complete Translation Visibility: Most CMS connectors allow the user to view the number of words they are submitting for translation from within their native platforms. The actual number of words a customer pays can be significantly less if the translation service provider has translation memory, which is a database containing previously translated content. This very same database is leveraged during the translation workflow process.
Cons:
- Provider Dependent: Not every CMSs or platform has translation service integrations Whether it’s a CMS connector, an API, or a plugin, you need to choose a TMS or translation service provider that can provide your platform with a fully functional integration that works for your current version of tech stack, and that is updated, and well maintained.
- Compatibility: Translation connectors made for specific CMSs or platforms need to be updated and in sync by the provider. For example, if you’re using Drupal 6, a Drupal translation connector developed for 7, 8, or 9 won’t work. The same applies to other CMS like AEM 6.5+ or Sitecore 10.1. You need to ensure your translation integration is compatible with the latest version of your tech stack.
- Resources: Translation connectors require someone in-house to manage digital content and the translation workflow that comes along with that. Content managers must also have the time and resources to ensure the website or application is always translated and ensure that the output is not causing interface misalignment due to content expanding and contracting from languages such as Spanish and Chinese.
- Structures: You need to ensure your website or application is ‘translation friendly’ to take full advantage of a translation connector. Make sure that your website dynamic page templates can accommodate word growth by utilizing word wrap when content contracts and expands. Businesses will also have complete control over what type of digital content (images, PDFs, etc.) gets translated by how the application administrator configures the connector to their native platform.
So when should you use a translation connector?
When you have well-rounded internal resources and need complete control of your multilingual digital content for your tech stacks.
When trying to decide if translation connectors make sense to you, here are a couple of questions to consider:
- What’s the volume of translated content you’ll have to manage?
- How much control over the translation processes do you need?
- Which translation providers offer integrations with your tech stack?
- How complex is your website or application? Can a CMS connector handle it?
- How much of your resources are available to manage your multilingual CMS or platform?
If the volume of translated content you receive is manageable, a translation connector can be an effective option because you will have complete control of your multilingual digital content. Just note that as the volume of translated content increases, so may the need to grow your content management team.
What other type of translation connectors exists?
- Pull Translation Connector
This is a plug-and-play, pre-built integration, that is operated from the TMS side. A localization manager accesses the CMS or platform via the TMS and selects content for localization. - Push Translation Connector/Plugin
This is an advanced pre-built integration, provided by a translation service provider, that is added to the CMS as an integration, allowing the end customer to launch a translation workflow via a button in their own system.
Buy versus build. Should you use pre-developed CMS connectors or create a new API?
The reason to leverage an existing translation connector is that you need to translate content immediately or lack the resources and experience to develop and maintain it. The reason to build one is that you have the resources to develop and upkeep it, and it would likely save your company some upfront costs.
How do I install a translation connector?
Installation processes vary depending on the translation connector solution that is chosen. The most common installation process is simple and requires an application administrator, on the customer side, to install a file on their CMS or platform. Typically, a TMS or translation service provider provides that. Once the connector file is installed, the application administrator will configure items, such as the desired translation workflow.
What are the cost structures of translation connectors?
Typically, translation service providers have one fixed cost and one variable cost. Your fixed cost will be the monthly or yearly cost of using the translation connector. That cost includes the maintenance and operational cost of maintaining the integration. The variable cost is the actual translation cost; each translation services provider has a different cost per word. The more words you translate, the higher your translation cost will be.
Conclusion
Translation connectors are great translation solutions that can easily integrate into any CMSs or platform in order to help you translate your websites, applications, and online portals. Ideally, a translation connector should integrate seamlessly with your tech stack, enabling you to assign digital content to linguists or providers for professional translation.
Great translation connectors should create a scalable and customizable translation process that is instant, along with a great translation service provider that can deliver accurate and relevant translations at industry-leading speed. Having an excellent translation connector will also enable you to exert complete control over how your translations are crafted and how your brand is presented across multiple languages and markets.
There are also different website translation approaches; the other most popular method is proxy translation, which operates independently of your tech stack.
