Webmove Blog

This blogpost is the fourth part in a blogpost series on the development of multilanguage websites with Umbraco. In part 1 and part 2 we discussed the structural options for developing a multilanguage website and we started developing a multilanguage step by step. In part 3 we discussed the Relations API and how it enables the visitor to stay on the same page while selecting another language.

We close this blogpost series with a discussion of the built in Translation Workflow in Umbraco.

The Translator Account

The Translation Workflow enables us to cooperate with professional translation agencies from within the Umbraco Backoffice. For this purpose a special account, the translator account, is provided (fig.1). This account gives the translator access to a limited part of the Umbraco Backoffice, this is only the Assigned Tasks page. This translator account doesn't have any publishing rights, as the content administrator needs to review the translated pages before they are published on the website.

Figure 1 The translator account with limited access rights

Assign a translation task to a translator

When the translator account is created, assigning a translation task is a snap:

1. Log in as administrator and go to the content in the Content Section that needs to be translated
2. Right click on the node that needs to be translated
3. Click on the 'Send To Translation' menu item (fig.2)
4. In the dialog select the translator to whom you want to assign the translation task
5. Select the language to which the page needs to be translated.
6. Optionally it's possible to include subpages and to add comments for the translation task

Figure 2 Send To Translation

Figure 3 Assign a translation task to a translator

If needed, you can also choose to assign a complete website for translation by selecting the rootnode of the website.

The Translation Details pane

When the translator logs in with his translator account he sees the translation tasks that were assigned to him in the Translation Details pane (fig.4):

Figure 4 Translation Details pane

In this pane the translator sees the content that needs to be translated as well as the comments that the content administrator added to the translation assignment.

The translator can download the XML document to his local machine by clicking the 'Download' link. This XML document complies with industry wide standards and can be opened in all modern translation software tools.

Once the translator has finished translating the content he can log back in to the Umbraco Backoffice and click the 'Upload' link in the Translation Details pane. He just needs to locate the translated XML document and click 'Upload'.

Umbraco processes the translation and shows the translator a confirmation of the uploaded and saved content. He can preview his translated page in a webbrowser (fig.5):

Figuur 5 Translation completed

Review and publish the translated content

The next step in the Translation Workflow is that the content administrator reviews and publishes the translated pages. In the content tree, the translated but unpublished content is marked by an orange asterix (fig.6):

Figure 6 An orange asterix marks changed but unpublished content.

When reviewed, the content administrator just needs to click the Save and Publish icon to make the translated pages visible on the website.

Summary

With this fourth part we come to the end of our blogpost series on developing multilanguage websites with Umbraco.

The Umbraco CMS is flexible enough to let you choose a website structure that fits your needs for a multilanguage website.

Webmove chose to develop a multi-site structure for its multilanguage website, create a complete website in Dutch and then just copy the Dutch rootnode to a second English rootnode.

The Relations API enabled us to link the copied pages to their original pages so that webvisitors stay on the same page but get the content in their preferred language when they select another language.

Finally we have taken a closer look at the build in Translation Workflow that enables us to work together with professional translation agencies from within the Umbraco Backoffice.